Three 'n' Easy for Leaders

Wandsworth won the battle of the top two as the Gunners got a lesson in the art of finishing. Josef had warned his side before the game that ‘it will be hard to find the net!’ and so it proved. Despite creating more chances the Gunners found themselves on the wrong end of a 3-0 score and were sent crashing down the league table. Wandsworth were indebted to a quality display by Heckinbottom in goal as they withstood five first-half chances for the visiting team. Despite the pressure they found time to take the lead as Rowley Forrester again proved his worth with a quality free-kick. The Gunners seem to have the spirit knocked out of them and Wandsworth became the more dominant side after the break netting two more goals to record a comfortable win. Darcy Hording found the net from inside the penalty area on 53 minutes to send them 2-0 up and the game was over for Josef’s side when Shane Briscoe set-up captain Ryan Prisk for the third. Wandsworth now sit six points clear at the head of proceedings and it is difficult to see where they will be stopped. The Gunners see themselves drop to sixth as a result of the defeat.

Portsmouth took advantage of the Gunners’ defeat by moving into second on the back of a 3-2 victory over Alsancak. It was to be a game of two halves as Alsancak raced into a lead only to be pulled back during a dramatic second-half. Nana Adella had given the visitors a great start to the game as he was left unmarked from a corner and duly netted. Adella was to prove a real thorn in the home side once more after 16 minutes as he let fly from distance to double the Alsancak lead. Portsmouth did waste chances in the first-half but this just served to inspire them after the break. They struck within five minutes of the restart as Hisashi Oishi proved too good in the air for the visiting defence. Chances were aplenty for Pompey by this stage and on 67 minutes they were level; once more Alsancak being found out in the air as midfielder Marzuki Nugraha nodded in a corner. With time running out it looked as though both sides would go away from this high-octane encounter with a point each but the ever-impressive Oishi had other thoughts. A slick breakaway move saw Fairchild set Oishi through and the forward never looked like missing to give Pompey the points in a turnaround of stunning proportions. Lewis was obviously keen to stress the importance of Oishi saying he was ‘very pleased with him’ and that he expects him to be called up for the ‘Azerbaijan national team.’ Defeat saw Alsancak drop to fourth but they are still well placed in their very first season.

Two sides who have only experienced defeat once this term met at the western as wortley afc and Glory Hornets played out a 2-2 draw. The game proved to be a fantastic advert for Division 3 football with the second-half being an end-to-end encounter of the highest order. After a goalless opening 45 minutes the visitors took the lead via an Eliott Malloy header which left Jenning helpless in the home goal. The response was instant from wortley as they pushed the Hornets back with some intense pressure which resulted in Walter Willock heading in a corner delivered by Alfred Naples. With the two sides playing some lovely attacking football the game was turning into the Willock v Malloy show as to decide who would come out on top. Malloy looked to have struck a decisive blow when he headed home from close range to put the visitors back in front with just ten minutes remaining. As with the first time wortley fell behind, though, their response was immediate. Shiver knocked a pass into Willock’s path and the striker had more than enough confidence to hit home a long range shot to ensure both sides would be going away with a point. If both sides carry on showing this sort of attacking intent plus a determination not to be beaten they should go close come the season’s end.

These Charming Men kept up their good form under new manager RDCM with an excellent 4-1 win over Northwich Victoria. The home side always seemed to have the measure of Victoria and were to take the lead on 22 minutes when Chano Delgado headed in a Jordi Rodri cross. The second-half was to see TCM remain on top and they looked to have settled matters when Rodri himself was to convert a penalty on the hour-mark. Victoria showed defiance in the face of this setback and were awarded a penalty themselves which Tom-Stian Anthonsen scored. With their lead now halved TCM remained calm and continued to play some quality football, resulting in Rodri scoring his second of the game with a precision header. Rodri was having a standout day and helped put the result beyond doubt when he centred for Delgado to head in his second to give the home side a 4-1 advantage. RDCM has his troops looking upwards now and will be keen to carry on their good form while Northwich have the look of mid-table about them after their start to the season.

Carfin saw his Grey Area side put in a good performance at home to The Champs but had to settle for a point in a 2-2 draw. Grey Area were the more offensive side regards chances in the game but twice had to come from behind to salvage a point. Seth Alker had put The Champs in front on 12 minutes after finding space to head in a Butters cross. Despite this, Grey Area were putting in a solid showing and found themselves level after Sheldon Skiverton and Julian Dempsey combined from a free-kick for the latter to hit the target. The second-half saw the hosts edge proceedings again but once more they found themselves behind from another Alker effort; this time hitting a long range shot past Ryding. The last ten minutes proved to be a troublesome period for the visiting side, though, as first they lost Randy Alker to a bad injury and then Geoffrey Stiles headed in from, new signing, Freddie Smit’s cross and the scores were level. Carfin seemed happy and suggested that ‘with a bit of graft’ they could go far. Meanwhile Wylie909 stated it was a ‘messy game’ and in the end ‘2 sloppy goals’ cost them.

The battle at the bottom saw The Posh edge past Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge. With the home side giving up two skill bars they will have been pleased with their performance but will reflect it was the slow first 45 minutes which ultimately cost them any reward from the game. They suffered a blow in the second minute when Darren Barrett suffered an injury which will keep him out until late April. The Posh were enjoying the better of the game and took the lead on 41 minutes when Jack Lightbody put the final touch to a smart breakaway move. Chelsea, inspired by Frank Lampard, exerted pressure after the interval in an attempt to get back into the contest but lacked the necessary composure in front of goal to finish off their good build-up play. It is hard to see either side impacting much on the rest of the division for the remainder of Season 3 but as is certainly the case with Chelsea, the future promises much brighter things.