Southend Manor 2 Saffron Walden Town 3

Errington Challenge Cup First Round, Wednesday 5th September 2018

Gregg Strong netted a stoppage time winner as Saffron Walden Town edged out Southend Manor at Southchurch Park to progress into the next round of the Errington Challenge Cup.

This was the first match in the competition this season and both sides had come into this in good form, Walden had netted a decent win away at Clapton last time out whilst Manor had seen off Thurlow Nunn Premier side Ipswich Wanderers in the Vase at the weekend, so both were looking for another run in a cup competition with a win here.

Manor were the first side to have a sniff at goal but saw a snap shot saved, whilst down the other end goal machine Charlie Portway saw a one on one saved before another chance saw him strike a left-footed effort past the post, when you expected the net to bulge.

Nathan Dewberry, a recent signing for the hosts and goal scorer on Saturday in the Vase, saw a decent effort tipped away by the keeper, and then Walden midfielder Julian Simon-Parson struck an effort just over down the other end.

Eight minutes before half time though Walden edged in front when Strong struck home a free-kick despite the keeper getting a hand to the effort, and the visitors held a slender lead, a lead that could have been wiped out moments before the break when a ball into the Walden box just invaded an attacker coming in, meaning the visitors held the lead at the break.

Half Time Southend Manor 0 Saffron Walden Town 1

Half time team talks eh, either inspire or go out of the window, well for Manor it was an inspiring one and for Walden well it was out of the window for sure, as the hosts struck twice in a minute inside the opening five minutes of the second period to lead this one.

Firstly, in the 48^th minute the hosts levelled when Dewberry glanced a header across the keeper into the far corner, and then barely a minute later Charlie Little burst clear down the right before slotting brilliantly into the corner of the net and Walden didn’t know what had hit them.

But just three minutes after going behind, Walden came straight back to level the tie up as Portway drove the lose ball into the far corner for three goals in four second half minutes, what a crazy start it had been to the second half for sure!!

Manor almost took the lead when Jon-Joe Slater struck a powerful effort at the visitor’s goal, but saw the keeper make a decent stop, but the visitors then were reduced to ten men after a second yellow for a lunge with just under twenty minutes of the ninety remaining, and you thought could Walden take advantage of this?

Well Manor had a golden chance to go back in front late on when a ball forward released Kargbo, who had come on as a second half substitute, in on goal down the right, and after lobbing the onrushing keeper, saw his effort go just over the bar.

So it looked as though penalties would be required to separate these two sides, that was until a massive error from the hosts keeper deep deep into stoppage time, dropping a simple lofted ball into the box straight at the feet of Strong who had the easiest of tasks to tap the ball into the net from a yard out, and send Walden through to the next round of the Challenge Cup.

Full Time Southend Manor 2 Saffron Walden Town 3