Burnham tighten grip on top spot after 3–1 victory over Amersham Town

Burnham vs Amersham Town. Photo credit: Burnham FC/Paul Butler

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Burnham continue to stretch their lead at the top of the Combined Counties Premier Division North table, with Saturday’s 3-1 win over Amersham Town at the 1878 Stadium lifting the Blues seven points clear at the top.

 Mo and Omz Bakali’s side have won their last two matches, hammering Ardley United 4-1 to get back to winning ways last weekend before following it up on Saturday with a solid home win over a side sitting 17th in the division.

While the lead looks a commanding one with only months left in the season, the joint management team will know many rivals have matches in hand and would eat into that lead if they were to win most of those.

As such, their most likely title challengers sit third to sixth in the table, with fifth placed Windsor & Eton keeping pace with a 2-1 home win over British Airways on Saturday.

Sixth placed Ardley United weren’t in action on Saturday but have six matches in hand over the Blues and trail them by 15 points. Both teams could move above the Blues so Burnham know they must keep winning if they’re to fend them off. Third placed Broadfields United and fourth placed Ashford Town are also well in the title mix with games in hand over the leaders.

 Their closest challengers at present are Wallingford & Crowmarsh, who sit seven points adrift after beating Hilltop 2-0 on Saturday but have no matches in hand. 

 Burnham managed to wrap up the points on Saturday with an impressive second half display.

They took the lead just before the hour mark through Youssef Bouimane’s finish and doubled it with just under 10 minutes to play through Jordan Brown.

The Blues striker was in the right place at the right time to tap home after the visiting keeper pushed out a close-range effort.

Shyon Dennis then sealed all three points from the penalty spot, drilling the ball low past the Amersham keeper in the 87th minute. It was his fifth goal in four matches and continues his impressive goalscoring form.

Amersham grabbed an injury time consolation through Callum Coen, but it came much too late to have any impact on the result.

 The Blues next travel to 15th placed Harefield United on Saturday as they look to make it three straight league wins.

Windsor & Eton remain one of the most likely challengers for the Combined Counties crown, and they pushed themselves into the play-off places with a 2-1 win over British Airways at Stag Meadow on Saturday.

The Royalists have been lightly conditioned in the early weeks of the year, playing just three times competitively since their match at Harefield United on December 20. And their last two outings in the league and cup ended in relative disappointment, with Rob Webb’s side held to a goalless draw in atrocious conditions by Amersham Town in the league ahead of their agonising penalty shootout exit to step five rivals Fisher FC at home last weekend.

So, Webb will have known his side needed to bounce back to gain some much-needed positivity - and this they managed, though they were made to work hard for the three points by BA.

Sean Alexander fired the visitors in front just after the half-hour mark, but Nick Thumwood levelled from the penalty spot just six minutes later after Luke Phillips shot hit the arm of Ben Forde.

It was the stroke of luck the Royalists needed, and they capitalised on that early in the second half when Thumwood scored his second of the game in the 53rd minute.

It was a slender lead, but one they managed to hold onto until the final whistle.

The result lifts them to fifth and within 14 points of leaders Burnham with eight games in hand. They’ll get the chance to reel in a couple of those rivals in the coming weeks when they play a string of away matches, starting at sixth placed Ardley United on Saturday.

After that they’re due to visit Edgware & Kingsbury on Tuesday and then Burnham on Valentine’s Day (Saturday, February 14) before visiting North Leigh on February 17.