Chadwell Heath Spartans 7 North East Lions 1

Essex Alliance Football League Division One, Saturday 3rd October 2020 

Saturday afternoon saw me over at my first Essex Alliance Football League contest of the season and a first visit to Mayfield Leisure Centre to see Chadwell Heath Spartans Vs North East Lions in a Division One match up.

Spartans have been a side I have been looking to watch for some time now, and finally I got my chance here and knowing some of the personal at the club it was good to get over there and say hello to both chairman/photographer/social media man Neil Hunwicks, who was former photographer/media man at Hullbridge Sports, and player boss Aaron Hunwicks, Neil’s son and former Hullbridge Sports player.  Aaron was part of Hullbridge Sports most successful management team in FA comps along with Rob Hodgson, who was also a member of the Spartans squad too.

It was a very nice welcome from them all and a pleasure to come and cover them finally, and Neil introduced me to the squad whilst they were having their pre match discussion with their manager, and was nice of them all to thank me and clap me prior to doing there warm up, it is very much appreciated and makes me realise that what I do is worthwhile.

This was Spartans third league outing of the season and they had a win and a draw so far, and were going for back to back home wins after last weekend’s 4-2 success at Mayfield against London Park City, and they welcomed North East Lions to Mayfield this weekend with the visitors having lost their opening three games before they finally grabbed a 2-0 win at home to Francis Luke last weekend, so perhaps that could give them confidence coming into this contest.

After some initial pressure from the home side early on, the visitors began to find their way into the contest, and the hosts were glad that right back and club secretary and media wizard Ray Hunwicks was on hand to clear a visiting effort off the line, however, in the 21^st minute Spartans gave away a spot kick which the tall number nine duly converted for Lions and they had the lead.

Spartans though were level just before the half hour mark when the ball dropped to the feet of Ricky Reid and he smashed home a left footed effort from close range to bring his side back to parity.  Reid had been out of football for some time due to injuries, but he has now got himself back to fitness and is a huge goal threat for the Spartans side.

It did mean the half ended all square and the visitors were definitely the happier of the two sides coming off the pitch for a short break, whilst the hosts looked frustrated after a below par first half performance from them, and Aaron Hunwicks made that clear at the break that it wasn’t good enough and demanded more from his troops.

Half Time Chadwell Heath Spartans 1 North East Lions 1

So would the Spartans boys take Aaron’s words on board, well they certainly started the half well and were in front barely a minute after the restart when Reid lofted a lovely effort over the keeper and into the net, he certainly knows where the goal is that’s for sure!!!

And nine minutes into the second period Spartans had a third and it was the old Hullbridge Sports management team of Aaron Hunwicks and Hodgson, with the former’s free-kick finding the latter who produced a wonderful flick beyond the keeper into the far corner.

Spartans were definitely playing with more tempo and quality now and just before the hour mark it was three second half goals in twelve minutes for the hosts when Caleb Roberts, who had been out with a long term injury but is now back playing, let fly from miles out and saw the ball rocket past the keeper and into the net and the hosts were now cruising.

Fair play to the Lions though for sticking at it and they could of easily found the net again but forced a decent save from Spartans young keeper Oliver Grocock, who is dual signed from Barking’s EJA U18 side, and also saw another effort thumped inches wide of the upright and also send a couple of headers over the bar too.

Spartans though had more chances themselves, and the final five minutes of the contest saw Lions capitulate as Spartans netted three more times in a ruthless few minutes of football.

With five minutes left substitute Tom Callaghan, who is dual signed from Chelmsford U18s, drove into the box and fired a brilliant effort across goal and into the far corner for number five, before another substitute Miguel Martins let fly from miles out to find the net to make it six.  Martins was coming back from an illness so his goal was greeted with glee by all of his team mates and you could see how much it meant to them all that he had belted one in from range, lovely moment that was.

And the mad end to the game was completed when another substitute, assistant manager Niru Hunwicks no less, got on the end of a Hodgson header into the box to volley home from close range to make it seven, and it capped a superb second half showing from Spartans and another three points on the board too.

Those points mean Spartans are into third spot now and five points behind the top two with a game in hand, whilst for Lions it’s a fourth defeat in five as they slip to third bottom having played more games than the sides below them.

Lastly thank you to the hosts for being so accommodating, they have a pretty good side mixed with youth and experience, so no doubt they will have another good season and who knows maybe Senior Division football next season? They are certainly a club heading in the right direction that’s for sure.

Full Time Chadwell Heath Spartans 7 North East Lions 1