Concord Rangers 5 Brantham Athletic 1 - A Stephen Toussaint treble & a star performance from Owen Moore helped Concord Rangers climb into top ten of isthmian North after seeing off bottom side Brantham Athletic

Isthmian League One North, Tuesday 24th February

There was a bonus game over at New Lodge in Billericay on Tuesday night which saw Concord Rangers take on Brantham Athletic in the Isthmian One North, Concord had to get games played and with their pitch at Thames Road out of action because of the weather, Billericay accepted their wishes to hire the ground and 3G facility for the evening. (This game had originally been scheduled on January 3rd but was abandoned due to a freezing pitch at Thames Road)

The hosts have been out of action for a whole month due to the constant rain that has fallen in the UK over the past weeks, so catching up on games and also getting back to action on the pitch was necessary, and a win this evening would see them climb into the top ten on goal difference, a top ten finish was probably the best they could get from this season as the play off places are probably too far out of reach now.

Brantham Athletic were the visitors, and after winning promotion from Step Five last season by winning the Thurlow Nunn Premier, it's been an extremely tough season for them, one win in thirty games and just six points all season saw them rock bottom of the division and only a matter of time till their relegation is confirmed, this was not helped when the entire squad from last season and the management left the club, leaving them a total rebuild for this season in a much tougher league and step up. (This was what I was informed of prior to the game anyway).

Concord then were expecting to win this game, but being out of action for a month can be a hindrance sometimes, although they were certainly fresh and raring to go no doubt, Brantham had played three times in that same period that Concord hadn't, but had lost all three of those games, and after nine minutes of this one, it looked like a very long evening for the visiting side as the hosts flew out of the traps.

There were only four minutes on the clock when Owen Moore floated a lovely ball into the box were Stephen Toussaint leapt highest to nod home the opener, and after nine minutes it was two when Moore turned goal scorer this time, thumping an unstoppable effort into the top corner from an angle inside the box, and you felt at this point it was a matter of how many the hosts would net.

Brantham though didn't cave in and actually got themselves back into the game after twenty minutes when a ball played across the edge of the box was whipped past home keeper Charlie Brown brilliantly first time into the top corner by skipper Tom Lawson, and suddenly we had a game on, although the hosts so nearly restored that two goal cushion moments later but Oli Spooner's brilliant long range effort was superbly tipped onto the bar by visiting keeper Roan Tucker.

It was a superb game to watch and plenty going on, the action continued for the remainder of the half but no further goals meant a 2-1 score line at the break, and after half time Brantham had a couple of decent openings to level the game, but in the 57th minute some superb wing play by Moore saw him fire the ball across the goal and find Toussaint who applied the finishing touch and hand Concord a two goal cushion once again.

And in the 65th minute came the moment of the game when Spooner, who had seen an earlier effort saved of course, gave keeper Tucker absolutely no chance whatsoever as the ball sat up nicely for him some twenty five or thirds yard out and he duly smashed a brilliant effort beyond the keepers dive and into the top corner, it was a superb strike and the hosts were now cruising to victory, which didn't look likely earlier in the half.

Concord's number seven, Moore, was replaced in the 75th minute, but he has to be mentioned again, the attacker caused the visitors untold problems all game, and for me was MOTM for his terrific play and added to that a goal and two assists to boot, and the other star performer on the night, Toussaint, would complete the scoring with seven minutes remaining, as after he was pulled down inside the box by visiting defender Ross Mcguire, the picked himself to convert the spot kick and complete his hattrick as well.

A great night for The Beachboys then which at times looked difficult but they had enough in them to comfortably win the game & could have added more before the end as well, the win sends themselves into the top ten, for Brantham it was another difficult night although at 2-1 they were well in the game and had they levelled who knows what may have happened, they certainly didn't give up, so kudos to them for that, but they remain rock bottom with six points with relegation another step closer to being confirmed.

