LEAFE ON CHARGE TO PLAY-OFFS
WHYTELEAFE hauled themselves back to within seven points of the playoff places after upsetting
Walton Casuals with a 3-2 win – their ninth victory in 11 games.
The home side opened the scoring in the 27th minute when Tom Chapman’s corner was flicked on by Antonio Simeone to Anton Douglas, who scored from close range.
Lanre Azeez got the second in the 32nd minute following a sumptuous eight-man move.
Walton Casuals came back into the game with goals from Josh Kelly, who chipped Sheikh Ceesay in the 37th minute, then an equaliser came from Jack Sammoutis on the stroke of half-time.
The second half was a much tighter affair, the winner coming in the 73rd minute when Tommy Hutchings scored from Douglas’s cross.
Hythe Town were not to fully capitalise on Casuals’ slip-up though as they drew 1-1 at home to Horsham.
There was little to separate the teams and Horsham took the lead when a speculative effort from Alfie Rogers spilled out of the arms of Hythe keeper Will Godmon.
The visitors could have had another when Tom House hit the bar from 20 yards and Charlie Farmer put a free header over.
However, Hythe had plenty of first-half chances as well and equalised with an excellent direct free-kick by Darren Oldakar.
In a tight second half, Hythe went down to ten men when Chris Kinnear was given a red card with 20 minutes to go yet almost snatched a win, but Ryan Palmer’s low shot was tipped around the post by Josh Pelling.
Two more teams settling for 1-1 were
Hastings United at Guernsey, with a draw a fair result in this intriguing battle.
Guernsey’s Alex Le Prevost swept home from close range following a corner on 11 minutes, and Kelechi Akpobire saw a great chance saved on 35 minutes, with Hastings counter-attacking and levelling within a minute as a cross was forced home by Sam Adams. Meanwhile, South
Park will rue a number of missed chances as
Faversham scored an equaliser in the sixth minute of added time.
A delightful cross from Dan Moody on the left found Jack Mazzone whose first touch created the space for him to beat Simon Overland to give Park a sixth-minute lead.
Park had the ideal chance to seal victory however Jack Mazzone’s penalty was saved.
And deep into stoppage time, Callum Thomas made an outstanding save to deny Faversham, however the ball fell to Matthew Bourne, whose shot found the bottom corner.
Neither Ramsgate nor Molesey had claimed a win in 2018 but the hosts ended that rather fortuitously with an injury-time winner from Liam Dickson.
The Rams were first out of the block and went one up on seven minutes when Ollie Gray pounced after the Moles had failed to clear.
The visitors dominated the second half and Ross Chalke took advantage of confusion in the Rams defence to nod a 51st minute equaliser.
Molesey remained the side most likely to break the deadlock until Dickson’s last-minute effort.
Shoreham slipped further and further into trouble as Junior Baker’s late winner sealed the points for VCD Athletic.
Meanwhile, one game fell foul of the weather as East Grinstead Town’s proposed home clash with
Herne Bay was postponed due to a frozen pitch.