Hullbridge Sports 3 Coggeshall United 1

Pre Season Friendly, Saturday 29th August 2020 

My final pre-season prior to the 20/21 season took me back to one of my favourite local clubs in the shape of Hullbridge Sports as the now Isthmian North side hosted Thurlow Nunn Eastern Senior South outfit Coggeshall United at Lower Road.

The Bridge Boys of course competed at Step Four of the non-league pyramid for the very first time in their history last season after winning the Essex Senior League the previous season and they competed very well despite their lowly position of 16^th in the table when their season ended early after 27 games played.

This was evident in the game I saw them play last season at home to runaway leaders Maldon & Tiptree where they arguably could of won the game but lost to a late goal to lose 1-0, but it was performances like that which showed to me they belong at this level, and no doubt this season they will be excited to push on and try and improve this time around.

It also shows how far the hosts have come when they can attract the likes of ex-Arsenal academy player Jay Emmanuel Thomas to play for them in this one, the 29 year old has played for a number of EFL clubs in recent years so no doubt will add more quality to this squad that Darren Manning and James Wakeling have assembled.  The job those two have done must not be underestimated, taking Bridge from the lower reaches of the ESL to the Isthmian League, super stuff.

The visitors today were Coggeshall United, who play in the Eastern Senior South, two levels below at Steo Six, but don’t let that fool you.  Under the guidance of boss Cliff Akurang they have become a very solid side in that division and after finishing runners up two seasons ago behind the winners Hashtag United, they were looking good to mount a promotion charge last season, sitting ten points behind fourth with three games in hand before the season ended early.

I did watch them a few times last season in the FA Vase and they knocked out three Step Five sides before being knocked out in an entertaining encounter on the outskirts of Milton Keynes against a very good Spartan South Midlands side in the shape of Newport Pagnell Town, so they most certainly will be aiming for a strong season this time around and promotion must be the aim.

Now the first difference I noticed on the pitch was the hosts colours, normally blue and white stripes, however they appeared in grey tops and very bright yellow shorts/socks, so this took a bit of getting used too!!!  The opening ten minutes saw Kieran Bishop have a half chance for the hosts before Callum Fitzer saw a shot saved by the visitor’s keeper before the follow up was also saved.

On eleven minutes though Bridge took the lead when Emmanuel Thomas produced a brilliant reverse pass to send Bishop in down the right, and his finish saw the keeper get a hand to the ball but it still found it’s way inside the near post and into the net, and the hosts had an early lead in this one.

Hullbridge were pretty dominant for the opening half hour but conceded just past the half hour mark when The Weavers sent a ball in from the left which saw their full back on the right in acres of space and he sent a shot at goal which deflected into the far corner and the visitors were level.

The remainder of the half became rather scrappy and it meant the sides went in all square at the break which would of pleased the side from North Essex a lot more after they had been on the back foot for a lot of the half.

Half Time Hullbridge Sports 1 Coggeshall United 1

Bridge began the second half on the front foot with Fitzer causing plenty of problems down the left, and five minutes into the period they restored their lead as a loose ball inside the box was swept home from close range by George Cocklin who was making his debut for the side today after signing only a couple of days before, so this was a good way to mark his debut.

And seven minutes later Bridge had the chance to add a third and increased the lead when a trip inside the box saw a penalty awarded, but Bishop’s spot kick was well saved by the Coggeshall stopper and it remained 2-1 to the hosts.

It mattered not though as Hullbridge continued to have the better of the contest and with twenty minutes remaining did add a third when Caiden Thomas drove at the box and produced a lovely strike from outside the box which found the bottom corner and the hosts did now have a two goal cushion.

Fitzer deserved a goal for his troubles but skied over from close range as the hosts were now piling on the pressure to add more goals, and although The Weavers did compete at times they were well beaten here although they were up a good side in Hullbridge who have assembled a pretty strong squad for the season ahead.

Darren and James would no doubt of been happy with that performance against a very good Step Six side who will surely be in Step Five before long, and no doubt Cliff and his side would have learnt much from this contest too in defeat.  Feel both will have strong seasons in their respective divisions which would be nice to see.

Full Time Hullbridge Sports 3 Coggeshall United 1

Leigh Ramblers 4 Leigh Town 0

Pre Season Friendly, Friday 28th August 2020 

Pre-Season number thirteen of 20/21 saw me back over at The Len Forge Centre to see the ‘Leigh Derby’ between Leigh Ramblers and Leigh Town in an all Essex Olympian League encounter on the outskirts of Southend.

