Weekend woes leave Marlow and Flackwell stuck in Southern League No-Man's-Land

Enrique Tiamuna. Photo: Marlow FC

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Flackwell Heath and Marlow remain closer to the relegation places this week than they are to the play-off places after disappointing results this weekend.

Flackwell, the higher of the two teams in 14th, failed to build on their encouraging away win at Milton Keynes Irish as they were beaten 2-0 away by third placed Hitchin Town.

Marlow, meanwhile, are 16th in the Southern League Central Division, albeit on the same points as the Heathens after Biggleswade came from behind to beat them 2-1 at Oak Tree Road.

Both teams therefore continue to languish in the bottom half of the table when they would have hoped, or perhaps even expected, to challenge for promotion.

After winning four straight league matches to seemingly revitalise their campaign, Marlow are faltering once again, despite the changes made by manager Mark Bartley. Having dispensed of certain players he felt weren’t up to the job for the Blues, they carried form and momentum into late November. That has since been dissipated by a run of three defeats, a draw and one solitary win – away to struggling AFC Dunstable.

The Blues took the lead at home to Biggleswade on Saturday, when Enrique Tiamuna won the ball back in midfield and drove forward before unleashing a low strike into the bottom corner of the net from 25 yards. They held onto that lead – and might have added to it – until the hour mark, when a free kick into the box was nodded down and Adam Hunt slotted home from close range.

Ethan Kessel missed a huge chance to give the visitors the lead when he headed wide unopposed in the 68th minute, but Biggleswade found a way to win the match in the first minute of stoppage time when Temi Akinbusoye was fouled in the area and Daniel Bond swept his penalty into the bottom corner past Sharlott.

The Blues had one last chance when the ball ricochetted around the Biggleswade six-yard box in the 94th minute, but no one was able to divert the ball home, and the visitors were very relieved to hear the final whistle a few moments later.

The Blues are back in action this evening, at home to improving Stotfold, who sit ninth in the table.

Flackwell Heath’s bright start to Saturday’s match at Hitchin was undone in the sixth minute, when Lewis Franklin broke clear to score.

That’s the way things remained until the home side scored a scrappy second in the 72nd minute. The ball was slung into the crowded area, and it appeared to bounce off a Flackwell player and into the back of the net.

There was no route back into the game from there against a Hitchin side who’ve won their last three matches without conceding.

Flackwell are also back in action this evening (Tuesday) away to bottom of the table Rayners Lane.