Hullbridge Sports 3 Burnham Ramblers 0

Tolleshunt D'Arcy Memorial Trophy Semi Final, Tuesday 28th March 2017

I was over at Lower Road for probably the final time this season for a Tolleshunt D’Arcy Memorial Trophy Semi Final between Hullbridge Sports and Burnham Ramblers.

Both sides fielded fairly strong line ups in a bid to reach a cup final, and after Sports had struggled in the league recently and Ramblers had pretty much all season the dangling carrot of a final was tempting.

The hosts were soon on the front foot and in the 6th minute with their first attack of note, Charlie Little looked to have given them an early lead, however the hosts winger had strayed offside so the goal was ruled out.

In the 10th minute Little got down the right and found Luka Frankis whose effort whistled a foot or so wide of the upright and then midway through the half more Hullbridge attacking play saw a great ball find Jimmy Cox whose dink towards the back post saw Little come onto it but hit into the side netting.

The hosts continued to dominate and in the 26th minute a nice run by Little ended up with the ball finding Cox whose effort was wayward and sailed over whilst just past the half hour mark Ramblers had a shot at goal when Ryan Stillwell tried his luck from range but it didn’t trouble keeper Jamie Merrells.

And then in the 33rd minute came the breakthrough, unsurprisingly for the hosts, when a great dinked ball into the area by Cox found Dean Wallace who ran onto the pass and volleyed home first time for a very tidy goal and the hosts had the lead they deserved.

More hosts chances followed towards the end of the first half and seven minutes before half time a hosts break ended with a poor effort from Dan Regan whilst a minute later Cox headed wide from a good position.

Three minutes before the break a Frankis effort was beaten away by Chris Leonard at his near post and then right on half time Frankis again burst forward and laid in Little, but the winger could only drags his shot wide as Burnham survived again.

Half Time Hullbridge Sports 1 Burnham Ramblers 0

It didn’t take long for the hosts to start where they left off in the first half and moments into the second period Cox almost got on the end of a cross but three minutes later he did make it two, as hesitant defending allowed Cox to sneak in and knock beyond Leonard and double his sides advantage.

And ten minutes into the second half it got even better for Sports as they made it three when Little produced a tidy finish with the outside of his boot from twenty yards or so into the far corner, and pretty much seal victory in this one.

Burnham to their credit kept going and competed well for a time but it was the hosts who continued to carve out the chances and in the 72nd minute saw Cox pinch the ball off a visiting defender and send in a cross for Charlie Gerada, but the Sports winger could only poke over.

So into the last ten minutes and a long clearance from Merrells found hosts sub Ryan Wallington but he could only slice his effort well wide and then with two minutes remaining a terrific effort from Little was brilliantly tipped over by Leonard as the hosts threatened a late fourth.

Moments later another Little effort saw Burnham keeper Leonard parry out into the area but sub Howard Wright could only knock the rebound over however the hosts cruised through and will now take on Heybridge Swifts in the Final.

Full Time Hullbridge Sports 3 Burnham Ramblers 0

Sawbridgeworth Town 0 Clapton 1 (match abandoned after 95 minutes due to serious incident)

Essex Senior League, Saturday 25th March 2017

I was over at a sunny Crofters to see a potential belter between Sawbridgeworth Town and Clapton in the Essex Senior League top six.

The hosts had won all five games in the month of March whilst The Tons had won nine of their last ten away from The Old Spotted Dog so this certainly added up to be a close one too.

And with the added knowledge that Clapton needed to win to keep the title race alive for one more week was yet another ingredient to an already eagerly awaited contest. Oh one more to add, The Tons were the last side to beat Sawbo, 4-0 at the end of February, so was revenge on the agenda too?

Well as it turned out the opening half was rather poor if truth be told with barely any goalmouth action to speak off. The first real opening came in the 18th minute when Ryan Reed found himself in space inside the area but saw him snatch at the chance and drag wide from a really good position.

The only other real opening in the first period came for the hosts in the 32nd minute when Lewis Deamer headed the ball back into the visitors area to skipper Matt Frew, but the centre halfmiskicked meaning the ball was easily cleared. Apart from these moments there was not a lot else to write about in the opening forty five minutes which had been devoid of quality.

Half Time Sawbridgeworth Town 0 Clapton 0

So would the second half be any better, well it certainly didnt start that way and we had to wait till the hour mark before the next opening came and it fell to the hosts when Reece Cosson drilled an effort wide from just outside the box.

Shortly after this came a four minute spell which saw the Tons almost net on three occasions. In the 63rd min Raphael Duyile, on as a substitute, went clear down the right after keeper Matt Ponter had come out and got stranded, but nothing came of it after a ball to Reed saw him fail to get a shot away.

The two minutes later Reed got in for the Tons but a scuffed finish allowed Ponter and Frew to block the effort before two more minutes later Ponter had to make a great reaction save from his own defender at the near post to deny Clapton the lead.

