Essex Senior League, Tuesday 7th February
I was back at Southchurch Park for the first time since
September to see bottom side Southend Manor take on Saffron Walden Town, but sadly the match was abandoned at half time with the game goalless after thick fog rolled in off the Thames Estuary on the cold Essex coast.
Manor have had a truly awful season so far, rock bottom of
the Essex Senior League picking up just two points from a possible 72, that’s
two draws and twenty-two losses in their twenty-four outings, with their only win
in any competition this season coming on the 6th August when they
beat Cockfosters 1-0 at home in the FA Cup. They are onto their fourth manager
of the campaign (I think as I have lost count) and their last point (and draw
in any competition) came back on 15th October, meaning a run of
fifteen straight defeats since.
They have conceded eight on three occasions too although
lately they have been more competitive, especially in their last two outings,
losing to FC Clacton and Ilford 1-0, and in that Ilford game at home they
missed several decent chances and probably should have taken something from
that game, so something to build on they hoped as they try and finish the
remainder of the season with some positiveness heading into what looks like
Step Six football for next season. (Relegation from Step Five seems a matter of
time now)
They welcome a Saffron Walden Town side who have by their
own accounts had a poor season so far, they currently sit ninth in the division
and miles off the pace, twenty-two points off league leaders Enfield and fourteen
behind second placed Redbridge as their repeat of their runners up finish last
season looks very unlikely at the moment.
The club have had quite a few changes off the field which
hasn’t helped, including a change of manager and chairman and other important
positions within the set up, and they come into this game having lost at home
to Redbridge last time out, which really did not help their hopes of grabbing
that runners up spot, form has been up and down too lately, their last five
league games have seen three wins and two losses, one step forward and one back
it seems at the moment.
They would have been confident of victory at Southchurch
Park though, when the two sides met back in August, Walden thumped their
opponents 7-1 at Catons Lane, and they certainly would not want to be the first
side to lose a league game to their opponents this season, whereas Manor would
no doubt do their upmost to achieve this at their 25th attempt this
season, although not many were predicting this to happen.
Manor though gave as good as they got in the opening forty five minutes and more than competed with their opponents who were getting more and more frustrated as the half wore on, although neither keeper had much to do as neither side could muster up a real attempt at goal, but no doubt the hosts would have been much the happier heading into the changing rooms at half time, and we all wondered how the second half would unfold.
Sadly none of us would find out, as literally as referee Michael Smith blew for half time and the teams and spectators headed for the warmth of the changing rooms and clubhouse respectively, the fog poured on off the Thames Estuary, it had been forecast too later in the evening but it had come in a couple of hours or so earlier than forecast, and with the freezing temperatures and lack of wind, the fog was not going anywhere and the game was abandoned, very frustrating for all concerned, especially the ones who had travelled from Saffron Walden.
It means this one will have to be rearranged for a second time, the original fixture had been postponed due to an unplayable pitch so hopefully it will be third time lucky when it is eventually pencilled in again, but Manor can at least take some heart from their last two and a half games, they just need to find a goal scorer if they are to have a chance of winning any games. Walden would have been frustrated with their performance for the half a game they played, but in the end all their endeavours this evening were for nothing.
Southend Manor 0 Saffron Walden Town 0 (match abandoned at half time due to fog)
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