My second play off tie of the weekend saw me over at another local Essex club and The Len Salmon Stadium for an all Essex Isthmian North Play Off final between Bowers & Pitsea & Brentwood Town.
Both sides had won their respective play off semi final's away from home, Bowers, who had finished the season in fourth spot, were away to third placed Felixstowe & Walton United, who had finished only a point above them, TQ Addy had given the visitors a 1-0 lead but were pegged back by Josh Mayhew, Benas Vaivada then restored Bowers lead, only to see Mayhew net in stoppage time to take the tie into extra time.
No goals were forthcoming in the extra half hour and it went to penalties, Bowers kept their nerve to win the shootout 4-2 to progress into today's final against a Brentwood side who finished the season in fifth and took on runners up Bury Town, who had only finished two points ahead of them in the table, and after a goalless ninety minutes it also meant extra time in this one too, but extra time saw the game burst into life.
Mekhi McKenzie gave Brentwood a 95th minute lead, only to see Ryan Holland level five minutes later, but the visitors were not to be denied and retook the lead through Daniel Ogunleye in the 110th minute before they sealed their place in today's final with a Shad Ngandu goal six minutes into stoppage time at the end of extra time, so two dramatic play off semi finals, no doubt today's final would be filled with drama too.
Bowers of course had the home advantage having finished higher in the table, but the two fixtures in the regular season between the two sides saw the visiting team take the points on each occasion, Brentwood netting a 2-0 win at The Len Salmon Stadium back on October 28th thanks to goals from Ogunleye & McKenzie, before Bowers netted a 3-1 win at Brentwood only a month ago thanks to goals from Vaivada, Matt Price & Ben Williamson, so this one was a hard one to call, although Bowers will take heart from that victory against today's opponents only a few weeks ago.
This is play off football though, previous meetings and results mean nothing, it's all about who can hold their nerve and play the better football on the day, and with that big dangling carrot of Step Three football to come for the winners next season, nerves would obviously play a part too, it was such a big game for both sides, and it being an Essex derby too, it was sure to be spicy no doubt with so much a stake!!!
A superb crowd of 1,101 turned up to watch this showpiece event, and the hosts made the better start in front of their biggest crowd of the season and forced two excellent stops from visiting keeper Melvin Minter, but just past the quarter hour mark Bowers got the lead they deserved when Chris Millar curled a free kick underneath the wall, that had jumped, and see the effort crash off the inside of the post and into the far corner.
Advantage Bowers then, but after such a good start the hosts saw Brentwood slowly come back into the contest as the half went on, and eleven minutes before the break levelled the contest up when a free kick in from the right found Matt Cripps with space inside the box, and he had time to swivel and fire a decent effort into the bottom corner and send the sizable travelling support into raptures.
It meant the sides went into the break all square and with everything still to play for, the first half had been a decent watch but the second forty five minutes became a bit more cagey and tight as the sides just did not want to lose the contest, Brentwood somehow headed over one effort from six yards out, but twenty minutes into the second period Bowers were handed a golden chance to retake the lead.
Price got down the right and tried to send a ball into the danger zone, but the ball hit the outstretched arms of Cripps, and the referee pointed to the spot, much to the visiting defenders dismay, but hosts skipper Williamson saw his spot kick saved by Minter, meaning the score line remained all square at 1-1 with around twenty five minutes to go, a big chance gone a begging there, would it come to haunt the hosts.
Both sides tried to find a winner in the closing stages, but neither could, so just like both semi finals, this tie was headed for an extra half hour to see if anyone could win it before the dreaded penalties of course.
The visitors looked the more likely to find one in the extra time period if anyone was going to, the first fifteen minutes of it saw them miss two decent openings, one side footed wide from a terrific position, and another saved after a mazy run, the second fifteen of extra time again saw Bowers seemingly happy to hold on for spot kicks whilst Brentwood looked like the ones trying to win it.
Bowers then had one final push to try and avoid penalties, but they failed to muster a goal, and it meant penalties would be needed to decide who would win promotion to the Isthmian Premier, the season had come down to a shoot out, always a tough way to decide it, but someone had to win and someone had to lose, that's the way it is sadly.
The kicks were to be taken in front of the masses of Brentwood fans behind the goal, and their side went first and scored via the hand of hosts keeper David Hughes, and after some tactical time wasting by visiting keeper Minter, the hosts slotted home their first kick, Hughes then saved Brentwood's next kick, and after Minter tried some more timewasting to put the hosts kicker off, he was booked, stupid really, but it worked as Bowers saw their second effort strike the post, 1-1 after two kicks each.
Town then sent their third kick wide of the target, and Bowers then grabbed an advantage as they netted their third to lead 2-1 after three kicks each, both sides then netted their next penalties meaning Bowers had a 3-2 advantage with both sides final kick to come, Brentwood had to score to keep the shoot out alive, but Hughes saved again and Bowers had made an immediate return to the Isthmian Premier and Step Three football once again.
Wild celebrations indeed and a pitch invasion, despite the PA announcer repeatedly telling them not to otherwise their would be no presentation, but could you blame them, they had won promotion after a long tough season and two dramatic and hard fought play off games too, well done to Bowers & Pitsea, but commiserations to Brentwood Town who lose the final in heart-breaking fashion on penalties, but it's still been an excellent season for them too despite this, so well played both.
Full time Bowers & Pitsea 1 Brentwood Town 1 (aet; Bowers & Pitsea won 3-2 on penalties)
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