Full time Concord Rangers 5 Brantham Athletic 1

  

Sunderland 1 Fulham 3 - Raul Jimenez stars as his brace helps Fulham end a run of three successive Premier League defeats by completing double over a Sunderland side who have now lost back to back home games

Premier League, Sunday 22nd February

A rare premier league outing for me but it was that time of year again where I make the annual pilgrimage to The Stadium Of Light to watch my late fathers beloved Sunderland, and they were taking on Fulham on Sunday afternoon with both sides going through a rather tough run of form in the last week or two.

Sunderland have surprised many this season, including myself, at how well they have adapted to their first Premier League campaign for a decade, a lot has happened since they were last here but the Black Cats are certainly giving their long suffering fans something to cheer about this season, although they were going through what was probably their first sticking patch of the season.

Three defeats in their last four outings had seen them slip into the bottom half of the table, but despite this they were well clear of the bottom three and were looking to try and bounce back into the top ten with victory against a Fulham side who were trying to stop a run of three successive losses by grabbing victory in Wearside, the two sides met in November and it was Fulham who netted a narrow 1-0 win, it was bound to be another tight contest here too.

The first half however was a rather drab affair with a lot of stop start action, rather in keeping with two sides who were not having their best run of form lately, Fulham did carve out two openings in the first half but both were off target, Sunderland had the only shot on target in the entire opening forty five minutes but it was a routine save from Bernd Leno, and it was no surprise that the game entered the half time break goalless.

The second half however would bring much more goal mouth action, and Sunderland should really have taken the lead early in the second half, Romaine Mundle was played in by Lutsharel Geetruida, but he could only slice wide of the target with only Leno to beat, and in the 53rd minute, Fulham would be the ones to get their noses in front, an Alex Iwobi corner found Raul Jimenez totally unmarked to head home and hand The Cottagers the advantage.

And it was Jimenez who was to double Fulham's lead from the spot after VAR asked referee Craig Pawson to go to the screen after Brian Brobbey had pulled back Calvin Bassey inside the box, and suddenly Fulham had a two goal cushion just past the hour mark and the hosts had it all to do in this one.

Sunderland made some changes and one of those was the return of skipper Granit Xhaka who had been absent from the side for the last few weeks due to injury, and with around fifth teen minutes remaining The Black Cats were given a lifeline when determined play from Dab Ballard saw him pulled down by Ryan Sessegnon, and Enzo le Fee duly thumped the spot kick into the top corner and you really felt Sunderland could go on and grab something from the contest.

However, there was to be no comeback as Fulham netted a superb third on the break, the superb Harry Wilson received the ball just outside his penalty box, and he broke at pace and charged almost to the edge of the opposite box before playing in Iwobi with a wonderful pass and the forward duly clipped a lovely finish beyond Robin Roefs into the far corner and seal a very welcome win for the visitors.

A disappointing afternoon for Sunderland then, that's four defeats in five now, but they are still in touching distance of the top ten and eleven points clear of the drop zone, so that really shouldn't be in question, a couple more wins should guarantee their PL status for next season which in all honestly is all they need to achieve this season.

For Fulham that's three points that takes them into tenth and above today's opponents too so maybe now they can begin a decent run of form and a possible top seven finish which is possible for both these sides and a whole host of others in a congested mid table of the PL, this was Fulham's day though, sadly for me and others who were hoping Sunderland could grab a win here.

Sorry Dad, I could not bring your Black Cats any luck in this one, but it was still an enjoyable visit to a wonderful arena.....

Full time Sunderland 1 Fulham 3

 

Leyton Orient 1 Plymouth Argyle 3 - Pepple, Curtis & Ross all on target for Plymouth Argyle whose EFL League One play off charge continued after defeating a struggling Leyton Orient side who dropped into the bottom four

EFL League One, Tuesday 17th February

I decided to make a trip to Brisbane Road in E10 on Tuesday evening to see a Leyton Orient side who are having a much tougher campaign this time around against a Plymouth Argyle outfit who after a poor start to their campaign are now really on a upward curve and have the play offs on their mind now rather than fighting a relegation scrap.

Orient of course had a brilliant season in League One last year, and were only 90 minutes away from promotion but lost the League One play off final to Charlton Athletic at Wembley, however, this season has not hit those same heights and they have found themselves embroiled in a relegation fight along with several other sides who are all battling to prevent themselves being sent down to League Two.