However with fifteen minutes remaining the Tons were given the chance to go ahead when they were awarded a penalty after Avondary had been brought down and Jonny Ashman converted the spot kick to give the Tons a priceless lead.

It was a lead they almost relinquished in the 83rd minute in disastrous fashion as after a miskicked clearance had gone up into the air, the ball bounced up awkwardly and almost over keeper Emmanuel Olajide with Sawbo forward Aaron Thomas waiting to pounce, but the Tons stopper just managed to catch the ball and avoid an embarrassing moment.

Moments later a flashpoint saw both sets of players tough it out and it ended with Ratambwa and Deamer booked for the hosts. It had certainly been a frustrating afternoon for the Robins who had been far from their best on the day.

Two minutes into stoppage time saw the hosts swing a ball into the mixer but George Pullen could only head over the chance and it looked like Clapton would hold on for victory.

But then came a very unsavoury end to the contest when an altercation between a visiting supporter and a Sawbo player led to the match being abandoned deep into stoppage time. At this point I am not allowed to say what went on but it was a very shocking few minutes and it’s not something you should see in any walk of life, let alone football.

The player in question has since been released by Sawbo today but a County Disciplinary Hearing now awaits both sides to determine what happens to the club’s, the player in question and the outcome of the result of this contest.

So a sad and shocking end to the contest, no doubt more will be said in the coming weeks.

Sawbridgeworth Town 0 Clapton 1 (match abandoned after 95 minutes due to serious incident)

South Shields 4 Coleshill Town 0 (aggregate 6-1)

Buildbase FA Vase Semi Final 2nd Leg, Saturday 18th March 2017

So this was it, one of these teams were potentially ninety minutes away from Wembley as the FA Vase Semi Final 2nd Legs were upon us.

And I was at a packed Mariners Park as a record crowd of 3,464 were their to see who would prevail between South Shields and Coleshill Town.

Most of them were of course cheering on the local side who held a 2-1 lead from the first leg at Coleshills Pack Meadow the weekend before so the North East side were favourites to progress. However an early goal for the visitors could swing the tie still so it was all to play for.

The hosts though were keen to put any thoughts of a visitors comeback to bed early on and launched an early attack in the 2nd minute which saw a ball into the box just about dealt with by a stretched Coleshill backline.

And in the 10th minute the hosts came oh so close to getting that early goal when a deflected effort came back off the bar and then five minutes later an almighty scramble inside the visitors box saw an effort blocked before a relived visiting defence finally cleared their lines.

Coleshill managed to whether this early storm though and tried to mount an attack of their own in the 19th minute and a great ball forward almost had them in but hosts keeper Connell and a defender just did enough to thwart striker Jordan Nadat as he threatened to put the visitors ahead.

The game settled down somewhat after this and the next chance arrived just past the half hour mark when Shields got in down the right but the ball across saw a miskicked finish roll through to the keeper before the visitors went very close to taking the lead nine minutes before the break when a decent effort from inside the box was brilliantly tipped over by Connell.

So the tie was still very much in the balance as the game approached half time but then came a big moment as the hosts managed to find that all important goal as in the 45th minute a ball laid across to Julio Arca saw the ex Sunderland and Middlesbrough midfielder crack home a superb left footed effort from twenty yards and send the home fans and players wild with delight.

Shields suddenly had their tails up again and almost netted again moments later but saw David Foley hit an effort into the side netting. However it was a big blow to visitors Coleshill to concede so late on in the half and they now had a two goal deficit to overcome in the tie in one half of football.

Half Time South Shields 1 Coleshill Town 0 (aggregate 3-1)

The opening ten minutes or so of the second period yielded no real chances as Shields looked to keep the visitors quiet whilst the Coleshill boys desperately sought a route back into the tie. Just before the hour mark Shields saw a great run by Arca into the box eventually result in an effort being saved by keeper Hathaways before the loose ball was squeezed away as the hosts looked to finish the tie once and for all.

And sure enough in the 62nd minute they did just that as Gav Cogdon beat the offside trap and duly lofted a beautiful finish over keeper Hathaway and cue more celebrations as the knew they were pretty much on their way to Wembley now after opening up a three goal cushion on aggregate.

Coleshill to their credit kept fighting though as they knew a quick couple of goals back would possibly change the entire mood of the tie and with just over twenty minutes left a harmless ball towards the hosts back post almost crept inside the near post but keeper Connell managed to palm the ball wide and preserve the hosts clean sheet and three goal cushion.

With ten minutes left the hosts sent a free header from a corner go straight at keeper Hathaway and as time began to wind down Shields threatened more goals and with two minutes left a terrific ball into the visitors box saw a brilliant save from visiting keeper Hathaway which even the referee clapped!!

And just over a minute later Shields did find a third when substitute Finnigan added the finishing touches to another sweeping move from the hosts as the visitors looked tired after giving their all in this one.

