Division 1 North Round-Up – 20/11/10

Football`s a team game, of course, but Great Wakering Rovers` skipper Dan Trenkel must have his doubts after scoring FIVE times on Saturday and finishing the afternoon as a loser! 
Visiting Potters Bar Town somehow emerged as 6-5 winners of an extraordinary Ryman League Division One North encounter. Four times they took the lead in the first half and four times Trenkel replied. 
And when Trenkel put his side ahead for the first time with a 75th minute penalty he must have thought that his team would reward him for his efforts. Instead, substitute Leon Skinner made it 5-5 with 9 minutes left and poor Trenkel could only watch in despair as Jose Espinoza snatched a last-gasp winner. 
Espinoza had started the goal spree after 3 minutes. Elvis Balic, Tom Pett and Chris Doyle, with a penalty, also gave the visitors the lead before half time, with Trenkel’s answering salvo coming after nine, 22, 32 and 44 minutes, the first of them a penalty. 
The last five-goal haul in the Ryman League was by Gary Noel, now of Carshalton Athletic, who contributed the lion’s share to Croydon Athletic’s 7-0 thrashing of Ashford (Kent) on the opening day of last season. 
On another day the game at Ware would have been captured all the headlines in the division. Title-favourites Needham Market conceded three penalties, had three men sent-off, and yet lost by only the narrowest of margins. 
It all started in the first minute when Needham keeper Danny Gay saved Matt Mitchell’s penalty. James Evans gave the visitors an 18th minute lead but Mitchell made amends for his miss with a 29th minute equaliser, only to have another penalty blocked by Gay on the stroke of half time. 
Chris Sargent put Ware ahead on the hour and Dan Roles made it 3-1 moments later. Then, in the 70th minute, Roles was brought down by Gay and the keeper was sent-off. 
Rhys Barber took over to face the day’s third penalty while Mitchell was not given a chance to complete a hat trick of misses, handing his duty over to Ryan Wade who made no mistake. 
Trailing by 4-1 and one man, Needham’s task looked hopeless. But then Ware had Sam Ruff dismissed, Craig Parker pulled one back in the 86th minute with his twentieth goal of the season and Christy Finch cut the gap further as the game went into added time. 
Needham tried to retrieve the ball from the back of the net in a hurry and a scuffle broke out, at the end of which the visitors had Sam Newson and Nathan Stone sent for early baths, leaving Ware to hold out for a 4-3 victory. 
And that was not the end of the unusual events in this division. Both Maldon & Tiptree and Brentwood Town collected three away points despite having to play for more than 20 minutes with nine men. 
For Brentwood, admittedly, it was only a one-man disadvantage and they had established a 3-0 cushion in the first half-hour at Waltham Forest with two goals by Ryan Edgar sandwiching one by Ellis Remy. 
The flashpoint came on the hour when Ted Llewellyn and Forest’s Brian Suchley were sent-off after a clash, to be followed 6 minutes later by Brentwood’s Dean Green. But there was no further scoring. 
Dean Fenton’s goal after 50 minutes proved to be Maldon’s winner at Enfield but they made it hard for themselves. Paul Shave received his second yellow card in the 55th minute and Lee Blackburn suffered the same fate in the 69th. 
The other four games were peaceful by comparison. Leaders Wingate & Finchley went down 2-1 at promotion rivals East Thurrock United, who scored 30 minutes into each half through Hakeem Araba and Max Cornhill. Sam Sloma made it an interesting finish when he scored direct from a corner with 4 minutes left. 
Derek Hawtin struck 5 minutes from the start and 8 minutes from the end of Ilford’s 3-0 victory at Leyton. Ian Cooper made the most of a free header to score the other one after 28 minutes. 
Waltham Abbey beat visiting Thamesmead Town 2-0. After Tyler Campbell’s solo effort in the 40th minute they had to wait until added time for Emmanuel Osei’s clincher. 
The final game in the division was at Tilbury, where Cheshunt fought out a goalless draw. Chris Stowe hit the bar for Dockers.