Orients form of late since the turn of the year has seen them taken only five points from a possible twenty one, and their last home outing saw them lose at home to bottom side Port Vale who had only won four games all season, they did put in a decent showing at promotion chasing Stockport County last time out in a goalless draw, but this form needed to improve sooner rather than later if they were to pull themselves away from the dangerzone.

Argyle in total contrast have been in superb form since a very slow start to their campaign, and they had been on a seven match unbeaten run until a recent loss at Stockport County, and after another defeat to Lincoln City, they thrashed Blackpool 4-0 in the North West last time out, so only two defeats in nine, and they were both against sides chasing promotion, and they knew if they could keep this decent form going they would be right in the mix for those play off places, something unthinkable earlier in the season.

Goal mouth action was at a premium for the majority of the opening forty five minutes, Orient came closest when a good effort was parried away by visiting keeper Hazard, although the hosts and their fans were not enjoying referee Alex Chilowicz's decisions lets just say, with them not happy with some of the decisions that were going against them or not being given, in their opinion at least, Plymouth were also looking a menace when they did attack as well, but as the game entered first half stoppage time, it looked as if the match would be goalless at the half.

Cue several minutes of stoppage time that produced two goals, quickfire ones as well, Argyle thought they would go into the break a goal up when a minute into stoppage time Bim Pepple found himself free at the back post to turn home a flick on, but, as the home fans headed for the bars and toilets for their half time break with their heads down, they levelled two minutes later when Ollie O'Neill guided home a cross from James Morris, and it meant the sides would go into the break level after all, perking up the home fans in the process.

Unfortunately that was as good as it got for the hosts, as early in the second half The Pilgrims, back by a superb away support of 1,274, on a Tuesday night in London, that's some way to travel in midweek, so fair play to them, retook the lead when a powerful effort from the visitors bounced off the chest of home keeper Oluwayemi who was trying to catch it, and it allowed Ronan Curtis to pounce and prod home the rebound, advantage Plymouth once again.

There would be no repost from Orient this time as the visitors were now beginning to take control of this game, and with twenty minutes remaining Curtis would turn provider, sending in a corner for Mathias Ross to head home unchallenged inside the penalty area, not great defending but a decent header all the same, and now the visitors and their fans could enjoy the final part of the game in which they did have chances to add to that lead.

Orient did have a couple of headers at goal, one which keeper Hazard almost made a meal off before he did make a good stop from the other as the hosts tried in vain to get themselves back into it and potentially force an unlikely point, this was never really on the cards though as Plymouth saw the game out in relative comfort and picked up another three points to celebrate with their large army of followers in the away end.

It's three points that sees them just six points off the play off places now, so they will certainly believe they have a chance, along with several other sides, whereas for Orient it's worrying times for them as they drop into the bottom four and those relegation places and a point behind fifth bottom Northampton Town, last season's joy is well and truly forgotten now and they have a much tougher task of pulling themselves out and away from those bottom four places this time around.

Full time Leyton Orient 1 Plymouth Argyle 3

Essex Senior League double header (Friday 13th/Saturday 14th February) - Lusher brace helps Buckhurst Hill defeat Basildon United to continue fine run whilst White Ensign & Frenford battle to hard earned point

(Action from Saturday's contest between White Ensign & Frenford at Burroughs Park in Great Wakering)

Essex Senior League, Friday 13th/Saturday 14th February

This weekend saw me do an Essex Senior League double & my weekend of football began on Friday night as I attended another game at Oakside, home of Redbridge FC, as they were hiring out their 3G pitch this evening to Buckhurst Hill for their home Essex Senior League contest against Basildon United, this is because the pitch at Roding Lane, the hosts home, was not playable, as is the case with most grass pitches currently due to the poor weather experienced lately. Let's take a look at what happened in Barkingside....

Buckhurst Hill Vs Basildon United (Friday 13th February)

The hosts were embarking on a very good run, unbeaten in twelve games with their last defeat coming on October 25th, it has seen the side to the cusp of the top five, the play off places, and a win this evening would see Hill climb into fifth spot on goal difference, and with games in hand too, it would certainly strengthen their chances of nailing down a top five spot too before the season is out.

