Grant header boosts Heathens while Blues collapse at Welwyn Garden City

Flackwell Heath manager Chris Ayres. Photo: Charlie Carter

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There were mixed fortunes for Flackwell Heath and Marlow again this week as both clubs strive for the kind of consistency that could yet see them finish in the top half of the Southern League Central Division table.

Flackwell Heath look the more likely top half finishers after edging out Milton Keynes Irish at Wilks Park on Tuesday with a first half header from Eli Grant.

Grant timed his run across his defender perfectly and flicked the ball home at the near post in the 30th minute.

After back-to-back league defeats to Biggleswade Town and Barton Rovers, the Heathens needed this win to restore some confidence in what’s been a checkered campaign.

Last season, the Heathens made it all the way to the play-off final - where they were beaten by Berkhamsted - but the loss of several key players, most notably across their forward positions has hampered their progress this campaign.

Their defeat to Maldon & Tiptree in the final qualifying round of the FA Cup also had a lingering impact and a run of six defeats from their next seven matches in all competitions left them struggling to stay in touch with this season’s promotion contenders.

Since mid-November, they’ve been in better form but haven’t managed to sustain that form over a run of matches to get themselves back into the top half of the table. ‘

Tuesday’s win leaves them 13th in the table, too far off the top five for a late charge for the play-offs, so maintaining focus will be a challenge as they look ahead to Saturday’s clash at home to ninth placed Hadley and the games beyond.

It’s been a tale of inconsistency for local rivals Marlow too, as they suffered their 19th defeat in 33 league matches at Welwyn Garden City on Tuesday.

The Blues had given themselves a much-needed confidence boost with Saturday’s 3-0 win over London Lions and it looked like they might maintain that form when Toby Raggett drove the ball into the box for Enrique Tiamuna to steer them in front in the 23rd minute.

Raggett had a chance to make it 2-0 early in the second half when Tiamuna was tripped for a penalty, but he missed the spot kick and Marlow’s challenge collapsed spectacularly off the back of that.

With confidence still brittle, the Blues showed their inexperience over the next 15 minutes as they conceded three times without reply to hand the points to Welwyn.

The home side equalised minutes later through Steve Cawley in the 58th minute, edged in front through Ethan Rookard in the 61st and scored their third goal in 10 minutes when Lewis Taalfe found the back of the net.

The hosts could have added more goals to their tally in the latter stages as Marlow’s confidence wilted further, and for manager Mark Bartley it proved another extremely frustrating night.

Speaking to club media afterwards, he said: “In a way I kind of feel a bit sorry for the boys today because I think in the first half, we were excellent and deserved to be ahead. We played the conditions really well.

“Second half we started fantastically and the game sort of turned on a couple of moments for us. We missed a penalty, which can happen in games, and it gave them a bit of a lift. It knocked us a bit. We then conceded a goal which felt a bit scrappy and the next one comes in quick succession.

“That’s the story of our season where we don’t seem to be able to reset when something goes against us in a game. We had a big chance at 2-1 and should equalise to make it 2-2 and we didn’t. We’re then chasing the game and we concede another one.

“I don’t think we played too badly today. The first half was excellent. The second half was very good, but we had that 12-minute spell where we conceded those goals and that just undoes the hard work we’d done before.”

The result leaves the Blues 16th in the table ahead of away games at Leverstock Green on Saturday and Hadley the following weekend.