Hosts Burnham Ramblers netted four minutes before the
break to settle this highly competitive and at times feisty pre-season friendly
against St Margaretsbury at Leslie Field.
The home side, who will again play in the Thurlow Nunn
Eastern Senior South in the forthcoming season, had the better of the early exchanges
against their Essex Senior League Premier opponents, seeing a cross diverted
wide by the visitors before a close-range header went straight at the visiting
keeper.
The lower level hosts continued to have the upper hand in a
decent first half performance and saw a looping header find the arms of the visitor’s
keeper once again, before another header was sent wide of the post and then a
free-kick was whistled over the top of the St Margs crossbar.
Despite this being a friendly though, the game was not short
of physicality, and some crutching tackles were never far away, and then it
almost boiled over at one point after two opposing players squared up, resulting
in a booking for the host player.
Ramblers then almost broke the deadlock but fired straight
at the keeper, before a second yellow of the game followed when one of the
visiting forwards fouled once to often and was cautioned. Ramblers then grabbed a deserved lead when a
ball across was side footed home from close range meaning Ramblers held a well-deserved
lead at the break.
Burnham Ramblers 1 St Margaretsbury 0
St Margs, who had showed pretty much zero in the way of
attacking play in the opening forty five minutes, almost fell further behind
early on in the second period when a decent chance was saved by their keepers
foot, but soon after they did go close themselves but a decent ball into the
six yard box was well cleared, and then they came even closer when striking the
post as they searched for the leveller.
The visitors were looking much more threatening this half
though and sent a cross just over the head of an attacker, before another
effort was well saved by the Ramblers keeper.
The hosts responded by sending a decent chance well wide, this after a
poor defensive clearance from the visitors.
St Margs then had another couple of decent openings before
the home side saw a free-kick parried away before the rebound was sent wide
under pressure, and then the hosts thought they had doubled their lead when
side footing home from a square ball, however the flag had gone up for offside.
St Margs came again though and after forcing a decent stop
from the Ramblers keeper, the resultant corner was eventually cleared after a
scramble, and then a brilliant curling effort struck the post before the ball
was recycled into the hosts box but on the stretch the visitors could only send
the ball miles over.
It all meant the hosts took their first win of the
pre-season campaign with more positive signs to take forwards, whilst it was
also a good workout for the visitors as they look to build a squad for the
coming season.
Full Time Burnham Ramblers 1 St Margaretsbury 0
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