Commoners have one hand on the crown

Colden Common are tantalisingly close to the Wessex Division 3 crown after a full-blooded, exciting match at soggy Lederle Lane on Tuesday night, writes Greg Boughton.

Common have now finished their league programme, but second-placed Hayling United are twelve points behind with four games still to play. If they win all four and make up Common's current goal difference advantage of 19 they could still pip the Commoners - and if they can manage that they'll probably deserve it!

Fleetlands, with ex-Fareham Town midfielder Danny Thompson at the heart of their best moves, were busy early on and threatened the visitors' goal several times before Common clicked into gear.

Then, Joe Hodge shot over the bar and Richard Lang went one better by netting, only to be ruled offside.

But the visiting contingent roared their approval in the 32nd minute when Dean Higgins had time to control the ball at the far post after Lang and Matt Rackham had set him up, and clipped the ball over Aby Smith as the keeper dived at his feet.

The second half, played in driving rain, was real hammer-and-tongs football with both sides giving it everything and no quarter expected or given.

Dave Nicol saved well to deny Dean Inman, Alex Hay and Steve Britten in quick succession, but a quick break down the left gave Common the chance to hit back, and James Atterbury grazed the Fleetlands bar with a piledriver of his own.

Few would deny that Fleetlands were worth a point, and they got it in somewhat fortunate circumstances 12 minutes from time. Thompson angled a corner in at the near post, Stu Curtis got the merest of touches as he attempted to clear, and the ball deflected in off Nicol.

In the closing stages Common threw everything forward, but the excellent Smith performed heroics and when he was beaten by Atterbury's looping header, Matt Jenkins helped out with a clearance off the line.

So now Common must wait to see how Hayling get on in their last four games...

Colden Common 4, Overton Utd 2

Common had put themselves in position to wrap up the title by beating Overton 4-2 in their last home game of the season on Saturday.

In a good game against tough opponents, Common took the lead after 8 minutes when a free-kick was played short to Jim Hart. His chest-high cross eluded the Overton defence, and Dean Higgins scored with a stooping header.

Three minutes later Hart was again the provider with a cross that was flicked on by Ross Lewis for Richard Lang to power home a six-yard header.

A third goal followed after 55 minutes when Hart set Lang free. The striker skipped past an attempted tackle, and the Overton keeper, to score.

Overton pulled one back almost straight away when Lee Chambers got on the end of a cross, and Overton were still in it at that point as play flowed from end to end.

But Lang soon completed his hat-trick from a Higgins cross, and that just about sealed Common's victory - even though Overton did pull back a late goal with a lob that was too good for keeper Dave Nicol.