Only three matches were possible in the Ryman North on New Year's Day – although that was better than in the Premier Division where all ten fixtures were washed out.

Harlow Town started 2014 with a 1-0 win against local rivals Ware, who are now ten points adrift of the safety mark at the foot of the table. Although Harlow beat Ware 5-0 in the reverse fixture the Hawks had a tough afternoon as they faced a completely different side and they were also missing some key players. The only goal of the game came inside 14 minutes, courtesy of a Shane Stamp tap in.

Another struggler, Wroxham, started the New Year in disappointing fashion as a brace apiece for Ryan Melaugh and Ian Westlake helped play-off chasing Needham Market to a 5-2 win at Trafford Park. The two combined for Needham’s first after three minutes, Melaugh slotting past Robert Juhasz for the lead, before Sam Harty curled in a sublime 20-yard effort 10 minutes later to restore parity.
Melaugh then got his second to re-take the lead on 53 minutes, before two Westlake goals in eight minutes took the game away from the Yachtsmen. Harty bagged his second 20-yard effort of the game with 13 minutes to go to spark hopes of a comeback, but Adam Mills’ 88th minute header secured the points for Needham after good work by Luke Ingram.

The only other game to get the go-ahead was between Cheshunt and Waltham Abbey. The referee undertook a couple of inspections of the Theobalds Lane pitch before finally giving it the nod at 2.15pm. And the decision saw the Abbots move into thirteenth place in the table with a 1-0 win, thanks to a Louis Bristow effort after 34 minutes.

Ryman League