They were also up against a Basildon side going through a tough period of form too, since the turn of the year they had lost all five games they had played and in fact had only picked up two wins in nine, losing the other seven, so they were desperate to stop this run continuing although not many gave them much hope of doing so in this contest, but this is the ESL and strange things do happen.  

So, how would one pan out, well, the hosts started on the front foot in the first fifteen minutes or so as the visitors took time to settle, Hill volleyed a decent chance just over the bar but it was the visitors who came oh so close to taking a spectacular lead when a brilliant long range effort from Brandon Dadson had home keeper Christian North beaten all ends up but the ball thumped against the woodwork.

And only a couple of superb defensive blocks denied the visitors again, one off the line in a mad scramble inside the hosts penalty area, it was a warning to them that The Bees were not going to be an easy target this evening and knew they were in for a tough game, Hill then sent another effort over the bar but in the 33rd minute they did break the deadlock, Liam Foster sending in a lovely cross from the right and Harry Lusher sent a decent header beyond Enos Duah, handing the hosts a slender lead.

It had been a very competitive first forty five minutes and that header would be the difference at half time, the visitors certainly had the better chances but both sides had created some & Hill managed to take one of theirs and heading into the second period the Bees certainly started on the front foot and looking for a route back into the contest, however Hill then began to threaten once again & in the 56th minute struck with pretty much an identical goal they had netted in the first half.

It came from the right hand side again, Foster applying another decent ball into the box for Lusher to glance a lovely header beyond Duah and giving the home side some breathing space, and for a short period after that goal you felt they could go on and win this one by more and make it more comfortable.

That didn't happen though & fair play to Basildon they were certainly not playing like a side who were on such a poor run of form, things just hadn't gone well for them in this period, and Hill had enough in them to keep the visitors at bay whilst always looking a threat when they did counter on their opponents.

So, the hosts certainly were not at their maximum this evening, but they were the ones who grabbed the goals when it mattered, Basildon were disappointed not to come away with anything themselves, and the two goals they conceded were exactly the same and they would have been disappointed to have conceded in that way on two occasions, but they could certainly take a lot of positives from their showing in this one.

It's thirteen matches unbeaten for the hosts who can do no wrong right now, an amazing season to date and one that could become even more amazing come the end of the season, for Basildon it's now six defeats in a row but no doubt they will end that run soon if they continue putting in the effort they did tonight.

Full time Buckhurst Hill 2 Basildon United 0

Onto Saturday now, and I decided to pop over to Burroughs Park in Great Wakering to see White Ensign take on relegation threatened Frenford, let's see how that one panned out.....

White Ensign Vs Frenford (Saturday 14th February)

Ensign began the weekend in 13th spot and seven points off the top ten places in the division, Frenford of course have much more worrying matters to contend with as they are bottom of the division and four points from safety with only twelve games remaining in the season.

Tbe hosts form had not been to bad since the turn of the year, yes they had suffered poor losses to Barking and Romford, but other than that they had been unbeaten in their other four games they had played, two of which saw them progress into the latter stages of both ESL cup competitions, the Errington Challenge Cup and Peter Butcher Memorial Trophy, and in their last league outing they defeated Hackney Wick 3-0 at Burroughs Park.

Frenford on the other hand had not picked up any wins this side of new year, they at least ended 2025 with a superb win over Romford at The Drive, however since that win they had only picked up one point in five games and had shipped fifteen goals in that time, not the form you want when you trying to get out of that drop zone, somewhere they have occupied pretty much the whole campaign.

Could they began their attempt at fighting their way out of trouble today, well they certainly started well and were ahead after just ten minutes, Correy Davidson finding himself through on goal to round keeper Jordan Williams and from an angle slot the ball into the net, and they should have doubled their lead as well as Ensign took an age to settle into the contest, and close range header somehow kept out by the hosts.