Rams of course ply their trade in the Premier Division and last season went pretty well as they sat in second place behind Sungate at the top of the division having taken 38 points from their 22 games before the season was ended early due to Covid-19, and they were the joint highest scorers having netted 52 goals. 

Obviously their has been changes since last season after boss Wayne Seal departed the club but no doubt this campaign the Rams will look to have another decent campaign this time around, and their final pre-season comes against fellow Leigh side Leigh Town who play their football two levels below in Senior Two.

But don’t let that fool you, because Town are a very decent outfit themselves, and sat top of the division having amassed 43 points from their fifteen matches in an unbeaten league season netting 44 goals at almost three a game and with the second best defence in the division too, they certainly had all the ingredients for a successful side.  Sadly promotion wasn’t to be after the season was curtailed early of course, but no doubt that will drive them on this season to repeat their success.

So a good game was in the offing then?  Well the early offering suggested so, the visitors seeing a forward ball met by a powerful header away by keeper Dylan Skinner who took ball, forward, the lot, whilst Rams almost capitalised at the back post after a defender let the cross go, but in the 16^th minute Rams took the lead as the dangerous Matt Brinklow was released down the left, and after his effort was saved, Dan Williams managed to put the loose ball into the net.

The rest of the half saw a dominant performance from Rams, forcing some good saves from the keeper and also see Brinklow fire a long range effort against the crossbar, and although the hosts had a 1-0 lead at the break they could have easily had more than that.

Half Time Leigh Ramblers 1 Leigh Town 0

The early exchanges of the second period continued in much the same way as the first, Rams on the front foot and creating openings, and after seeing a couple of efforts acrobatically cleared off the line, they did finally manage to double the lead just past the hour mark as a low cross from the left was converted by Ryan Lowe.

Rams thumped another effort against the woodwork as they continued to carve out more openings, and with twelve minutes left had the chance to add a third from the spot after the referee has adjudged that a defender had illegally halted a drive into the box, and Williams stepped up to add his second and open up a three goal cushion for the home side.

Rams then thumped the woodwork for the third time in the game late on, but they did manage to add a fourth just before the end when a corner swung in from the left invaded all on the far post and thumped off the inside of that post and into the net.  It capped a fine performance from the Rams who could have had double the amount of goals and more than the four they managed.

For Town it was a tough evening against their Premier Division opponents, but they often say you learn more from defeats like this than you would from a win, so I am sure they will put this down to experience and move onto the next one.  This is what preseason is for, trying to find out who has it and who doesn’t.

Anyway Rams take the honours in this Leigh Derby anyway, and they looked very impressive this evening.

Full Time Leigh Ramblers 4 Leigh Town 0

Corinthians 4 Wakebury 3

Pre Season Friendly, Tuesday 25th August 2020 

Pre-Season number twelve prior to the 20/21 season saw me over at Stambridge Road for an all Essex Olympian League clash as Senior Two Corinthians hosted Senior Three side Wakebury on what was a very blustery evening on the outskirts of Rochford.

Again thanks to Dan Blewett of Wakebury for giving me a lift to and from the ground, and also many thanks to the hosts for being so welcoming once again, always get a good welcome to the Stambridge Road ground, which I must say was looking very good.

Also was nice to see my good friend and footballing colleague in Scott W, and also was nice to see Paul Groundtastic too!!!  Always nice to chat and watch the game with.

To the game and the hosts who play a division above of course took a ninth minute lead when a cross from the left found Jake Lang in the middle and he sent a decent first time finish into the net, and then three minutes before the break double that lead as Luke Owen swung over a free kick with the wind behind him and the ball was heading in but full back Bill Wilton headed in on the line.

Not entirely sure if the ball was already over the line before the header, but it mattered not as the hosts went into the half time break with a two-goal cushion.

Half Time Corinthians 2 Wakebury 0

The visitors had the wind at their backs second period and two minutes into the half used this to their advantage as Ben Munday took aim and fired an unstoppable effort into the top corner of the net, but just past the hour mark Lang added his second of the contest after curling a brilliant twenty yard effort into the corner to restore the hosts two goal cushion.

Three minutes later though it was 3-2 as Munday fired a free kick towards goal which somehow ended up in the back of the net for his second of the game, but five minutes later a terrible back pass from the visitors was seized upon by Jake Hodder who lofted over a stranded keeper to make it 4-2 to the hosts.

