Enfield Town stay perfect at the Isthmian Premier summit

Enfield Town's return to the Isthmian Premier Division after two seasons away is going better than most could have hoped. Billy Holland's side, fresh from being named August's Manager of the Month, beat Cray Wanderers 3-2 at the Queen Elizabeth II Stadium, where strikes from Ayo Tanimowo, a Sam Youngs penalty and a close-range Amrit Bansal-McNulty finish held off replies from Ade Yusuff's penalty and Soul Kader. It kept Enfield Town's winning league run intact and, according to the club's own report, moved them three points clear at the top, with the Cray Wanderers account noting their side remain with a game in hand having had their trip to Maldon & Tiptree postponed last month.

That fixture backlog matters, because Cray's week had already included FA Cup exertions. Alex Hernandez's early second-half header settled the first qualifying round replay against Lewes 1-0 at Flamingo Park, sending the Wands into a home tie with National League South leaders Maidstone United on 19 September. Lewes manager Craig Nelson called the performance "the polar opposite" of the original 2-2 draw, adding that his side were "right in the game for the full 90 minutes" despite the exit.

Lewes had little time to dwell on the cup disappointment, travelling to Chatham Town three days later and squandering a two-goal lead built by a Charlie Walker brace inside two first-half minutes. Chatham hit back through Alex Giles before further goals from Ben Allen and Harry Lodovica completed the turnaround, leaving the Rooks eighth in the table.

At the top end of the table, Dartford moved level on points with Carshalton Athletic after a comprehensive 3-0 win at Colston Avenue, courtesy of Jeremiah Pinder, a Ben Greenhalgh free-kick and a Dan Smith penalty. Carshalton, who had already been eliminated from the FA Cup by Chertsey Town in midweek, remain without a win in four in all competitions. Dartford's cup run has also drawn attention to their academy pipeline: nine graduates were named in the squad for the FA Cup replay win over Westfield, eight of whom played, prompting manager Ben Greenhalgh to praise "the depth of talent but also the unity within the squad".

Elsewhere, Eastbourne Borough ended a three-match winless league run with a 3-0 defeat of Cheshunt, Kai Corbett, Liam Nash and Josh Rees among the scorers. Dulwich Hamlet hosted Brentwood Town at Champion Hill, where captain Nyren described the visitors, last season's play-off finalists, as a "different challenge" after the Hamlet's unbeaten home league form this season. Burgess Hill Town drew 2-2 with Ramsgate, Chris Whelpdale's late penalty rescuing a point, while St Albans City progressed through their FA Cup replay before cruising to a 4-0 league win over Three Bridges.

Off the pitch, Maldon & Tiptree confirmed a change of ownership, with the new group led by Sonny Shahnawaz holding a fan Q&A session ahead of their home game with Whitehawk, promising a badge redesign developed "in full consultation with the supporters".