As the half went on the hosts did show some signs of life after what was a very slow start, but they went into the changing rooms at half time a goal behind and knowing they needed a big improvement in the second period for sure, Frenford would have been delighted with their first half showing, exactly what they require if they are to survive this season, but the first fifteen minutes of the second half did not go to plan.

This is because five minutes after the restart, a good move from the hosts ended with Frenford leaving Ralphie Harrold totally free in the middle of the penalty area, and the Ensign player took a touch before firing past an exposed Dominic Alexandru in the visiting goal, and just before the hour mark Ensign had turned it around.

It was another preventable goal too and more sloppy defending from the visitors, Ben Sargent, who was making his 150th appearance for the home side today, played a long pass along the floor and it somehow found it's way through to Mechack Asuka who burst clear of the defence to slot past Alexandru who had showed him rather a lot of that side of the goal, so it seemed a simple finish for such a quality forward, and now Frenford found themselves behind once again and feeling a familiar scenario.

But, rather than cave in, they rolled their sleeves up and seven minutes restored parity, and it was the home side whose turn it was to conceded a rather sloppy goal, a cross from the left was far to deep and overhit and appeared to be going off for a goal kick, Ensign obviously thought this too and switched off, but, the visitors kept the ball in and sent in a cross which found Davidson, and he duly volleyed home for his second of the contest, and made it 2-2.

This certainly galvanized Frenford who could now smell a chance of victory, and Ensign had to dig deep to remain on level terms, they themselves were a danger when they went forward and Frenford had to be wary of this as they did not want to get nothing from a contest they had been very much part of, as it turned neither side could find a winner though, meaning both sides picked up a very well earned point.

Full time White Ensign 2 Frenford 2

There were six other games that took place at the weekend, only two actually fell foul of the weather surprisingly, so well done to all of those who managed to get games on, here are the results of those games.....

Athletic Newham 1 (Eduardo Carvalho 19) 

Harwich & Parkeston 2 (Joe Knight 39,54)

Hackney Wick 0 

Ilford 2 (Soloman Ofori 26, Idris Aminu 83)

Halstead Town 1 (Billy Jamison 75) 

Hullbridge Sports 0

Little Oakley 1 (Rory Harman 75) 

Sporting Bengal United 2 (Makai Johnsin-Reid 54, Darnell Fuller 88)

Romford 0 (Rhian Fowler sent off 45, Christian Adu Gyamfi sent off 90) 

Great Wakering Rovers 4 (Shaun Gittleson 63, Max Gnandi 74, 90+5, Harrison Topliss 86) 

Saffron Walden Town 2 (Jordan Gent 5, Sam Deering 33)

West Essex 3 (Charma Torsiello 11, Reece Simpson 64,69)

Some very surprising results amongst those contests, let's see how they affected the ESL Table after the weekend was done and dusted.....

Well, a huge shock at The War Memorial saw Oakley lose at home to Sporting Bengal, and with GWR thumping nine man Romford at Mayesbrook Park, the gap is down to just two points at the top now, llford went back into fifth spot and the final play off place after their win at Hackney Wick, Buckhurst Hill had gone into fifth on goal difference briefly after their win on Friday night but they are now in sixth.

Halstead are only three points off fifth now themselves after a late win over Hullbridge, leaping above Woodford Town (their game against Barking was postponed on Friday evening) and Saffron Walden (who lost at home to struggling West Essex in another shock result today) meaning their are now only five points between Ilford in fifth and Walden in ninth.

Frenford, despite battling to a point today, are now further from safety (six points) after Sporting's remarkable result today, and with West Essex also pulling off a surprise win today, the bottom side are now five points behind them as well, West remain just a point from safety themselves, and after Athletic Newham's loss at home to Harwich, they are now right in a relegation fight, as are Romford, with only four points between 16th and 19th.

Despite Friday night's loss at Oakside, Basildon do have an eight point gap to the bottom two and as long as they can pick up a couple of results you feel they should be ok, above that teams in those mid table positions are more than likely to be safe and in fact may well be looking up rather than down as the season enters it's final two months or so.

Anyway, many more games took place than I certainly expected this weekend, which was good, and much more for me to include in the blog, which I will conclude their for this edition, hope you enjoyed reading, thank you for taking the time too.....  

