Saturday’s Round Up: Vanarama National League

At the EBB Stadium, The Shots took a 15th minute lead when Bernard Mensah diverted a Shamir Fenelon shot past Chris Dunn.

And then on 33 minutes, the home side doubled their advantage when Adam McDonnell`s effort came back off the crossbar and Fenelon was on hand to fire home the rebound.

It was a case of game management after that for The Shots to record a third successive win.

Sutton regained top spot with a win at Guiseley that could have been even more comfortable but for some fine saves from home `keeper Jonny Maxted.

The U`s took a 13th minute lead when Lance Cadogan`s corner was turned past Maxted by Craig Dundas.

However, the turning point in the game came after 32 minutes when the hosts were awarded a penalty for handball.

Lee Molyneux put the spot-kick to Jamie Butler`s left, but he guessed correctly.

And just 4 minuets later, the visitors punished Guiseley further when they doubled their lead – another good ball in by Cadogan saw Tom Bolarinwa get to it ahead of Maxted to flick into an unguarded net.

The second half saw Maxted save well from Dundas and Ross Lafayette, while Butler was called into rare action 10 minutes from time when he blocked Mike Fondop-Talum`s effort.

Macclesfield Town are third but were held to a 1-1 draw at the Gallagher Stadium by mid-table Maidenhead United.

Both side's lacked that final touch to put the ball in the net in the first half.

But it was the Silkmen who broke the deadlock 9 minutes into the second half with an amazing goal.

Ryan Lloyd received the ball on the half-way line and he hit a shot towards goal that stunned everyone at York Road – and most of all keeper Lloyd Pentney as it sailed past him and into the back of the net.

Pentney then did well to prevent Elliott Durrell from doubling the visitors lead in the 72nd minute.

And then 2 minutes from the end of normal time, the Magpies grabbed a point when sub Jake Hyde's shot hits the post and went into the net after a cross was floated into the box.

The early lunchtime kick-off produced an exciting second half for BT Sport viewers if not for home supporters as struggling Chester FC conceded four without reply against promotion-chasing Dagenham & Redbridge.

A disappointing first half devoid of little in the way of goalmouth action, was followed by a totally different second period that saw the Daggers awarded a penalty in the 49th minute when Morgan Ferrier was brought down by Lucas Dawson. But Cory Whitely missed from the resulting spot-kick.

The visitors did take the lead just 4 minutes later though when Ferrier`s cross was headed home at the far post by Sam Ling.

And then on 75 minutes, John Still`s side doubled their advantage when Luke Howell netted sub Daniel Sparkes` cross from close range.

Just 4 minutes later it was game over when Michael Cheek added a third, going through to round home `keeper Alex Lynch.

And then in stoppage time, Cheek made it 4-0 with a fine effort after being set-up by Dan Robson.

Dover Athletic dropped down to fifth place after suffering a disappointing 1-0 defeat by first-time Crabble visitors AFC Fylde.

Promotion-chasing Dover huffed and puffed without really creating too much in the way of clear-cut chances.

And the decisive moment for the freezing crowd came with 12 minutes remaining when home defender Manny Parry presented the ball to prolific goalscorer Danny Rowe, who duly accepted the early Christmas present by firing past Mitch Walker to record his 11th goal of the season.

It was Dover`s second successive defeat and third without a win, but the three points lifted the Coasters to sixteenth place.

Boreham Wood made it twelve league and cup games without defeat and moved into seventh place after a 2-1 win against a now ninth-placed Woking at Meadow Park.

Wood came close to opening the scoring in the 7th minute when David Stephens flicked-on Bruno Andrade's free-kick and Dan Holman poked it past keeper Sam Mason, but somehow it was cleared off the line by Nathan Ralph.

Tom Champion did manage to open the scoring in the 22nd minute when he leapt highest at a corner to head past Mason and into the bottom corner.

It wasn`t until the 81st minute though that Wood could relax when they added a second when Andrade beats his marker and fired into the bottom corner to score against his former club.

Woking did manage a stoppage time consolation when Inih Effiong stunned the crowd with a powered long-range volley.

It`s a worrying time for new Barrow AFC boss Ady Pennock, who witnessed his team conceding three goals without reply at the Furness Building Society Stadium against a Bromley side who are now eighth.

The opening goal came in the 24th minute when the Bluebirds conceded a free-kick and Frankie Raymond fired an effort from 20 yards past Stuart Moore.

The visitors eventually doubled their advantage just shy of the hour-mark when Jack Holland`s pass found Luke Wanadio, who had time and space to pick his spot past Moore.

