Essex Senior League, Tuesday September 3rd
My first midweek action in September saw me over at Lower Road in Hullbridge for the very first time this season as Hullbridge Sports and Romford did battle, it was part of six league games taking place this evening, more on those later.
Now Hullbridge started the season really well, netting nine goals in their first two league games and only conceding one, but since then it's gone a bit south for them, their next two games both ended in defeats, a thumping defeat at Grays Athletic in the FA Cup was followed by a 6-1 reverse at the hands of Athletic Newham in the league.
They did manage a 2-0 win at Long Melford in the Vase but their last outing in the league saw a 1-0 loss at home to Frenford, so they really were hoping to get back to winning ways in the league this evening although they were up against a Romford side who have started the season well and are unbeaten in the league so far this season (two wins & two draws).
In their seven games in all comps this season their only loss was a 4-0 reverse at Brightlingsea Regent in the FA Cup, and in their last two games, both in the league, they have kept clean sheets in both (a win against Benfleet & and a goalless draw with Takeley), so solid form coming into this match up then, although those were their first clean sheets of the campaign, despite a solid enough start to the season.
Hullbridge though had only scored four goals in the four games since those first two outings of the season, so it would not be easy against a solid Romford back line, and after just twelve minutes they already had a mountain to climb as they fell two goals behind, firstly when Praise Ogbebor saw a deflected effort find the net after just four minutes, and then eight minutes later the hosts gave the ball away on the edge of their own box and saw Ogbebor square to Arnold Mengi who thumped a powerful effort in off the crossbar. It looked like it could be another long night for the hosts at this point.
The visitors continued to look dangerous when they came forward and you feared for the hosts defence at times, Hullbridge did have their moments though going forward but were lacking any cutting edge up front, and when the half time whistle blew, Romford looked fairly comfortable with a two goal lead, a lead that was to increase on the hour mark when a wonderful ball in by full back Sam Elwood found Kennedy Feyi who guided a lovely header into the far corner, and that looked like game set and match in all honestly.
And when the hosts saw Jake Wiggins sent off with twenty minutes to go for a second yellow, things looked bleak for the home side, and surely Romford would cruise to victory, no?
Well, football is a funny old game, and sayings like 'It's not over till it's over' always come around, but no one saw what was to happen in the final part of this contest, the red card seemed to galvanize Hullbridge and with 75 minutes on the clock pulled a goal back when substitute Connor Hart guided home a lovely cross from the right with his head into the far corner, and you thought 'surely not?'.
Even at that point you felt Romford would still see out the game with a man advantage and a two goal cushion, but their shape and discipline was wavering somewhat as they felt a lot of refereeing decisions had gone against them, and even though they were 3-1 up, they seemed very agitated with things and the hosts could sense this.
And in the 86th minute they pulled another one back to really set the cats amongst the pigeons when Hart converted at the back post, and with Romford barely able to recover from that set back they then gave away a penalty a minute later when skipper Ollie Jenkins powerful run was ended by a foul, although the infringement occurred outside the box, but the referee thought otherwise and pointed to the spot, much to Romford's fury.
Freddie Moriaty held his nerve by firing the spot kick home, and the most remarkable of recoveries had been completed, nobody could believe what they were watching, and somehow the hosts had come from three goals down with a man light no less to grab an unlikely point, dramatic scenes for sure at Lower Road!!!
To rub salt in what was already gaping wound for the visitors they saw defender Kojo Feyi dismissed deep into stoppage time as well for second yellow, and after the final whistle they also saw two red cards flashed at the management team for whatever they said as they confronted the referee at the full time whistle, they were furious with him, especially with the award of that penalty for the leveller.
Sadly their were some unsavoury scenes around the tunnel area with words exchanged between visiting players and some personal around the tunnel, and another player decided to shower some of us with a bottle of water too after things were said, lovely stuff, oh and things continued in the dressing room area too where things were said, some of which were quite concerning, all very childish and not what you want to see.