West Ham United U21 1 RSC Anderlecht U21 0 - Dan Cummings first half goal enough for West Ham to see off Anderlecht & end their Premier League International Cup campaign on a high & deny visitors passage to next stage

Premier League International Cup Group D, Wednesday 11th February

On a sodden Wednesday evening in Dagenham, I was there to watch some U21 football and the final Group D game at Victoria Road as West Ham welcomed Belgian side RSC Anderlecht to East London, the Hammers were trying to end their campaign with on a high after three defeats from three so far, whereas the visitors knew a win would take them through into the next stage of the competition.

Now Group D consisted of eight teams, with the top two going through to the next stage of the tournament, Borussia Dortmund & Manchester United occupied those top two places, both on nine points from their four games played, Anderlecht were two points behind those teams and knew a win would take them through in top spot having picked up seven points from their three games thus far.

West Ham occupied the final position in the Group after losing all three of their games so far, but could they deny the Belgian's a route into the next round and finish their otherwise disappointing PL International Cup campaign for this season on a high, they had pushed Dortmund all the way in their last outing but came out on the end of a narrow loss, so Anderlecht would not have this their own way for sure & would have to work hard for the win, if it was to come.

The visitors certainly stared on the front foot looking for that early goal to settle them down, but this never came and once the Hammers settled they began to press high and cause the visitors some uncomfortable moments in their final third, and with 17 minutes on the clock the press brought about the opening goal, Tyron Akpata won the ball off the visitors before nudging the ball into the path of Dan Cummings before he lashed home a brilliant strike and hand the hosts the early advantage.

Anderlecht tried to respond and saw an effort blocked by defender Jephtah Medine loop up and onto the bar and out for a corner, and that West Ham press almost yielded a second goal when Joe Scanlon forced the defence into an error, rounded the keeper, but could only place his effort against the visitors post, Cummings then forced a good stop from visitors keeper Michiel Haentjens.

The visitors ended the half strongly though and Hammers keeper Tom Wooster had to be smart to smother a late effort, and they continued to throw bodies forward in the second period too as they knew they needed two goals at least to qualify for the next stage, Wooster had to make a good save at his near post from Amine Mahroug early in the second half.

Anderlecht were a threat from set plays, Alexander De Ridder crosses were a constant threat, with Kais Barry & Terry Van de Ven both heading decent chances off target, but the hosts defence stood up to the majority of what was thrown at them as they battled gamely to maintain that lead they had earned early in the first period.

West Ham though did have chances to kill the game off on the counter as the visitors committed bodies forward, Riley Hargan struck the outside of the post from outside the box, & another break saw the wrong option taken and the chance snuffed out, meaning it remained tense as the game went into the latter stages.

Van de Ven then volleyed over and more late pressure from the visitors was repelled by the hosts who held on to record a fine win to end their campaign on a positive note, and thus denying Anderlecht a passage into the next round as they suffered their first defeat in the competition when it mattered the most, meaning Dortmund and United go through from Group D.

Sadly this wasn't the end of the battle as there were some rather unsavoury scenes after the final whistle, chiefly caused by the manager (I assume!!!) of Anderlecht who refused to shake hands with anyone from the hosts on more than one occasion, made a bee line for the referee who he wasn't happy with, this caused some friction between both sides and it ended with some loosing their heads, mainly the visiting players, two of which totally lost theirs, punches were thrown and plenty of handbags scattered too as it threatened to get really ugly.

Thankfully some sort of order was restored, but it really was not the end to the evening anyone wanted, Anderlecht were clearly frustrated at losing the game and going out as a result, but the actions of their manager and some of their players wasn't great, and rather embarrassing as well, but sometimes passions can run high, this is a competitive sport so there you go.

Anyway well done to the young Hammers side who battled hard for that win, they go out as well but they go out with their heads held high for sure and at least end their campaign with some points to show for it.

