Saturday's Ryman League round-up
Published: 09:58, 26 September 2011
Cray Wanderers' run of six straight wins in all competitions came to an end with a 1-0 defeat at Lewes in Ryman League, Premier Division.
A disputed penalty nine minutes before the break, despatched by Paul Booth after Alex Bentley was adjudged to have fouled Christian Nanetti, was all that separated the sides.
The Sussex side's victory saw them leapfrog the Wands, who fell to fifth.
Margate suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Tooting & Mitcham - a team they had beaten 3-0 at Hartsdown Park in the FA Cup just a week earlier.
The visitors took the lead against the run of play on 13 minutes, but despite Richard Avery firing a long-range equaliser just after the hour, Tooting grabbed the points 20 minutes from time after Gate failed to deal with a ball over the top.
Gate now sit 12th with three wins and three defeats from their eight games.
Maidstone United made it five league wins in a row in Division 1 South with a hard-fought 1-0 success at 10-man Chipstead on Saturday.
The hosts were reduced to 10 shortly after the half-hour when Billy Harding saw red following an off the ball altercation, but Shaun Welford's header off the bar was the closest either side came before Sam Bewick scored the only goal in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time, lashing the ball into an unguarded net from 25 yards after some calamitous defending.
Hythe Town went down 3-2 at home to Burgess Hill at Reachfields.
The visitors raced into a 3-0 lead courtesy of a three-goal blitz either side of half-time, scoring the opener in the final minute of the first half and adding further goals on the break seven and 11 minutes after the break.
A change of formation paid dividends for Hythe in the final half-hour with Nick Barnes hitting the post before Dave Cook (pictured) pulled one back with a neat finish on 73 minutes.
Three minutes later Cook set up a frantic finale when he converted from the spot after Brendon Cass was fouled in the box, but despite Cook heading inches wide in stoppage-time, they could not snatch a point.
Sittingbourne inflicted a second defeat of the season on Folkestone Invicta at Bourne Park.
Joe Goldsmith opened the scoring from the penalty spot after a Roland Edge foul on Ryan Golding just before the hour.
Invicta were denied an equaliser four minutes from time when Tim Roberts made a fine save to block a low free-kick and the Brickies added a second in added time - the first time this season they had scored more than once in a league game - when Josh West burst clear and found Goldsmith to grab his second.
Faversham Town won the A299 derby at Whitstable Town 2-0.
Ashley Brown nodded the visitors ahead midway through the second half after some sloppy defending in the Whitstable ranks failed to deal with a quick Faversham corner.
Aaron Quain was then granted time and space to curl a second past Scott Chalmers-Stevens with 10 minutes remaining.
The Lilywhites are up to 12th while the Oystermen are just a point above the drop zone after five straight league defeats,
Ramsgate went down to a controversial 2-0 defeat at Worthing.
The hosts raced into a 2-0 lead inside 18 minutes but the Rams turned the tide and 20 minutes from time seemed to have gained a foothold when Rebels keeper Alan Mansfield felled Pascal Ebigbo in the box, only for the officials to controversially award a goal-kick and for Mansfield to avoid a straight red.
Mansfield went on to superbly thwart Simon Pettit before being forced off injured in the dying moments.
In Division 1 North,Chatham Town remain three points off the top after a 2-1 home win over Waltham Abbey.
The visitors took a first-half lead at Maidstone Road but Joe Fuller pounced on an error from the Abbey keeper to level before the break and the winner eventually arrived five minutes into stoppage time when Lee Hales fired in a free-kick to keep Town second.
Thamesmead Town won 2-0 at AFC Sudbury to go fifth.
Lewis Tozer headed the opener on 15 minutes and Theo Fairweather-Johnson fired in a deflected second on 34 minutes to seal the points.
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