Eastern Senior South, Wednesday 17th August
Wednesday saw me over at Park Lane as a stoppage time winner from Shemarie Perkins-Palmer sealed all three Eastern Senior South points for Burnham Ramblers over Essex rivals Benfleet in a fiercely competitive derby on Canvey Island.
Both sides had started in solid fashion in the division, the hosts had won two and drawn one of their three games so far and were trerefore unbeaten, whereas Burnham had won two of their opening four games as both were in touching distance of league leaders Stanway Pegasus, but which one of these sides would prevail in this one and close that gap.
Many expected a tight but entertaining tussle, but the first half was indeed tight but very scrappy and stop start, not helped by three lengthy stoppages for treatment to players on both sides, hosts attacker Billy Carter was injured early on but did manage to recover after some treatment, but Sonny Hartman wasn't so lucky for the hosts as he was eventually helped off the pitch after a long stoppage.
And Ramblers defender Grant Webb suffered a gash to his head after preventing Harry Doyle from heading home at the back post, and he could not continue either, it really was a brutal opening forty five minutes for both sides, and the visitors even had to play the latter part of the first period with ten men when Joe Howard, incensed by the injury to Webb, was sin binned by referee Bruno Marques for too much back chat, and in fact Howard never returned to the field after he was subbed once his ten minutes had expired.
There was brief moment of quality in the half though which produced the only goal in the first period and it went to the visitors after eighteen minutes after Karl Swanborough had got down the left before squaring across into the path of the arriving Adebolu Adeyemi, and the number nine sent a fine effort beyond Flo Gislette and into the far corner.
Could Benfleet fight back in the second period, well with less than a minute on the clock in the second period they were level after Carter rifled a powerful effort beyond Ben Loftus, and for a time thereafter the hosts threatened to grab the lead and take control, and Loftus in fact had to make a superb save to keep his side level, it took a while for the visitors to get going in the second half, but once they saw out that storm, they began to threaten themselves.
One particular player who was brought on in the second half, Tyler Forbes, caused the hosts defence absolute nightmares with his devastating pace and direction, and if he had been able to finish he could easily have had a hat-trick, but just as it looked as if the game would end all square, Forbes was the catalyst for a stoppage time winner, bursting through down the left before putting it on a plate for fellow sub Perkins-Palmer who had the simple task of tapping home and winning the game for Ramblers.
It had been a much more free flowing second period which certainly helped make it a much better spectacle, and the visitors probably deserved to win overall, and the win takes Ramblers into the top five, somewhere they would like to be when the season ends, for Benfleet it's a first defeat of the season and they are now two places and two points behind their opponents now.
Lastly I would like to dedicate this particular blog to the late Ramblers chairman Martin Leno, who sadly passed away recently. Martin was Mr Burnham Ramblers and he single handidly kept that club going through some of it's toughest times, he was such a gentleman and always treated us media/hoppers/radio folk very well every time we visited Leslie Field.
This win was the first the club had achieved since his passing too, so it was nice to see that happen and no doubt they would dedicate this win to the legend that was Martin, may he forever rest in peace, and he will be sorely missed by all who knew him, I for one was proud to have had the chance to speak with him on many occasions, and it was deeply upsetting when I heard the news.
No doubt he was up their in the sky cracking a smile at seeing his side prevail in what was a very hard fought derby, sleep tight Martin.....
Full time Benfleet 1 Burnham Ramblers 2
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