ESSEX SENIOR LEAGUE WEEKEND FIXTURES

Friday 15th February
Tower Hamlets v Ilford 

Errington Challenge Cup Quarter-Final
Barkingside v Saffron Walden Town 

Saturday 16th February
Enfield v Southend Manor 
Leyton Athletic v Sporting Bengal United 

Gordon Brasted Memorial Trophy Semi-Final 
Stansted v Walthamstow 
Stanway Rovers v St Margaretsbury 

Errington Challenge Cup Quarter-Final
Hoddesdon Town v Clapton 

Only three league games take place this weekend in the ESL with the focus down towards the bottom of the table. On Friday evening Tower Hamlets (17th) welcome Ilford (11th) with Enfield (15th) taking on Southend Manor (18th) and Leyton Athletic (20th) welcoming Sporting Bengal United (8th) on Saturday. Leyton Athletic are on a run of seventeen league games without a victory. 

Good luck to all the teams involved in Errington Cup and Gordon Brasted Cup action. 

FA SUNDAY CUP QUARTER-FINALS THIS SUNDAY

Sunday 17th February 
All games scheduled to kick off at 2pm
Mayfair v Joker at Lower Breck FC 
Burradon & New Fordley v Sunderland Southwick at AFC Killingworth 
East Christchurch SSC v Birstall Stamford at Christchurch FC 
Black Horse (Redditch) VS Aylesbury Flooring at Studley Sports & Social

CAN THE HARES GO THE WHOLE LEAGUE SEASON UNBEATEN?

Harefield United are top of the Spartan South Midlands League Division One by eight points from second placed Broadfields United and a massive twenty-one points from Winslow United who are current in third position. 

The Hares have won twenty-two and drawn just two of their twenty-four league games played so far. Their only dropped points came early in the season against Broadfields United (1-1) and London Lions (1-1) both away from home. 

Since the game with London Lions they have won twenty league games in a row scoring 72 goals and letting in just 18. Leonard Farhall leads the scoring charts for the club in league fixtures on 21 goals followed by former Hillingdon Borough player Tashan Jordan on 14. A name many football fans will recognise follows next as thirty-six year old Richard Pacquette has hit the net 10 times in league games so far this season. He started his football career with QPR whom he made 31 appearances for between 2000 and 2004 - He has a long list of former clubs after his time at Loftus Road - far too many to mention here. 

It's looking more and more likely that Harefield United will return to the Premier Division they were relegated from in 2016.

HAREFIELD UNITED FORTHCOMING FIXTURES 
Saturday 16th February - Wodson Park 
Tuesday 19th February - HILLINGDON BOROUGH 
Tuesday 26th February - ENFIELD BOROUGH (Middlesex FA Premier Cup) 
Saturday 2nd March - LONDON LIONS 
Tuesday 5th March - Hatfield Town 
 

CLINICAL FINISHING FROM AMPTHILL TOWN WINS THEM THE GAME AT HATFIELD TOWN

JASON BECK (9) CONDUCTS A POST MATCH TEAM TALK LAST NIGHT

The Blue Boys went into last night's game at home to Ampthill Town full of confidence as they had celebrated only their second win of the season on Saturday when Hillingdon Borough were beaten 4-1 at Cotlandswick with player-manager Jason Beck scoring a hat-trick. In the opening moments of the match it was the home side who looked the better side on a sticky and heavy pitch with Jay Welsh having the best chance with a header cleared off the line. 

It was the visitors who got the victory though with a game in either half from Jake Kissiedu. The first came on the half hour mark after a cross from the left hand side found the former Oxhey Jets and AFC Dunstable player with lots of space on the edge of the box to take a touch and bend a nice shot into the corner of the net. 

The second came on 72 minutes when on the counter attack when Kissiedu got on the end of a long clearance up field to drill a low shot in which nestled into the net off the post.  

Ampthill Town included former Baldock Town player Jack Mordecai who scored a goal of the season contender for his former side against Langford in October 2017 - see here

On another night it would of been a different result had Hatfield had a little bit more luck in front of goal. The Blue Boys battle to stay out of the bottom two of the Spartan South Midlands League Division One moves onto next Tuesday's game at home to Winslow United. With 36 points still up for grabs it's certainly not all over as yet.

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS 




LINE UPS 

Hatfield Town
James Weatherill, Andrew Simmons, Jay Welsh, Alex Washbourne, Chris Tye, Max Jessop (Darren O’Brien), Rhys Shirley-Clarke, Toby Kirkham (Brian Simpson), Jason Beck, Matthew Noot, Aaron Diviney (Alife McAra). 
Unused subs - Guy Hammersley, Adam Reid. 

Ampthill Town 
Mitchell Howe, Kieran Phillips (Jacob Troughton-Smith), Tom Carter, Mark Smith, Ashely Mead, Jack Mordecai, Lawrence Burton, Louie Dillon, Jamie Cerminara (Ashley Higgins), Bradley Clarke (William Coote 71), Jake Kissiedu. 
Unused Subs - Dan Blackman, Tom Cooksley. 

