WEEK 1 REVIEW: Round-up of all the Corinthian action from the opening weekend

SENIOR DIVISION

El Valiente kicked off the new football season in style as they moved top of the standings after gameweek one on the back of a victory away at promoted FC Ballr. A goal apiece from Calvin Poku, Joe Thomas and Aaron Marston set the East Ham side on their way in Dagenham and they secured themselves a 3-0 scoreline.

PREMIER DIVISION

A pair of identical results in the second tier leaves the leaders separated on just alphabetical order as Avintul’s picked up a debut competitive victory in the league with a hard fought win at home against Roose in Chigwell. Dumitras Olari was in fine form with a brace, Sergiu Maximov netting the other to edge the contest 3-2.

That exact same scoreline was witnessed over in Dagenham where Barking & Dagenham Wanderers were playing host to Belfry on the opening day, the sides combining in a five goal thriller of their own. Two Harry Chalk efforts and a Patrick Macdonald goal proved the difference for Belfry with Deji Akinyemi and Godfrey Kambaza netting the Wanderers consolation efforts.

DIVISION ONE

Another division where early alphabet entries lead the way is Division One where Abridge Village put a difficult few weeks behind them to record an opening day win at London Road against Ultimate Vision. Reece Clarke and Aaron Gurney both scored twice with Jake Clarke and Jordan Buntin netting the others in a 6-0 win.

Chingford Athletic made a good start to life in the third tier as the Waltham Abbey based outfit moved second on the back of a 4-2 opening day win against fellow promotees FC Mexico A.  Athletic bounced back well from their cup final defeat a few weeks ago to put their name in the frame for another positive season.

It was a good morning’s work also for Barking who were paid a visit by Emerson Park in their opening clash of the season. Utilising some of last season’s reserve squad, there were goals from Alfie Bellotti, Benjamin Britton and Jack Howard for Barking to hand their side a confidence building 3-2 win over last year’s cup winners.

Goals were the order of the day in Dagenham as promoted FC Galaxy opened their account in the third tier with a point against new boys Snaresbrook, the two sides combining for an eye watering 5-5 draw. Attack certainly dominated defence in this game with the sides taking a point each and finishing the day in fourth and fifth places respectively.

Another draw was the outcome in the division’s final game where promoted side, Theydon Green, were at home on the opening day against AC Milano in Loughton. Nadeem Khankhara scored twice for the visitors with Joe Johnson also netting two to see the game end level at 2-2, the teams settling for a point apiece to open their points accounts.

DIVISION TWO

In Division Two, the early season leaders are Total Football who, following promotion, made an emphatic start with a big win against FC Mexico B in Loughton. Marcus and Nile Painter paved the way with three and two goals respectively, Andrew Stavrinou, Oliver Curl, Jonathan Bluff and Chris Atkinson efforts completing the scoring in a 9-0 victory.

Sitting second are Asianos who’s bow at this level came with a solid opening day win as they faced Royal Lions A in Walthamstow. Two efforts from debutant Stallone Isiah and an Alex Akanbi goal were enough to see them to a 3-0 win against a highly thought of Lions side.

Sitting third by the virtue of the alphabet, Roneo Colts made a great start to the new season with a win on the road away at East London Harriers as they returned from Ockendon with the points in a 3-0 scoreline. Jake Heath, Shermar Marshalleck and Dwayne Francis-Riley were all on the scoresheet with goals to give Colts the result they wanted.

It was also a positive weekend for one of the division’s promoted sides as Eastbrook United started their campaign with a narrow victory in a five goal thriller at home to Korona Redbridge. United goals from Heavenly Bende, Fredericus Cunningham and Callum Harris had given their side a 3-0 lead but Korona fought back through Jakub Tomczak and Adam Waclawczyk to end it 3-2.

The final game in the division came from Ilford where hosts Frenford were looking to make a solid start against Thames Ironworks Community at The Drive. The experienced Adam Hunt had other ideas with two goals for Thames but Frenford matched that with two of their own to see the fixture end in a 2-2 score draw.

DIVISION THREE

In Division Three, there was plenty of success for some the league’s new clubs with Debden Sports Reserves taking an early lead at the summit following a 5-1 opening day victory against Alpha. Will Osmond was in fine form with a hat-trick for his side with Charlie Harper and George Bird efforts completing a good win.

Two of the division’s new sides met in Hornchurch where Windmill Warriors were the hosts to a Mayfield Kings side, both on their competitive debuts in the competition. And the game was an exciting one with eleven goals in all, Warriors ending the happier of those two to record a 7-4 victory.

Over in Waltham Abbey, two of the sides expected to be front runners this year met with Higham Hill taking on hosts Upshire Forest at Town Mead. Leighton Hughes-Franklin and Aeli Agha both scored for Forest but a brace from Charlie Saywood and singles from Zachery Leitch and Bryan Smith were enough to give Hill a 4-2 win.

