Isthmian League North Division, Saturday 30th March
I was not planning on attending a game on Easter Saturday as had planned to spend the day with a best mate of mine, we played golf in the morning and had not planned anything for afternoon, but as we were in the Maldon area we decided to take in a game of football, and it so happened that Maldon & Tiptree were hosting the league leaders, so we thought why not!!!
The Jammers were having a solid if not spectacular season, they sat in ninth spot but some way off the play off places, thirteen points behind fifth placed Bowers & Pitsea with only eight games remaining, so a rather tall order you could say, however they wanted to finish the season as strongly as possible and inflict a fourth straight away loss for the leaders whose form away from their Crown Meadow ground had deserted them lately.
Defeats at Ipswich Wanderers, Heybridge Swifts & Brightlingsea Regent had set the leaders back somewhat, but they won a huge game last time out when they defeated their nearest challengers Felixstowe & Walton United at home in front of nearly 1,000 at Crown Meadow meaning they came into this contest two clear of them at the summit of the division.
And despite their poor away form recently they were up against a Maldon side who were not in the best form, three defeats in four in March with their only positive result being a home win over Ipswich Wanderers, and they came into this contest off the back of a loss at Brentwood Town, and their form had pretty much taken them out of the play off hunt, could they possibly dent the visitors title aspirations though here?
A lovely sunny afternoon greeted a decent crowd of 255 with plenty of those travelling from Suffolk, but the hosts were the ones who were quickest out of the blocks and grabbed a fourth minute lead to stun the league leaders as a wonderful corner swung in from Harry Phillips beat keeper Luke Holt, thumped the inside of the post, and appeared to go in off the back of the keepers head for an unfortunate own goal, but the ball must have already crossed the line as the goal was later awarded to Phillips.
Whatever happened one thing was for sure was that The Jammers had an early lead, and it looked as if the Trawler Boys poor away form would continue, and had Louis Britton converted a one on one situation soon after, it could have been looking even worse for the league leaders, but keeper Holt managed to save the effort and keep the score line at 1-0.
However, on eleven minutes, the hosts lost the ball in midfield and a lovely through ball released Jake Reed in on goal, and he kept his composure to round Luca Collins in the home goal and slot into the empty net to bring Lowestoft level just like that, and Maldon's early endeavour had been undone through their own doing, and after the visitors had smashed an effort against the bar, they punished more defensive frailties to grab the lead when Reed grabbed his second of the contest with seven minutes of the half to go.
Collins in the Jammers goal did have to make a few decent stops to prevent Lowestoft from adding further goals before and after the visitors second goal, but don't think Maldon were without their chances to, they smashed an effort off the underside of the bar and caused the league leaders plenty of problems in a half that was played at a cracking tempo, making it a very entertaining contest.
After the break you felt maybe Lowestoft would stamp their authority on this one, but not a bit of it, because just nine minutes after the break, Maldon were level, after a ball fizzed across goal saw one defender attempt to clear the ball by instead wacked it against Owen Murphy and saw the ball end up in the corner of their own net, so if the first goal they conceded wasn't an own goal, this one certainly was, a right mess, and the game was now locked at 2-2.
But, once again the hosts shot themselves in the foot, and left Adam Hipperson totally free at the far post just beyond the hour mark, and the visiting player stooped to send a header beyond Collins and restore the league leaders lead, meaning the hosts would have to come from behind once again to try and salvage something in a game they had been well in throughout.
They had their moments that's for sure, but were leaving themselves very open at the back, but despite all of this no more goals were forthcoming meaning the visitors would claim the spoils and get back to winning ways on the road, a really epic game of football played at a high tempo throughout, so well done to both sides for putting on such a show.
It all means that the hosts chances of play off glory are pretty much done n dusted now, fourteen points off fifth with seven games to go as they slipped a place to tenth, for Lowestoft though it's another big win, and with Felixstowe & Bury Town dropping points, it meant their lead at the top increased to four points with six games to go for the top two, advantage Trawler Boys for now at the top.
Full time Maldon & Tiptree 2 Lowestoft Town 3
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