Full time West Ham United U21 1 RSC Anderlecht U21 0

Bowers & Pitsea 5 Takeley 1 - A brace from MOTM Michael Bareck helped Bowers & Pitsea to victory over Takeley, sending the hosts back into the Isthmian North play off zone & see the visitors drop back into the bottom four

Isthmian League North, Saturday 7th February

The first Saturday in February saw me over at a local game at The Len Salmon Stadium, and it brought together two sides who used to do battle in the Essex Senior League, Bowers & Pitsea, who were promoted out of that division some years ago now up against a Takeley side who won promotion via the playoffs last season and were embarking on their very first season at this level.

Bowers themselves have been as high as the Premier Division until they came back down to Step Four again, and they are looking to get back to Step Three again and sat just outside the play off places in the North Division prior to kick off, and just the two points behind fifth placed Gorleston, fourth placed Stanway Rovers (who also came up from the Senior League last season) and only four points off third placed Waltham Abbey. 

The gap to the top two was much bigger so these sides are most likely playing for a place in the post season, with Felixstowe & Walton United & Maldon & Tiptree well ahead of the rest, so Bowers with victory could end up as high as fourth come the end of the day, they were up against a Takeley side they had already played three times this season too, a 0-0 draw in the FA Cup (Bowers winning the replay 2-0 at The Len Salmon) and a 3-0 win at Takeley in the league, they they would have been confident of victory here. (Although several months had gone by since)

Bowers are also eight matches unbeaten, five of those wins too, and with the visitors down in 18th and only above the relegation zone on goal difference, you could be forgiven for thinking this would be a foregone conclusion, but, Takeley had been on a four match unbeaten run themselves until they lost a big game at home to fellow relegation threatened Downham Town last time out, which would have set them back a bit.

But draws against Brantham Athletic & Concord Rangers followed by a superb win at Witham Town before a 5-0 thrashing of Lowestoft Town preceded that, so they were looking to get back to that sort of form and hoping that loss at home to second bottom Downham was just a blip, although Bowers would be a much tougher assignment you felt compared to those sides, two of which were in the bottom four.

Takeley though knew if they could knit another run together they could put some daylight between themselves and the bottom four, and starting here at Bowers would certainly give them a lot of confidence going forward, but after just seven minutes they fell behind and it was all down to them as well, a poor headed back pass towards keeper Jarvis Monk saw Michael Bareck intercept, and he duly rounded the keeper to slot in from an angle and hand Bowers an early advantage.

And that advantage was doubled just before the quarter hour mark, Bareck turning provider this time by playing a ball to Jon Evans who placed a lovely finish beyond Monk into the far corner, the hosts were in total control and Takeley already had a mountain to climb before they had even got going.

Bowers dominated for the opening twenty five minutes or so and could have added to their lead but sent a couple of glancing headers wide, when Takeley did finally settle, they created a couple of decent chances, one effort deflecting off the post, and another forcing a fine diving save from home keeper Jo Whitney, Takeley knew if they could grab the next goal it would give them the momentum and a possible route back into the contest.

Whitney had to deny the visitors early in the second period as well, but, nine minutes into the second half calamity for the visitors as they handed the hosts another goal, Monk attempted to clear with Jamie Salmon closing him down, and the smashed the clearance against Salmon's head and the ball went back past Monk and as he chased the ball back it beat him into the net, a mess of a goal to concede but Bowers now had a three goal cushion.

Bareck was putting in a MOTM performance sure, and he should have added his second of the game and Bowers fourth when after Kai Regrave had played a wonderful ball across the box, all Bareck had to do was apply the finishing touch at the far post, but he could not even find the target, despite this Takeley actually had a lot of the ball after going 3-0 behind, they did test Whitney again before they did pull a goal back with eleven minutes to go, substitute Joseph Pullen powering home a decent header, game on perhaps?

Well, no, because pretty much from the restart, Bowers restored their three goal cushion, and it was Bareck who fired home a brilliant strike, capping his MOTM performance with two goals and a assist to boot, and any sniff of a way back into the game for the visitors was well and truly snuffed out.

And with four minutes left of the contest, Bowers added another, substitute Elton Tettey waltzing into the box before firing a left footed shot past Monk, the scoreline was probably harsh on the visitors but they had shot themselves in the foot twice and also conceded after they got themselves a lifeline, and you cannot do that against a Bowers team who have so much firepower.

