Southend Manor 1 Stanway Rovers 1

Pre Season Friendly, Saturday 15th August 2020 

My latest pre-season journey was easily my shortest as I popped over to Southchurch Park for a contest between Essex Senior League side Southend Manor and Stanway Rovers from the Thurlow Nunn Premier in what was a hotly contested encounter in humid conditions on the Essex coast.

Manor had contacted me during the week to let me know about this game and said I was welcome to come along so I decided to attend in the end after weighing up other options on the table today, but a nice leisurely stroll through the park via the café to pick up a coffee and twix bar to the ground seemed the best thing to do and no stress of trains/buses/taxis.

The early 12:30pm kick off time also appealed as I could get back home afterwards (a ten minute stroll away) to watch the snooker, so it seemed the best thing to do, and the rain of late seems to have done the pitch some good at the ground after a lengthy spell of dry weather and poor maintenance from the council saw the pitch very dry and very bobbly.

The hosts pre season results wide hadn’t been too good but results don’t really matter at this stage, it’s all about building a squad for the upcoming season to try and improve on what had been a largely difficult campaign for them although some of their performances had been decent but they didn’t have the results to show for it perhaps.

They welcomed a Stanway side to Southchurch Park who after a brief unsuccessful spell in the Essex Senior League, encountered a very good season back in the Thurlow Nunn Premier last campaign and sat third and only behind second placed Norwich United on goal difference and eight points ahead of fourth placed Newmarket Town, so they were preparing for another assault on the top places once again and hoping to topple the mighty Stowmarket Town although that may to be much to do.

The opening forty five minutes saw Stanway have three great chances to take the lead after a fairly even opening spell of the game, and also a flashpoint on the left side after a tangle between two opposing players, in what was another very hotly contested game, but four minutes before half time Stanway did manage to grab the lead when after great work down the left, a ball in was helped on and saw a close range finish rammed home and saw the side from North Essex go into the break a goal to the good.

Half Time Southend Manor 0 Stanway Rovers 1

Manor, although competitive so far in this one, had been second best for a large part of the opening half, so knew some improvements would be needed, and they certainly came out early on in the second period the better of the two, and nine minutes into the period levelled when a cross from Joe Elliot found the head of Jamie Price whose downward header should have been saved but slipped through the keepers grasp and over the line.

And for a time after this Manor were doing the attacking and it was Stanway who were having to do some defending, it had been a much better showing in this half from the hosts against a decent Stanway side.

The visitors though rode that storm and then had two brilliant efforts to try and retake the lead, firstly sending a dipping long range effort against the underside of the bar, and then Michael Acquah, on for first choice keeper Clinton Mayakabo, made a wonderful double save to deny the visitors.

The game, like many other pre season games I’ve seen this season, had a bit of an edge to it at times, as both sets of players left nothing on the table, so this made it another very enjoyable game to watch, and at times you could be forgiven to think it was a league or cup clash, such was the intensity and aggression at times.

This almost boiled over a minute or so from the end as from nothing a flare up which did see a punch thrown right in front of me on the hallway line saw a melee ensue, but the referee sensibly let it all calm down and spoke to the ones in question before asking them to remain calm for the final minute and decided not to dish out any punishment.  There is no doubt in a league/cup fixture that would have been a red card.

But it showed how much even friendlies mean to these players, they have been without football for so long and I feel this might be one reason why the games I am watching feel much more competitive in pre-season.  It certainly makes the games exciting to watch!!!

In the end then a draw was how it ended, I was certainly pleasantly surprised with how Manor played, lots of promise and a youthful side too, and plenty to work with indeed.  This was a tough Stanway side they came up against so they should be very pleased with how they did, especially second half.

For the visitors on another day they go in at the break three or so goals to the good, but they did withstand a early second half fightback from the hosts but probably felt they had enough openings to win this one, so they can take plenty from this too no doubt.  But a very decent contest and one I enjoyed watching.

Full Time Southend Manor 1 Stanway Rovers 1