Marlow beat Raynes Park Vale and Northwood to stoke promotion challenge

Dawid Rogalski

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Marlow overcame what manager Mark Bartley called an ‘abhorrent’ refereeing display to beat league leaders Raynes Park Vale 2-1 on Saturday.

They then backed that up with an excellent 3-1 win on the road at Northwood on Tuesday evening to move back into the play-off places.

The Blues have responded well to last week’s unsettling 4-1 loss to Southall at the 1878 Stadium, producing two performances of grit, character and quality to put themselves right back in the promotion mix.

Their four and fifth league wins this season move the Blues up to fourth in the Isthmian League South Central table, three points behind leaders Raynes Park Vale with a game in hand.

They had to do things the hard way on Saturday and both sides had a player sent off in an often-fractious encounter.

The Blues had already edged out Raynes Park Vale in the FA Trophy and they managed to do so again thanks to a late brace from Dawid Rogalski – whose goals came in the 89th and 90th minutes.

It had looked like the leaders might hold onto the lead given to them by Jordan Gallagher’s 45th minute penalty, a decision that also saw Marlow substitute and coach Phil Brown sent off for his remonstrations.

There was another flash point in the second half when Raynes Park’s Jermaine Green and Marlow’s Brandon Curtis were sent off within a couple of minutes of each other.

While Bartley clearly felt his side hadn’t had the rub of the green from the officials, they did find a way to win the match thanks to Rogalski’s finishing at the end.

After the match Bartley tweeted: “Today we not only faced a very good opponent, but we also faced the most abhorrent display of officiating I have seen in a very, very long time.

“For us to overcome those hurdles and emerge with the three points, thanks to two late goals, deserves a great deal of credit.”

Tuesday’s trip to Northwood was a more straight-forward affair for the promotion chasers as goals from Rogalski and Joshua Boorn in the 35th and 38th minutes put the visitors in control of the contest.

A defensive error enabled Dan Williams to fire the hosts back into the game after the break, but Khalid Simmo wrapped up the points with a third for the Blues in the 89th minute.

Afterwards Bartley said: “A good performance on the road tonight, scoring three and creating plenty of chances. A defensive mix up aside, I'm pretty pleased with our work.

“Being able to make five changes, and still deliver a performance like that speaks volumes for our squad depth this season.”

The Blues have a well-earned break now before they return to league action at mid-table Ashford Town (Middx) on Saturday, October 21 before taking on the Metropolitan Police at the Imber Court Sports Club the following Tuesday. Ashford have another couple of games to play against Guernsey away and Ascot United at home before they meet the Blues in a week and a half’s time. After a poor start to the season, the Met Police have picked up form of late, claiming five of the six points they’ve earned so far in their past three league matches, while also winning in the London Cup last week.