Wadham Lodge 1 Ilford 3

Essex Senior League, Sunday 27th December 2015

The day after Boxing Day took me to the Matchday Centre for a big local derby in the ESL as Wadham Lodge hosted Ilford.

Both teams were well in the top ten of the league with Lodge up in fourth in what had been a brilliant first season in Senior League football whilst Ilford sat seventh after a more than solidseason so far, so all these ingredients along with local pride made for a possible belter of a game.

And it was the visitors who almost made the perfect start as a cross from the right saw WaleOdedoyin poke inches wide of the goal. Wadham responded with a chance of their own on ten minutes when after a bit of a scramble in the Foxes area the eventual effort from Ashley Bankole was sliced well wide. These were the only real clear cut chances in the first twenty five minutes or so as the match had really failed to take off thus far.

On 27 minutes a free kick from the hosts into the Foxes area fell to Andre Bennett who could only hook his effort over the bar but then a minute later the visitors pounced as a ball forward
saw Odedoyin beat keeper Danny Mulrooney to the ball and poke home beyond the stranded keeper and give the visiting side the advantage.

The hosts almost made an instant response on the half hour mark when Bennett found himself in front of goal and forced a fine stop from Ilford keeper Chris Clark and then almost found themselves two behind when a ball into Lodge area two minutes later saw Luke Thomas left all alone but his poke at goal was tipped wide by Mulrooney.

Right on half time however the hosts missed a golden chance to level when after Charlie Georgiou had managed to squeeze a ball through to Bennett the Lodge striker saw Clark make a great point blank save to keep his side in the lead at the break.

Half Time Wadham Lodge 0 Ilford 1

The next goal was going to be crucial in this tight derby game and straight from the restart Ilford should have been two up as Odedoyin found himself clean through but could only strike his effort wide of the post. It was a big let off for hosts and they were let off again eleven minutes into the second half when Odedoyin again saw an effort blocked before Chris Stevens follow up was also blocked on route to goal as the hosts survived again.

This looked like it would come back to haunt the Foxes as on 57 minutes they found themselves pegged back when after Georgiou was fouled on the edge of the box, Denzel Williams stepped up to strike the set piece past Clark into the bottom corner. This seemed to galvanize the hosts in what was becoming a very hard fought local derby and this threatened to boil over when Georgiou and visiting full ball back Edas Valionis went hard into a challenge leaving the full back on the deck and seeing Ilford less then happy, causing a flare up between the sides. However in my view it was a fair challenge although their was now a definite edge to this game.

Lodge were now edging the contest sligtly and they almost capitalised on this on 67 minutes when Georgiou almost released Williams in on goal but brave keeping from Clark thwarted the Lodge chance. Then with twenty minutes to go the match swung back in favour of the visitors when a terrible back pass saw Odedoyin stride in to nip around keeper Mulrooney and slot home and punish the hosts mistake to the maximum.

This seemed to effect the hosts and on 82 minutes great skill from Odedoyin saw the Ilford striker hit an effort at goal but Mulrooney managed to save between his legs to deny the forward his hat trick. However in the first minute of stoppage time he was to get his hat trick, when after another defensive lapse, Thomas nipped down the right and cross for Odedoyin to finish across Mulrooney from close range in off the post and settle this match.

Deep into stoppage time more pressure from Lodge saw an effort whipped over but it had not been their day today and the Foxes came away with the points in what had been a hotly contested derby.

Full Time Wadham Lodge 1 Ilford 3