Saturday football: Arlesey safe but Waders lose again

With the Evo-Stik Southern League Premier Division’s bottom three already down, fifth from bottom Arlesey Town were hoping fourth bottom Hemel Hempstead would fail to get a result at Bashley on Saturday should they themselves lose at midtable Chippenham.

As it turned out, an 83rd minute strike from player-manager Zema Abbey was enough to ensure that the Blues will stay in the top flight for another 12 months.

Arlesey came back to draw 1-1 at the Wiltshire club, the hosts having gone ahead in the 53rd minute through Stearn in front of 372 spectators.

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Meanwhile Hemel Hempsted lost their match 2-0 so, like the aforementioned trio, they too are relegated.

Elsewhere, Bedford Town’s Premier Division trip to AFC Totton was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch (rearrange for Tuesday, May 1) while Hitchin Town went down 3-0 at home to Oxford City.

Having missed out in the play-off seven days earlier having suffered a disappointing 4-2 home defeat by Uxbridge, Biggleswade Town signed off at the Central Division’s third placed side Bedworth United where they went down 3-1.

Piggon opened the home side’s account on ten minutes while Robinson made it 2-0 just before the break.

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With the majority of the afternoon’s 216 spectators hoping for more, it was Waders’ Steve Gentle who pulled one back for 2-1 in the 69th minute only for Bedworth’s Corbett to make sure of the three points with their third six minutes from time.

In Division One of the United Counties League, the game between Rushden & Higham United and Potton United was called off due to a waterlogged Hayden Road pitch. That game is now expected to be played this coming Tuesday should conditions improve, otherwise it’s Thursday or possibly even next Saturday.

Stotfold’s trip to Hadley in the Premier Division of the Spartan South Midlands also fell victim to a waterlogged pitch and is expected to be played on Tuesday.

And finally in SSML Division One, Langford travelled to Cockfosters where they ran out 6-3 winners after going an early goal behind before the Reds hit back for 5-1 at the interval.

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Paul Garrett netted a hat-trick while there were single strikes from Ben Sawyer, Jamie Osborne and Jordan Cleghorn although the North London hosts did go down to ten men when they had a defender sent off for handling what would have been a certain Langford goal.

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