Saturday October 24
SCEFL FIRST DIVISION
Bridon Ropes 1-1 Welling Town
Croydon 1-2 Staplehurst Monarchs
FC Elmstead 2-0 Greenways
Lewisham Borough 4-1 Halls
Lordswood 3-7 Hythe Town
Lydd Town P-P Sheppey Sports
Minster 1-1 Stansfeld
Rochester United 2-0 Banstead Athletic
Tooting Bec P-P SC Thamesmead
First Division Review: Seven-Up Hythe Stun Lordswood as Bunclark Hits Four
Hythe Town produced the performance of the day with an extraordinary 7-3 victory at Lordswood, while Harry Bunclark scored all four goals for Lewisham Borough and Rochester United extended their lead at the top of the SCEFL First Division.
Storm Boelo brought dreadful weather conditions across the country on Saturday, with heavy rain and waterlogged pitches causing the postponement of fixtures at Tooting Bec and Lydd Town.
However, seven First Division matches survived the weather, producing 27 goals, including a remarkable ten-goal encounter between two of the division’s leading promotion contenders.
The biggest result came at the K G Property Stadium, where Hythe Town demolished Lordswood 7-3 to maintain their unbeaten league record and move level on points with their hosts.
The visitors made a sensational start, opening the scoring after just five minutes before Luke Adams equalised for Lordswood two minutes later.
What followed was an astonishing spell of attacking football from Hythe.
Josh Byford restored their advantage in the 22nd minute, Jake Embery added a third three minutes later, and Michael Stott made it 4-1 before the half-hour mark.
Harry Linch extended the lead to five in the 41st minute, leaving Lordswood with a mountain to climb at the interval.
Any hopes of a home comeback were dealt another blow when Lewis Stevens-Toomey struck three minutes into the second half to make it 6-1.
Lordswood did manage to reduce the deficit through Thomas Davey in the 58th minute and Jack Richards in the 74th, but Hythe had the final word with a seventh goal in stoppage time.
The remarkable victory takes Hythe to 22 points from eight matches, with seven wins and a draw, moving them level with second-placed Lordswood despite having played three fewer games.
For Lordswood, it was a disappointing afternoon after their impressive start to the campaign, although they remain second thanks to their superior goal difference.
While Hythe were making headlines, Rochester United strengthened their position at the top with a 2-0 home victory over Banstead Athletic.
The league leaders were made to wait for their breakthrough, with the match remaining goalless until the closing stages.
Banstead’s task became more difficult when captain Jenson Allchurch was dismissed in the 69th minute.
Rochester eventually took advantage through Logan Thomas in the 76th minute, before substitute Perez Goumou doubled the lead just two minutes later.
The victory moves Rochester onto 28 points from 13 games, opening up a six-point advantage at the summit, although several of their closest challengers have games in hand.
There was another outstanding individual performance at Ladywell Arena, where Harry Bunclark scored all four goals as Lewisham Borough defeated Halls AFC 4-1.
The visitors actually made the better start, with Kenny Dadds putting Halls ahead after just six minutes.
However, Bunclark soon took control.
He equalised in the 12th minute before putting Lewisham ahead on the half-hour mark.
With the hosts leading 2-1 at the break, Halls remained in contention for much of the second half, but Bunclark completed his hat-trick in the 81st minute before adding his fourth just five minutes later.
The victory lifts Lewisham into fifth place on 20 points, continuing their push towards the promotion places.
Staplehurst Monarchs claimed an impressive 2-1 away victory at Croydon, bringing the home side’s recent momentum to a halt.
After a goalless first half, Dan Bradshaw gave Staplehurst the lead in the 55th minute before Toby Sargeant doubled their advantage in the 69th.
Croydon responded through Ali Fofahan ten minutes later, but the visitors held on to secure all three points.
The result moves Staplehurst onto 18 points, level with Croydon, who remain sixth on goal difference.
At Longmead Stadium, FC Elmstead continued their climb up the table with a 2-0 victory over Greenways.
Harry Bradford gave Elmstead the perfect start with a goal after just three minutes.
That narrow advantage remained intact for almost the entire contest before Finley Williams settled matters in the fourth minute of added time.
The victory takes Elmstead into the top ten on 15 points, moving them above Greenways, who remain on 13.
There was little to separate Minster and Stansfeld, who shared the points in a 1-1 draw at Hartsdown Park.
Jake Munday gave Minster the lead in the 15th minute, but Jack Calvert brought Stansfeld level five minutes into the second half.
Neither side could find a winner, leaving Stansfeld third on 21 points and Minster eighth on 18.
The day’s other draw came at Meridian Sports & Social Club, where Bridon Ropes and Welling Town finished 1-1 in an important contest towards the bottom of the table.
Welling made a dream start when Damola Awe struck in the opening minute, but Bridon responded quickly through Younus Mansor in the 14th.
With neither side able to find another goal, the points were shared.
Bridon remain 14th on nine points, while Welling move onto six points but stay in the relegation places.
The League Table
Rochester United remain the team to catch, with their latest victory taking them six points clear of Lordswood at the top.
However, Hythe Town’s extraordinary form is becoming an increasingly significant factor in the promotion race.
Still unbeaten after eight league matches, Hythe have collected 22 points and sit third, with games in hand on every team above them.
Stansfeld occupy fourth place with 21 points, while Lewisham Borough’s victory takes them into fifth on 20.
Croydon and Staplehurst Monarchs are both on 18 points, with Minster also firmly in contention on the same total.
At the opposite end, Banstead Athletic remain bottom with four points, while Welling Town have six and Lydd Town seven.
Bridon Ropes have moved up to 14th following their draw, although the battle towards the bottom remains extremely tight.
With Storm Boelo having already disrupted the weekend programme, attention now turns to the next round of fixtures and another opportunity for the promotion contenders to make their move.