Essex Senior League, Friday 19th January
With no football for me this weekend on Saturday I made a Friday night journey over to Barking and Mayesbrook Park for what was a rather big derby game between Ilford and Frenford, and when I got to the ground I found out that the hosts were much changed from previous games.
This was because former Athletic Newham boss Chris Davis & his assistant Ray Bartlett how been announced as the new management team at the club, and they had brought in a decent group of players too, including the likes of Wilkinson Boateng & Joel Appiah from their former club too as the hosts looked to try and change their fortunes around after what had been a rather difficult season on and off the pitch.
To say the hosts form had been poor leading into this derby fixture would be an understatement, as despite a draw against White Ensign in November & a surprise win over FC Clacton just before Christmas, it's been losses all the way for some time now, since the start of November they have lost seven of their nine league games, conceding 32 goals in those games too, and with an 8-0 loss to Great Wakering Rovers followed by a 5-1 loss to Hullbridge Sports leading into this game, changes were necessary
Davis & Bartlett's, along with former West Essex boss Kwarme Kwateng (who is also there as a coach I believe) first assignment as a management team would be against their closest rivals in more ways then one, Frenford, whose name comes from the slogan 'Friends of Ilford', play minutes down the road from Ilford and with Ilford being six points behind third bottom Frenford, it was an important game in terms of league positions too.
It has been announced that only one team will likely be relegated from the ESL this season, and at kick off Ilford had a seven point buffer to bottom side Coggeshall Town, the Seedgrowers though would have two games in hand after this fixture, so Ilford knew a win here with their new look squad would put a ten point gap between them, and also close the gap to Frenford too, so important for both sides this one, as well as bragging rights in the area, Ilford won the corresponding fixture 4-2 at The Drive, so the visitors wanted to avenge that too.
The visitors form leading into this contest had seen them lose narrowly against Buckhurst Hill when they really should have got something from the game and lose a cup game at Saffron Walden Town, and prior to this they had been in most games, winning at Coggeshall Town, before a home win over Athletic Newham and a creditable point against FC Clacton and Stanway Rovers, although they had also suffered heavy losses at home to Barking & West Essex, so a bit of everything you could say.
How would this derby go then? How would the new look Foxes under new management get on? Well, it looked good early on when the hosts grabbed the lead after twelve minutes when a ball down the channel and towards the right edge of the box saw striker Michael Dafer and keeper Matt Knight converge towards it, Knight tried to clear but saw it blocked by Dafer who managed to get to the loose ball and finish brilliantly from an acute angle, first blood and first goal for the new Ilford era you could say.
Frenford probably had more of the play if truth be told, and saw an effort hit the post, Ilford though were looking very dangerous on the counter attack, but with eight minutes of the fist half remaining Frenford levelled when a free kick swung towards the back post by Tyler Morgan found Tom Troubridge who had lost his marker and volleyed in off the inside of the post, 1-1, but not for very long.
This is because whilst the visitors were still celebrating their leveller, they switched off and allowed Mo Kaudeer to burst through and slot past Knight to immediately restore Ilford's lead, very frustrating for the visitors who had worked so hard to get back on level terms, but they were to head into the dressing rooms behind and The Foxes were half way towards a first win under their new guise.
Frenford though didn't let the disappointment of the first period unsettle them, and seven minutes after the restart they were level again when centre half Troubridge nodded home a header back across goal from close range for his second of the game, and then six minutes later they had the lead after what can only be described as a moment of madness from keeper Boateng who was far to lax on the ball inside his own box, and allowed Kieran David, who was lurking, to pitch the ball off of the keeper and slot into the empty net, not what Ilford needed that's for sure!!!
Ilford though responded well to going behind, Kaudeer somehow hit the post when he should have scored, but in the 63rd minute they produced some more decent forward play to level the game once again, getting Kaudeer down the right to cross into the box, and although Dafer couldn't convert, the ball ran through to Quincy Warner who provided a first time finish beyond Knight and this superb game was now 3-3 heading into the final twenty five minutes or so, who was going to take this game by the scruff of the neck and grab an important win here?
Well, with twenty minutes to go Frenford got themselves back in front for the second time when a total miskick from Morgan went across goal and fell perfectly for David to slam home into the bottom corner for his second of the game, and then seven minutes after that Frenford had a two goal cushion when Dion Johnston fired a ball in from the right and it ended up in the far corner of the net, whether it took a deflection I don't know, but it meant for the first time in this contest someone had some breathing space.
Ilford did their best to try and haul it back, they saw a header crash against the bar late on, but defensively they were found wanting yet again, and deep into added on time and with pretty much the last kick of the contest, substitute Sandro Camara struck an effort from distance which took a massive deflection, wrong footing Boateng and ending up in the net for a sixth goal for the visitors and a big three points too.
It all means that Frenford now have a nine point gap back to their rivals, whereas Ilford still have that seven point gap to Coggeshall, but with the latter having two games in hand, they will hope they don't pick up to many points in those, Davis, Bartlett & Kwateng will now know what they need to do, sure up the back first and foremost, they looked decent up front but wanting at the back for sure, whereas for Frenford they managed to take a lot of their chances this evening, not something they have been doing lately, so that will please them for sure, as well as derby delight here.
Full time Ilford 3 Frenford 6
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