And in stoppage time their waw enough time for Shields to put the gloss on the scoreline when Foley burst through to add a fourth and send the hosts through to the Wembley final in May in style.

It was harsh on the visitors who more than competed over the two legs and so the 6-1 aggregate score doesn’t really tell you how hard Shields had to work in these two games. But they took chances at crucial moments in the two games which is what champions do and they now have a Wembley date in May to look forward to.

Full Time South Shields 4 Coleshill Town 0 (aggregate 6-1)

Coleshill Town 1 South Shields 2

Buildbase FA Vase Semi-Final First Leg, Saturday 11th March 2017

It was Semi Final 1st Leg day in the FA Vase and I was at Pack Meadow on the outskirts of Birmingham to see hosts Coleshill Town entertain competition favourites South Shields in front of a record 1,755 crowd at their tiny but neat home.

The hosts were having and good season, sitting second in the Midland Premier Division, and were on a thirteen game winning run until their defeat at Shawbury United last weekend, although compared to the season the visitors were having it didn’t seem as good.

Ever since the North East side from the outskirts of Newcastle lost to rivals North Shields on Guy Fawkes night they have won 22 games in a row as they chase the record of 27 consecutive victories set by Welsh Premier side The New Saints earlier this season, eclipsing the previous record set by the mighty Ajax in 1972 of 26 games.

However records would of been towards the back of everyone’s mind as they tried to gain an advantage in this tie and get ever closer to that Wembley finale. However it was the hosts who had the brighter start and on 8 minutes saw a Joshua Quaynor effort tipped over by Shields keeper Liam Connell.

Three minutes later a decent effort from Robert Evans tested Shields Connell again and then in the 19th minute a hosts free kick from the left was swung into the area and saw it glanced over the goal by Jordan Nadat. It had certainly shown anyone present that the hosts were intent on giving the visitors a proper test out there.

The visitors first real opening came midway through the half when a dangerous ball into the box was cleared over the bar by a defender however in the 27th minute the hosts were on the front foot again and after a decent ball forward tried to find forward Nadat, keeper Connell came out but could only blast a clearance at Nadat which hit the Coleshill forward but went well wide.

On 32 minutes a corner from the hosts saw Evans get in front of his marker but head well wide and then a minute later came a rare chance for Shields which saw David Foley find space inside the area but his effort was superbly blocked by a sprawling defender.

The game had taken on a end to end feel at this point and on 34 minutes Nadat thought he had given the hosts the lead however only a great save from Connell denied the forwards curling effort, this after the ball had been given away by the visitors, and a couple of minutes later up the other end the ball broke to Michael Richardson inside the hosts box, but he failed to hit the target, hitting wide of the near post.

Coleshill had created the better chances in the opening half though and just as you thought they would go in without anything to show for it they found a breakthough right on half time as a cross from the left saw a Nadat effort saved by Connell from point blank range, but the ball came back to Nadat who buried the rebound and celebrated with the fans behind that goal. It was a deserved lead for the hosts and Shields knew they were in a game for sure.

Half Time Coleshill Town 1 South Shields 0

The visitors knew they had to come out and take the game to their opponents and two minutes into the half they found an equaliser as the dangerous Foley managed to get on the end of a cross and net a close range rebound after keeper Paul Hathaway had saved initially, and roared on by 500-600 Shields fans the visitors had their tails up and Richardson headed wide of the far post as they went for the lead.

The hosts managed to whether that storm though and started to threaten themselves again, and on the hour mark saw a cross catch keeper Connell out and the ball come off the woodwork and then four minutes later another good save at the near post from Shields Connell kept out a free kick from Thomas Weale.

With twenty minutes left a great ball found Shields sub Carl Finnigan whose effort was well saved by Paul Hathaway and then the hosts came so close to taking the lead once again a minute later when they thumped an effort against the inside of the post and then saw the ball fly across goal and headed off the line by a very fortunate Shields.

In the 77th minute the hosts got away with one when keeper Hathaway came out and miskicked a clearance straight to Richardson, and with the keeper in no man’s land Richardson returned an effort towards the empty net but it bounced inches wide of the post.

It had certainly been a battle and a half out there and you thought could their be a late twist in this one? Well just as the game ticked over the 90 minute mark Shields managed to find a huge goal in this tie as Foley drove into the area, crossed to Darren Lough, whose effort hit Andrew Stephenson from a yard out and went into the net to send the visitors fans crazy.

Coleshill tried to find a late late leveller but found the Shields defence solid and the referee finally ended the game after several minutes of injury time and the visitors continued that winning run although more importantly took a lead back to Mariners Park for the second leg in a weeks time.

Defeat was tough on the hosts however they showed more than enough in this one that they can cause many issues for the North East side and an early goal in the second leg from Coleshill could unsettle the favourites so this one is far from over!!!

Full Time Coleshill Town 1 South Shields 2