But just two minutes later Wakebury made it a one goal game again when after Harry Kateley had seen an effort saved, Billy Bonham-Dare followed up to convert the rebound, and I’ll be totally honest I missed the goal as was still tweeting the hosts fourth goal, it was a mad moment you get sometimes and you just cannot keep up!!!

The conditions, which were very blustery during the whole game, deteriorated towards the end when driving rain was added to the mix, and the referee decided he had had enough and blew a couple of minutes early so everyone could dash for the cover outside the clubhouse and trees near the car park and shield from the rain.  It was pretty cold for August!!!

A decent game though considering the conditions, and a decent run out for both, and very enjoyable to watch too despite hanging on for dear life for most of the contest.  Not happy with the pictures below either but did the best I could with difficult light and windy conditions!!!

Full Time Corinthians 4 Wakebury 3

Frenford 0 Coggeshall Town 5

Pre Season Friendly, Saturday 22nd August 2020 

My latest preseason outing took me over to the outskirts of Ilford for a first look at the new facility at The Drive for Thurlow Nunn Eastern Senior South Frenford’s first game back there since the upgrade as they hosted Isthmian North side Coggeshall Town.

First of all, many thanks to Wayne Seal for the lift there and back, was very much appreciated, I hope you enjoyed the company and it was good to see you once again!!!

Secondly many thanks to Forbesy and the Frenford committee for their excellent hospitality today, enjoyed the day and the two beers in the bar afterwards, as well as the free entry too, it really is appreciated!!!

Arrived at 1pm and took my first look at the new 3G facility and it is very smart it has to be said, also had my temperature taken too and luckily for me it was 35.2 so that is good so I was allowed to stay!!!  They have got all the correct procedures in place too with arrows and signs about to let you know what you must and must not do, hand sanitiser around the ground too as well as a way in and out of the cage, so full marks to the club for making the necessary preparations.

Now Frenford were probably one of those sides who definitely wanted the season to end early last time out having suffered a terrible run of form after new year which saw them slip from the top four down to 13^th, this was down to a mixture of loss of confidence and personal in the squad, so it was a season they were happy to have null and voided must likely.

They have assembled a good squad for this campaign with plenty of new faces, so this pre-season will be useful for them to gel as a team and hopefully for their sake see a decent campaign in 20/21, and they have picked some tough tests in pre-season for sure as today’s visitors Coggeshall Town play two steps higher in the pyramid and have signed some decent players with a decent budget to go with it too, so they will surely be up there in the league this campaign.

The signs looked ominous for the hosts early on when Coggeshall grabbed a fifth minute lead when a ball in from the left saw it controlled before a finish across the keeper into the far corner, and after more visiting attacks they did double their lead in the 21^st minute although Frenford weren’t too happy about it as a ball through saw the flag go up, but another attacker ran onto the pass and the referee let play go and saw the slot home.

In my view it was the correct call from the referee as the player who eventually ran onto the pass was coming from an onside position and the one flagged offside didn’t touch the ball so I felt he got it correct, but Frenford were questioning the decision and were none to pleased about it.

The visitors continued their first half dominance and added another ten minutes before half time when a ball in from the right found a attacker who took and touch and sent a lovely finish beyond the keeper and into the corner of the net.

You could really see the gulf in class in the first period, Coggeshall were a yard quicker in all departments and had that professional attitude too and Frenford probably gave them a bit to much respect at times but were being totally outclassed and they were probably pleased to hear the half time whistle and only find themselves three goals down.

Half Time Frenford 0 Coggeshall Town 3

After a ten or so minute half time it didn’t take long for Coggeshall to add a fourth as barely a minute into it they won a free kick right on the edge of the box and this was rifled into the top corner of the net through the keepers grasp, their was so much pace on it that he had barely any time to react, and it was four.

You did feel a bit concerned at how many Coggeshall would net, but after both sides made some changes the hosts to their credit did mount some attacks and eventually forced the visiting keeper into some action by making him pull off a pretty good save to his right to keep out a decent effort after good build up play.

Normal service was resumed though in the 64^th minute when another ball in behind the defence saw the offside trap broken once again and a nice finish into the far corner beyond the outcoming keeper and it was now five for the visiting side.

Coggeshall again had more chances to add further goals but Frenford again to their credit were improved second half and came so close to netting a consolation goal when a header was superbly tipped onto the bar, but they will take much from this game despite the scoreline.