Dagenham Town’s first game in the competition saw the visit of Goresbrook to King George’s and it was Town who came away the happier of the two sides as they ran in a 3-1 victory, courtesy of strikes from Jordan Samuels, Tommy Ivers-Grant and Joseph McEnroe. Charlie Barrett netted the Goresbrook goal on his return to the club.

It was a good morning’s work from debutants Inside Success who had a tough looking battle on the opening weekend as they faced promoted Leytonstone Athletic. Athletic were looking to make a solid start at their new home in Newbury Park but came up against a stiff test and Inside Success went down to a 1-0 defeat.

The division’s remaining game took place in Loughton where Monkhams were seeking to make a strong start versus another debutant in the form of Imperial Row. A goal filled contest saw the sides sharing six between them in an entertaining 3-3 draw. Jess Collier and Corey Tomlin both found the back of the net for Row but Monkham’s own efforts equalled that of their opponents.

DIVISION FOUR

The Division Four early leaders are Ultimate Vision Reserves who made a stunning start to the season in their opening game with an 8-1 home win against Ace Athletics. Chris Roberts was on fire with an incredible seven of the eight goals, Dean-Paul Francis grabbing the other effort. Tom Mason netted in reply for this Ace side with their consolation.

Sitting second in the division are Ainslie who were at home on Sunday as they faced up to another new side to the competition against Raphael Park Rangers. Charlie Moore came off the bench to score for Rovers but his efforts proved in vain as two Kailem Gayle goals plus strikes from Harrison Riley, Jay Digance and Alfred Grix made it a 5-1 win for Ainslie.

Promoted Singh Sabha Barking were in action in the final game of the division and they were paid a visit by Romford Athletic Dons to Newbury Park. Scott Buckland got on the scoresheet for the Dons but Barking goals from Karam Lalli and Jag Rathore were the difference between the sides in the end as they ended 2-1, leaving them third in the standings.

DIVISION FIVE

Valence United put in a sterling opening day performance in Division Five with a 10-1 win against Custom House Community. After a goalless first half, all eleven goals arrived in the second period with Rowan Newland (3), Michael Kane (2), Tommy Abrams (2), Josh Russell, Burt Cardy and Martin Bennett. Shawn Pires scored the Custom House goal in reply as they seek to improve future performances.

Sitting second, Dagenham Rangers continued on from their positive start to last season with a good result first up this term as they defeated Ultimate Vision A in a 5-0 scoreline at Barking Park.  Kye Davis came off the bench to score two with Eduard Bojaj, Aldair Doci and Dylan Arthur scoring the others to hand their side a strong start.

An identical result was witnessed in Chigwell where Eastern Avenue made a great start to the season with a stunning 5-0 win at The Grange against Colebrook Royals Vets. Bankole Fadamiro scored a hat-trick for Avenue with Miguel Conceicao netting the other two to ensure that the relegated side made the best possible start.

Promoted Athletico City made a good start to the campaign as their first game in the seventh tier saw the visit of Royal Lions B to Newbury Park, two sides very familiar with each other. City goals from Heman Gopeenauth, Sunny Kambo, Brandon Simmons and Nagesh Sookah were enough to take a 4-2 win despite Lions goals from Nika Koridze and Jai Cheung.

One of the division’s debutants, United Borough, were in fine fettle in their first competitive fixture for some time as they picked up all three points in their battle against Young Royals at King George’s. Ginojan Jesurajah had struck for the Royals but Borough efforts from Jake Griffin, Ben Miller and Luke Suchley made it a 3-1 win for the hosts.

Another debutant will have been pleased with their morning’s work as Belfry Reserves came up against promoted Byron Red Star, the two sides concocting a seven goal thriller between them. Strikes from Billy Harding, Glenn Bransgrove, Tarron Tennant and Lloyd Holliday proved just enough for Belfry to get over the line in a 4-3 scoreline.

DIVISION SIX

It was a great start for some of our new sides transitioning into adult football for the first time and Valence United Reserves made a positive start with an 8-0 win against Ivory United, another side making their debut in the competition. Jo Megege scored a hat-trick for Valence, Mohammed Djalo scored twice, Jack Sherwin, Abubakar Garba and Daniel Wendson scoring the others.

Sitting second are Colebrook Royals Reserves who made a good start to their first game in mens football with a 6-1 win away at local rivals, Epping Royals. Louie Brownlie got the Royals goal but a Jamie Meakin hat-trick, two from Oscar Simmons and an Archie Shipp strike sent the points back home to Chigwell.

In the day’s final action, it was a two of the division’s established sides facing off in Woodford with Mansfield Rangers making the trip around the A406 to take on Epping Forest Falcons at Ashtons. Billy Happe’s two goals helped Rangers to a winning start with Kempson Allen, George Hamil and Jay Kanber also netting in a 5-2 win for the visitors.