And the Ravens completed a good afternoon for them in the 81st minute when recent signing Dominic Vose, who had only been off the bench for 3 minutes, fired a free-kick from 35 yards that evaded everyone, including Moore in the Barrow goal.

Tranmere Rovers enjoyed their best win of a disappointing league campaign to date as they inflicted a 4-0 drubbing on Maidstone United at Prenton Park.

It was James Norwood who gave Rovers a great start with the opening goal after just 7 minutes.

Andy Cook then added a second 9 minutes later which eventually took the home side into half-time 2-0 ahead.

Often dangerous leads, Ollie Norburn ensured there was to be no slip-up by the hosts as he added a third on 77 minutes, with Norwood helping himself to his second and Tranmere`s fourth in the 83rd minute.

The win lifted Rovers up to eleventh place in the table, and just a place and two points behind the well-beaten Stones.

Now level on points with Tranmere are Ebbsfleet United, who leap-frogged Hartlepool United in the table after a comfortable 3-0 Stonebridge Road win.

Fleet recovered from back-to-back defeats to move level on points with Pools but above them on goal difference.

Fleet took a 22nd minute lead when Myles Weston`s cross to the near post was aimed at Danny Kedwell, but it appeared that no-one else got a touch to the ball as it went past Scott Loach in the visitors` goal.

The home side eventually doubled their lead in the 69th minute when a cross from Sean Shields was headed home at the far post by Kedwell.

And it was 3-0 in the 82nd minute when Luke Coulson finished low and hard past Loach from the edge of the box.

It was Hartlepool`s heaviest defeat since coming down into the National League.

It finished 3-3 and ten-aside at The Shay between FC Halifax Town and Eastleigh.

But it will be the hosts who will be the happier with a point as they came from 3-1 down to salvage a draw in a dramatic game.

The visiting Spitfires took a 16th minute lead when Sam Matthews found the back of the net straight from a corner.

Six minutes later it was 2-0 when Chris Zebroski head in from another corner.

The Shaymen got themselves back into the game after 39 minutes when Scott McManus converted a penalty after Danny Clarke had been fouled and the sides went into half-time with Eastleigh 2-1 up.

Halifax suffered a major blow just before the hour-mark when they had goalkeeper Sam Johnson sent-off for a second bookable offence – a rare occurrence for a keeper, but he had been booked for kicking the ball away after conceding the opening goal.

His second booking came when he raced out of his area to bring Matthews down

Simon Heslop added a third 5 minutes later, converting a Zebroski cross.

But the Shaymen responded well and a McManus was turned in by Tom Denton.

Eastleigh keeper Ross Flitney became the second victim of a football rarity when he too received a second yellow card – his first coming in the 19th minute for a foul on McManus – dismissed for stupidly refusing to give the ball back after Denton`s goal.

And he and Eastleigh were punished for that as defender Andrew Boyce had to take the gloves and he conceded a last-gasp equaliser when sub Dan Batty drove past him from close range to salvage a point.

Leyton Orient were another side to finish with ten-men as they suffered a crippling 3-0 defeat at Plainmoor to fellow strugglers Torquay United.

Torquay took the lead after 16 minutes when Josh McQuoid was on hand to tap home from close range.

The Gulls doubled their lead on the half-hour mark when Luke Young found the bottom corner of Charlie Grainger`s net with a strike from the end of the area.

Grainger failed to return for the second half after suffering an injury near the end of the first period and was replaced by Sam Sargeant.

And almost before the replacement keeper had touched the ball, he was picking it out of his net when Torquay added a third in the 47th minute from Jamie Reid.

The O`s day went from bad to worse when they had defender Jake Caprice sent-off 4 minutes from time following a reckless challenge on Damon Lathrope.

Solihull Moors remain bottom of the table, but now only four points adrift of second-bottom Guiseley after a 1-1 home draw with ten-man Gateshead.

But considering the Heed played for 52 minutes with a man short, Moors will be disappointed they couldn`t manage all three points.

A game involving teams with two new bosses, it was Steve Watson`s Gateshead who took an early 12th minute lead when a foul on Russell Penn by home skipper Darren Carter saw Jordan Burrow beat new keeper Max O`Leary from the resulting penalty.

Richard Peniket then hit a post for the visitors, but they suffered a massive blow after 38 minutes when Penn was dismissed for a second bookable offence.

Mark Yates` Solihull tried hard to get back into the game in the second half and were finally back on level terms when another late signing, Wes Atkinson, headed home Courtney Richards` cross.

But Gateshead defended well as a unit after that and Moors were unable to find a winner.