As I said to Forbesy and Wayno and a few others afterwards you learn a lot more from games like this than you would if you were playing sides below you and winning easily, so this was a positive for them to take, their certainly seems a brilliant team spirit there and that can only help matters.

For Coggeshall they showed their class today and played some decent stuff which was way too good for the home side, as you would expect, and this side will certainly do well in the Isthmian North this season no doubt.

Full Time Frenford 0 Coggeshall Town 5

Old Southendian 3 Herongate Athletic 1

Pre Season Friendly, Wednesday 19th August 2020

Pre-season number ten saw me take the long walk to Garon Park and the 3G facility there as Old Southendian took on Herongate Athletic in an all Essex Olympian League contest on a damp night in Southend.

The visitors had stepped in late on to fulfil this fixture after Old Southendian’s previous opponents pulled out a couple of days ago, and the hosts were grateful for that having had the pitch booked and paid for.

OS of course will being playing in the Premier Division again this season, and last season’s one ended with the team in form having after a slow first half of the season had picked up somewhat in the latter part until the season was ended early, sitting eighth with 25 points from their 22 matches.

Herongate Athletic finished in the bottom four of the Division One table, having only gained two wins all season, so they were certainly looking to build a side to do much better this time around, but this was going to be a tough test against a side a league above, albeit it was only pre-season of course.

Bit of a disaster before kick off though when after taking a couple of pictures of the warm up’s, and was about to tweet my welcome to Garon Park etc, my phone decided to flip out and die, and not come back on, so I was left with no phone or any idea on the time, and soon came round to the realisation that my phone was kaput and no tweets or photos would be forthcoming!!!

Bit of a pain but it’s not the end of the world but I had to watch the opening half without it and it was weird I can tell you, and having to remember everything that went on without tweeting it and referring back to it later would be a test of my memory!!!

Anyway Herongate were the ones to break the deadlock when they were awarded a penalty after a foul inside the box, and although the initial spot kick was saved, the ball came back to the taker who put the rebound into the net to give the visitors the lead although I have no idea when it happened as had no phone and no time to refer too!!

OS though did response with a spot kick of their own after a ball swung in had seen an attacker go for the ball but was adjudged to have been impeded and a penalty awarded, and the kick was slotted into the corner and the hosts had drawn level, again no idea what the minute was, but it was in the first half I knew that much!!!

A few niggling late fouls were causing issue with each side, in what was another hotly contested pre-season encounter, but the game reached the half way point all square with both sides eager to try and grab the lead in the second period.

Half Time Old Southendian 1 Herongate Athletic 1

Something amazing happened during the half time break, my phone decided to start working again!!! Hooray!!!  Normal service resumed, no idea what happened to it but thank goodness it came back to life!!!

The second half was a bit like the first period, hotly contested and niggly for the first part at least, and it took the referee to book a couple of players for it to calm down a bit, however, in the 63^rd minute the hosts were awarded another penalty for a trip inside the box, just, although it looked very close to being outside the box although some would argue it wasn’t even a foul.

The referee though had adjudged it to be a penalty though and this was duly rammed home in style and the hosts now had the lead in this one.

Both sides continued to battle away and both saw chances come and go with both keepers making decent stops to keep this one 2-1 going into the latter part of the contest, but with time running out and Herongate pushing up to try and grab a leveller, disaster struck as with their keeper half way inside his own half, he mis controlled, allowing for the attacker to nip round him and charge towards goal.

Suddenly it was two attackers against one poor rather defenceless visitor player trying to stop them, to no avail, as one attacker squared across to another to side foot into the empty net and seal this contest in the 90^th minute.

In the Herongate team huddle afterwards their manager actually did say they were outworked by OS and they must aspire to be like them in terms of how hard they must work, so he must have been impressed with the hosts work rate.

He also mentioned that the Herongate side had only been together for about ten weeks so considering that they did pretty well this evening and will surely only improve before the season starts in September.

For OS boss Connor Lane, who came on for a late cameo at the back for his side, he will be fairly happy with what he saw overall and has a good squad to take forward into their Premier Division campaign.

Full Time Old Southendian 3 Herongate Athletic 1

(thanks to Brian Jeeves for the above photo, taken during the first half when my phone wasn't working!!!, much appreciated!!!  Luckerly I managed to take the ones below as normal after it decided to start working at half time!!! Dramas indeed!!!)