Maldon & Tiptree 2, New Salamis 5

The Jammers made one change from last week with Evan Collard coming in for Laste Dombaxe and were looking to build on an emphatic win at East Thurrock to make it three Isthmian North wins in a row and started brightly here, with Kamani KcFarlane having the first effort of the game but he hit it straight at visiting goalkeeper, Emmanuel Olajide.

Jammers continued to look good going forward and on 12 minutes, a freekick from Harvey Sayer just evaded Joe Turpin at the back post. Six minutes later, another freekick from the mercurial Maldon winger bought a smart save from Olajide.

Just before the half-hour mark, Maldon made the breakthrough their play deserved. Scott Kemp's usual tenacity enabled him to win the ball back on edge of the New Salamis 18 yard box, he pushed the ball to his right to Harvey, who jinked past his full back and got a shot away with his right foot. Again, Olajide made a smart save, pushing the ball back out into play. But Kempy had carried on his run and tapped home into an empty net.

The Jammers had all the momentum and with 10 minutes until half time, Kemp nearly made it two, but his effort was cleared off the line. But a break in play for an injury to the visitors allowed them regroup and it proved to be a turning point.

Two minutes before half time, New Salamis won a corner. Swung in from the right hand side, it found an unmarked Albert Adu Donyinah who glanced a header home for the equaliser. There was worse to come. On the stroke of half time, a long drop kick from Olajide carved Maldon open. Louie Remi managed to beat the offside trap and calmly slotted past Tommy Dixon-Hodge to give them the lead going into the break.

It was a quick-fire sucker punch from which Maldon never recovered. The second half continued just as the first had ended. With 51 minutes on the clock, Jammers midfielder, Evan Collard had a chance to shot on the edge of the New Salamis box, but was dispossessed. The long ball forward looked like it would carry through to an onrushing Dixon-Hodge on the greasy surface, but it held up- leaving Tommy stranded and allowed former Ghana international, Derek Asamoah with the simple task of rolling the ball into an empty net.

It was a knife through the heart of Maldon and allowed the visitors to relax. On 63 minutes, the game was finished as a contest. The best passage of play of the who afternoon allowing Taufee Skandari to cap off a lovely move down the Maldon left to make it 4-1.

Salamis were ruthless with their finishing. While they didn't create much, they converted their chances and they rubbed salt into the wounds with 10 minutes left as Albert Adu Donyinah grabbed Salamis'

fifth and his second of the afternoon, curling a lovely effort past Tommy who had no chance.

Maldon were at risk of being humiliated, and it should have been six as Asamoah danced through past tackles in the box, but Tommy stood up well to make a great one on one save.

Substitute Bradley Ihionvien was inexplicably denied a penalty on 82 minutes. Latching onto a through ball, he was the meat in the sandwich as he was clattered by two defenders in the box. The goalkeeper has come to meet him and as Brad was taken down, he caught the keeper and the referee gave the decision Olajide's way to the bewilderment of the players and fans.

Maldon restored some sense of respectability to the scoreline in stoppage time through Roman Campbell who tapped home a rebounded Benny Bioletti effort to make it 5-2.