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WEEK 27 REVIEW: Round-up of all the league and cup action from the weekend

WEEK 27 REVIEW: Round-up of all the league and cup action from the weekend

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COUNTY CUP

It was another terrific weekend for Corinthian clubs in outside cup competitions as Hatch Lane made it three county cup finalists this season for the league, coming through a tricky home semi-final against SWAG on Sunday in Loughton. They led 1-0 at the break and extended that emphatically just after half-time before a penalty brought the visitors back into the tie. But Hatch held on to win 2-1, securing their place in this prestigious final where they now face Trabzonspor in May. Big congratulations to all involved for reach this stage of the competition!

CORINTHIAN CUP

Just down the road in Chigwell, another big semi-final was taking place with top flight Baiteze Squad taking on Division One side AC Milano for a place in the big one… the Corinthian Cup Final. A game of seven goals was eventually won by Baiteze who warmed up for their big national cup tie next weekend with a 5-2 victory to see them safely through into the final.

ENDEAVOUR CUP

It was also semi-finals day in the Endeavour Cup with both games taking place simultaneously. In Chigwell, Royal Lions C were looking to pull off a shock as the Division Six side faced Division Five leaders, Colebrook Royals Vets. But it was to be a Royal day as Thomas Sellers, Paul Noonan, Nicholas Chrysanthou and Steve Summers goals won it 4-1 to send them into the final!

In Dagenham, it was a battle between two Division Five sides to see who would face Colebrook in the final as Valence United sought to extend their epic season with a home semi-final against Ultimate Vision A. George Matthew and Max Brett both scored for Vision but Valence were in good form once again, winning 6-2 with a Ryan Knight hat-trick, two from Aaron Leggett and a Jordan Cook goal finishing it off.

SENIOR DIVISION CUP

There was quarter final action in the Senior Division Cup with the first of the last eight ties seeing East Way Athletic in action at home against FC Ballr for a place in the last four. Despite holding an eleven point deficit on Ballr, it was East Way who made safe passage through with a comfortable 3-0 win on the day.

PREMIER DIVISION CUP

The Premier Division Cup line-up for the final is now complete and the semi-final saw a real shock as Senior Division side, United Dian, were dumped out of the competition by second tier, Barking Riverside, the latter seemingly having a taste for cup finals now following their success last summer. Barking were 1-0 winners on the day to set up a final against Avintul next month.

SENIOR DIVISION

There was just the one game in the Senior Division with most other sides in cup action and it saw El Valiente eventually prevail from their away clash against Repton Park, winning the game 7-2 with a late flurry of goals. That saw them keep a grip on fourth place, picking up a seventh league win in thirteen this season.

DIVISION ONE

The race for the Division One title took a real turn on Sunday as Oceana were able to return to the top of the pile following a narrow 4-3 win against Emerson Park over in Harold Hill. Two goals from Robert Coe and one each from Tom Parsons and Jesse Jones were just enough to edge past their opposition and maintain an intriguing chase on the silverware.

Second placed Theydon Green had to surrender top spot for the time being at least as their return to league action saw them held to a draw by sixth placed FC Galaxy in Dagenham. Alexandru Demidov and Mihai Gherasim both got on the scoresheet to give their side a point with Josh Steele and Daniel Hearty netting for Green ahead of their upcoming cup final.

FC Mexico A have given themselves a real shout of avoiding the drop this season as they moved out of the bottom two with a solid win against Barking in Hainault. Justin Lopes scored for the visitors but his efforts proved not quite enough as the Mexicans moved to eleven points with three games to go.

DIVISION TWO

The leadership of Division Two has changed once again with Asianos taking their place at the top, taking advantage of those around being out of action in taking all three points from their home game against seventh placed Eastbrook United. That saw them complete win number eleven for the season with three games to go.

Total Football’s strong second half of the season performance continued at the weekend as they returned with all three points from their trip to South Ockendon to face East London Harriers. Adam Gomes scored twice and Chris Atkinson bagged the other to record a 3-0 win, taking their points tally for the season to twenty-nine.

The biggest winners of the day in the division were Frenford who assured their survival in the division with a thumping 7-2 home victory against Korona Redbridge at The Drive. Goals from David Pietras and Dawid Smolarek had given their side a lead but Frenford fought back to take the points, jumping to eighth in the process.

And it was also a good day to be a Mexico player as the FC Mexico B side followed their A team counterparts by recording a victory as they pulled off a stunning 3-2 away win against Royal Lions A in Hainault. Craig Smith and Luke Brooker netted the goals for the visitors which were enough for them to record just a second league win of the season.

DIVISION THREE

In Division Three, the race for the title is entering it’s final stages and Leytonstone Athletic have given themselves a chance of sweeping in, moving second on the back of a 3-1 victory against previous leaders, Higham Hill. Charlie Saywood struck for Hill but two Bradley O’Donovan goals and a Reece Simpson strike handed Athletic the vital points haul.

With three games still in hand on most of the other sides around them, Upshire Forest are quietly closing the gap on the rest and made it eight league wins for the season on Sunday with a 3-0 victory against Mayfield Kings to sit just six points off the pace. Blake Rogers, Rhys Thurgood and Mark Lawn all found the target to keep their hopes alive, ahead of their cup final this weekend.

DIVISION FOUR

Blackwall Rovers were the biggest winners in Division Four on Sunday as they bounced back well from the disappointment of their cup exit last time out to beat Chingford Athletic Reserves 4-1 on Sunday at the Flats. That secured victory number ten as they all but assured themselves of a top four finish this season.

There was also a win for Ace Athletics who’s late charge to avoid the drop saw them pick up a hugely important three points at home to Ultimate Vision Reserves. Despite going into the game with a thirteen point deficit, they managed to secure a 2-1 win with two goals from Alex Mason helping them to a fourth league success this term.

With the league title already assured, Singh Sabha Barking’s first game since that award saw them make the trip to Raphael Park Rovers where they were involved in a close game that ultimately saw them take a share of the points in a 1-1 draw. Daniel Adasonla scored for Barking but a Jamie Monk strike for Rovers ensured they finished level and stay just outside of the relegation zone.

An entertaining draw rounds off the action from the division as cup finalists, Romford Athletic Dons, were held in an entertaining 3-3 draw against Lonsdale in the Hainault derby on Sunday. It was a fruitful hop over the hedge for Kalium Fletcher who scored all three goals for his Lonsdale side but Dons scored three of their own to keep up their own excellent form recently.

DIVISION FIVE

Byron Red Star kept alive their hopes of a push for promotion in the remaining weeks of the season as they recorded a twelfth league success on Sunday, returning home from United Borough with all three points in a 3-0 success. Adrian John, Richie Morris and Ryan O’Connell all found the target for their side to secure a solid victory.

DIVISION SIX

The “Epping” derby took place on Sunday in Division Six with the Royals in town to face Epping Forest Falcons, the former having a six-point advantage going into the game. That was extended to nine points by full time as Daniel Booker, Joseph Bothwell and Fraser McCarthy scored for their side, Emmanuel Addo netting both of Falcons’ consolation goals in a 3-2 Royals success.

In the race for promotion, Colebrook Royals Reserves entertained Valence United Reserves at The Grange on Sunday, both sides knowing the value of three points. But the game ended level at 2-2 as two Jamie Meakin efforts for the hosts cancelled out Valence goals from Ayomide Ibuola and Tanis Newill, keeping Colebrook in pole position with their games in hand.

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