I understand football is an emotive and passionate sport, and things can get heated, but this was not a good example to set kids who were nearby these events, so that is not on in my view, Romford clearly felt hard done by but you cannot condone some of the things that were said and some of the actions afterwards by some, but despite all this you cannot detract from the efforts the hosts put in to pull this one back from the dead.
So, a dramatic night in Hullbridge, and a precious point for the hosts who looked down and out with twenty minutes to go, for Romford this will feel like a defeat after they looked likely to cruise home in this one, football eh, it's a funny old game at times!!!
Full time Hullbridge Sports 3 Romford 3
Let's see how the remaining action went in the league on Tuesday, oh and their was the small matter of two FA Cup replays involving Athletic Newham & Barking.....
Emirates FA Cup First Qualifying Round Replays
Amersham Town 1 Athletic Newham 0
Athletic Newham suffered defeat for the first time this season after they excited the FA Cup at Amersham Town after the hosts netted the only goal of the contest through Sidney Gueye in first half stoppage time.
Barking 3 St Neots Town 2 (AET)
The Blues saw Jalen Johnson net an extra time winner as they are now the only sole survivors left from the ESL in this years FA Cup, Michael Amaeshike had put the visitors ahead early on but saw Ezekiel Badamosi level with seventeen minutes to go. James Hatch then restored the visitors lead with ten minutes to go but Barking fought back again through Teddy Stacey four minutes later, but when Barking saw Miles Smith given a straight red deep into stoppage time, the hosts would have to play extra time with ten men so advantage St Neots then? Well, no, because in the 105th minute Johnson netted to send Barking into the next round and a trip to Great Yarmouth to take on Gorleston.
League
Benfleet 1 Stansted 3
The hosts solid start to life at Step Five was brought crashing down to earth after Stansted netted their very first win of the season at Woodside Park. The visitors found themselves three goals up by the half hour mark after a George O'Connor goal was sandwiched in between two Correy Davidson strikes, Benfleet did manage a very late consolation from Max Jobson but by then it was too little to late for the home side.
FC Clacton 0 Frenford 4
Frenford's brilliant start to the season continued as they put four past a struggling FC Clacton side at The Rush Green Bowl, Warren Kayembe gave the visitors the lead two minutes before the break and then they increased that lead when Paulius Ditkevicius netted eight minutes into the second period. And goal machine Jordon Elongo netted twice in stoppage time at the end of the game to put more gloss on the scoreline and send the visitors into the play off places.
Little Oakley 2 Great Wakering Rovers 4
Wakering took over at the summit of the ESL after they netted four at Oakley, two Harry Brown goals had them two goals ahead before Daniel Rowe pulled one back before half time, Darren Mills then levelled early in the second period but Brown then completed his hat-trick in the 56th minute and then the visitors sealed the win as Harrison Topliss netted a fourth with eight minutes to go and see Oakley's unbeaten start ended here.
Sawbridgeworth Town 1 Ilford 0
Kieran David's goal three minutes before half time was enough for Sawbo to grab their first win of the season to see them climb two places to fourth bottom, one of those sides they climbed above being Ilford who dropped down to third bottom as a result.
West Essex 2 Stanway Rovers 4
Stanway Rovers fought back to two goals down to record victory at West Essex and climb into second place as a result. Goals from Nathan Braithwaite on ten minutes and Pascal Thornton just before the half hour mark has West in control, but Stanway have so much firepower and belief and roared back to take the win. They reduced the arrears ten minutes before the break through Harrison Chatting & were level barely a minute after the break when George Okoye netted, Joe Debell then gave the visitors the lead with eighteen minutes remaining and then Chatting added his second and a clinching fourth for Rovers when he netted a minute later.
Here is how the table looks after those games:-
Wednesday evening sees two more games in the league, here are those matches:-
White Ensign Vs Buckhurst Hill
Woodford Town Vs Takeley
I'll be over at Burroughs Park for the Ensign v Buckhurst encounter, can Ensign remain unbeaten or will the visitors end that, whereas two more unbeaten sides do battle at Ashton's as Woodford Town look to try and go top of the table with a win wheras Takeley could go past their opponents with a win themselves, promises to be two good battles on Wednesday evening.
No comments:
Post a Comment