Thurlow Nunn Division One South, Wednesday 2nd August
I took in some Step Six football on Wednesday night as I popped over to New Lodge to see Hutton's first ever home game as a Senior club, and their opponents were Barkingside who were embarking on their second successive away game of the campaign.
Hutton began life as a Senior club in some style in front of 429 at Harlow Town, seeing Sean O'Callaghan and Stephen Judge net braces and Jude Keeling net another as they dismantled their opponents in a superb second half showing to win 5-1, Side also began their latest campaign with an impressive victory on the road, as a Josh Hubble goal and a brace from Michael James-Akerele helped them to a 3-0 success at May & Baker.
Both then had got off to a brilliant start in their 2023/24 campaigns, but who could prevail here and make it a perfect start to their seasons? Side certainly had the better, and the majority of the openings in the first period, James-Akerele probably should have added to his tally from the weekend but saw a terrific effort superbly tipped over by hosts keeper Jamie Grossart, and they squandered other decent chances too as they looked to edge ahead in this contest.
Hutton created very little in the opening forty five minutes, the only chance, or effort on goal saw an Andrew Webster free kick hit Side keeper Kamran Zain, rather than him save it, before it was scrambled away, however, two minutes into stoppage time they managed to find the net although it was a very scrappy goal but they all count as they say, as after a Webster effort had been saved by Zain, Dylan Jones managed to eventually force home the loose ball in off the post, and the hosts somehow had the half time lead.
Side's wastefulness in front of goal was the only reason why they were not ahead in this one, and after the break they missed more openings as they looked for what would have been a deserved leveller, Hutton to their credit were making it difficult for their opponents although they would have been first to admit they were lucky to be ahead.
The hosts did have the odd opening at the other end but you felt Barkingside were the more likely to find a leveller in this one, but Hutton dug in and stayed in front, and with four minutes to go sealed the points although it was another goal the visitors would have been disappointed to concede, as after the referee had given them a free kick, after discussion with the linesman, he decided the kick should go the other way, much to the visitors confusion, and us in the stands too.
And dead ball specialist Judge, fresh from his brace at the weekend of course, swung in a free kick which George Nash tried to get on the end of but could not, however he may have put keeper Zain off, causing him to take his eye off the ball and see the free kick go straight into the far corner of the net.
It had been a frustrating night for the visitors, and this bubbled over thereafter as substitute John Mbamarah received a booking, then a sin bin, and then a red card all within a minute after the visiting player refused to cease his back chat to the referee, obvious frustration of course, it had been that sort of night for Side who fall to a first defeat here, whereas for the hosts it's the perfect start to life in Senior football as they top a very very early league table.
Full time Hutton 2 Barkingside 0
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