It's a result that takes the hosts up into fourth spot and into the play off places and extends their unbeaten run to nine, whereas for the visitors this actually drops them into the bottom four and the relegation spots on goal difference, such was the damage this result did to it, and that's back to back defeats now for Takeley, not the week they wanted for sure.

Full time Bowers & Pitsea 5 Takeley 1

 

 

White Ensign 3 Hackney Wick 0 - Goals from Albie Keith, Riley Weir & Joseph Atoki help White Ensign to all three points in their Essex Senior League contest against Hackney Wick

Essex Senior League, Wednesday 4th February

My first Essex Senior League game since late December found me at my closest ground in the division over at Burroughs Park where tenants White Ensign were taking on Hackney Wick, and despite the poor weather lately a dry sunny day meant the pitch was playable although as some people said, it definitely took a stud and was very soft underfoot.  

But it was game on at least and with a dry forecast for the evening, their would be no issues of that changing, the hosts came into this game off the back of a disappointing loss on the same ground to Romford at the weekend, losing that one 2-0 which left them down in 15th spot although they were ten points above the bottom two and if truth be told shouldn't really be worrying too much about that.

A win though would certainly not be sniffed at, they were eight points off the top ten as things stood, and that side in tenth place were Hackney Wick, who themselves had a tough game against second bottom side West Essex at the weekend but managed to come out 2-1 winners in that game, meaning they were seven points off the play off places as a result, so if they could grab a win here that gap would be down to just four.

Both sides had been mixed though lately in terms of form, so it was hard to predict what outcome would be in this game, who would be able to get themselves in front first, if there was to be any goals of course, well in the 18th minute the deadlock was broken, and in fine style as well, Albie Keith, Ensign's midfielder, saw the ball drop to him about twenty five yards out or so, and he fired a wonderful effort beyond visiting keeper Mohammed Nasim and into the bottom corner, it was a lovely strike and meant the hosts had a slender advantage.

Wick tried to respond and looked dangerous, but any efforts they did muster were easy for home keeper Jack Sexton, it was becoming a bit of a battle on a pitch that was cutting up badly in places, but with all the rain recently that really isn't much of a surprise, it was a roll your sleeves up type of pitch for sure, and not good if your a side who likes to keep the ball on the floor.

Ensign were playing some good stuff too, and they knitted together a lovely goal just before half time, and a final pass into the path of Riley Weir saw the forward compose himself before slotting past Nasim and hand Ensign a two goal cushion heading into the half time break, Wick had just made too many errors for their liking and certainly had a lot to discuss in their changing room at the break.

For Ensign the message would have been keep going and continue to do what you've been doing, and this continued much to their management's pleasure, and just before the hour mark Wick could not clear a corner, and the ball dropped to centre half Joseph Atoki who absolutely leathered the ball home from inside the box, and it looked unlikely that Wick had any sort of comeback in them.

The visitors continued to try and get something back to maybe cause some alarm amongst the hosts, but this was made more difficult when substitute Khaneil Brown was booked twice in a few minutes for pretty much the same offence, pulling back an attacker who was trying to break clear, his and Wick's argument was it was his only two offences, but both were preventing an attack and in the referees mind were both worthy of bookings.

This meant Wick had to play the final fifteen minutes or so with ten men, and to be honest they continued to attack but Ensign were more than a match for it and kept them at bay and looked fairly comfortable in doing so and never looked like handing Wick a way back into the contest, and ran out 3-0 winners to bounce back well from that defeat at the weekend.

It means Ensign rise two places to 13th spot and are five points off tenth placed Wick now, the visitors themselves failed to close that gap to the top five, and on this showing will probably not make that post season party, but they are still in their first season at this level, so to be even in the top ten is a good effort at this stage, but well played Ensign this evening, it certainly was a very good showing and it also puts more breathing room between them and decreases any danger of getting sucked into a scrap down towards the lower regions of the division.

Full time White Ensign 3 Hackney Wick 0