Attendance - 27 

Spartan South Midlands League Division One 
Current Table - Bottom Four 

POS	TEAM	P	GD	PTS	FORM	POS PTS
17	BRIMSDOWN	26	-27	25	WWWLLL	61
18	CODICOTE	26	-24	20	WDWLLL	56
19	AMERSHAM TOWN	25	-33	19	LLWLLL	58
20	HATFIELD TOWN	26	-59	8	LLLLWL	44

FORTHCOMING FIXTURES 

DATE	BRIMSDOWN	CODICOTE	AMERSHAM TOWN	HATFIELD TOWN
16/2	Bedford	-	MK ROBINS	-
19/2	-	-	AMPTHILL TOWN	WINSLOW UNITED
23/2	RISBOROUGH RANGERS	Bedford	Wodson Park	BUCKINGHAM ATHLETIC
2/3	Hatfield Town	Ampthill Town	WINSLOW UNITED	HATFIELD TOWN

HITCHIN SUNDAY LEAGUE - WEEKEND RESULTS AND NEWS

BOSTIK LEAGUE SOUTH CENTRAL DIVISION - THE RACE FOR THE PLAY-OFFS

BOSTIK LEAGUE SOUTH CENTRAL DIVISION 
CURRENT TABLE - TOP NINE ONLY 

POS	TEAM	P	GD	PTS	FORM
1	HAYES & YEADING	25	+76	63	WDWWWW
2	MARLOW	24	+22	48	WWLWWW
3	BRACKNELL TOWN	24	+32	47	WWWDDW
4	WESTFIELD	25	+18	46	WWWWDW
5	CHESHUNT	25	+17	44	WWDWLL
6	WARE	26	+22	43	WLWDWW
7	WALTHAM ABBEY	26	+2	43	LWWLWL
8	TOOTING & MITCHAM	25	+10	42	LDWWWL
9	ASHFORD TOWN	25	-3	40	WLWDLW

Around fourteen miles separate Bostik League local rival's Cheshunt, Ware and Waltham Abbey but currently on the pitch there is only one point which divides them in the battle for the play-offs in the Bostik League South Central Division. 

The Amber's hopes have been dented of late with two defeats to FC Romania and Hayes & Yeading United with Ware's weekend 1-6 win at struggling South Park helping their climb up the table. Abbey's have had three defeats in their last six which has seen them drop down the table. For Cheshunt to go to Hayes and narrowly lose 1-0 was impressive if you look at the table topper's scoring so far. 

With Hayes and Yeading United now 15 points ahead of second placed Marlow and on an amazing 98 goals scored it's unlikely they will finish anywhere but in top position so I think it's really down to who will finish in the all important play-off 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th positions - with just eight points separating 2nd to 9th at present it's looking like an exciting time over the next few months. 

Ware manager Paul Halsey has added to his already impressive front line with the recent addition of Tommy Wade who has joined from Grays Athletic. Halsey will know Wade well as he played for him at Hertford Town and Hoddesdon Town. 

FORTHCOMING FIXTURES 

Tuesday 12th February 
Molesey v Bedfont Sports 
South Park v Northwood 

Saturday 16th February 
Ashford Town v Chipstead
Bedfont Sports v Hanwell Town 
Bracknell Town v Molesey 
Chalfont St Peter v Hertford Town 
Cheshunt v Waltham Abbey 
Egham Town v Hayes & Yeading United 
Marlow v Tooting & Mitcham United 
Northwood v FC Romania 
Uxbridge v South Park 
Ware v Westfield 

Egham Town who are bottom of the table with just two wins recorded in their twenty-five league games played face a really tough task on Saturday as Hayes & Yeading United visit The Runnymede Stadium for a bottom v top game. Anything but an away win would be a major surprise but you just never know with football do you? 

There are two very important games played as 6th plays 4th at Ware v Westfield and 5th plays 7th at Theobalds Lane as Cheshunt welcome local rival's Waltham Abbey. 

Saturday 23rd February 
Ashford Town v Northwood 
Bedfont Sports v Uxbridge 
Chalfont St Peter v Cheshunt
Chipstead v Marlow 
Egham Town v Molesey 
FC Romania v Westfield 
Hanwell Town v South Park
Hayes & Yeading United v Ware 
Hertford Town v Bracknell Town 
Tooting & Mitcham United v Waltham Abbey

SIX GOALS FOR THE ROBINS AT BRIMSDOWN

FORMER FISHER FC, LORDSWOOD AND RAMSGATE MIDFIELDER SHANE UINGS (CENTRE) LOOKS ON AS RYAN WATTS CONTROLS THE BALL

It was a great day for Milton Keynes Robins on Saturday as despite going down 1-0 to an early Brimsdown goal they recorded an impressive 2-6 victory in their Spartan South Midlands League Division One game. Striker Jack Clarkson scored a first half hat-trick with Gabrielius Judickas also netting before the break with the half time score being 2-4. 

JUST 25 PEOPLE SAW THE GAME - BRIMSDOWN ARE CURRENTLY GROUND SHARING AT WARE'S WODSON PARK STADIUM

Brimsdown included Samir Bihmoutine in their starting XI who has played for Enfield Town in the Bostik Premier and Braintree Town in the Vanarama South division over the last few seasons. Another player who looked very good for them was Samson Esan who has also played for Enfield Town u23s in the Bostik League Development North Division this season. 

In the midfield for MK was Shane Uings, who has previously played for Fisher, Lordswood and Ramsgate, who had a great game. His range and composure to pick the right pass at the right time was very impressive. He assisted in many of the MK goals scored. 

In the second half Kelvin Osei-Addo, who worked really well holding the ball up and bringing other plays into the game, scored a goal his work-rate deserved. His lob over the advancing keeper from the edge of the box was the best goal of the game up until Alexandru Marius scored right before the final whistle. His shot from outside of the box curled into the top corner was the pick of the goals scored. 

MK ROBIN'S ALEXANDRU MARIUS WHO SCORED THEIR SIXTH GOAL 

The Robins host Rayners Lane tonight before making the trip to Amersham Town on Saturday. Brimsdown head to Bedford on Saturday looking to end their run of three defeats on the spin. 

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS 

JUST THE GOALS

FULL HIGHLIGHTS