Saturday saw me over at a very special place in the shape of
Spa Road, Witham, as I was there to watch a Thurlow Nunn South contest between
Hackney Wick and White Ensign, and it saw a second half penalty from the hosts
hand them a superb three points.
Spa Road was where it all began for me as a nine year old boy when after the Italia 90 world cup I gained an interest in the sport so my dad decided to take me to a real life football match and as we lived in Witham (I spent the first seventeen years of my life there) he took me here in August 1990, so over thirty years ago, madness!!! I spent many good afternoon's and evening's here with my beloved father too, so the place holds special memories and will always have a special place in my heart, that is for sure. My dad was also programme editor at the club for a number of years in the late 90s and early 00s, so we were very involved their for some time. Always an emotional feeling every time I return.
Anyway enough about me, and more about today's game, and Wick came into this one as underdogs for sure, but they had beaten
Halstead Town and held Wormley Rovers before being beat at home by Coggeshall
United (who fielded a number of Town players, but enough about that!!!) so they
were not doing to badly and would no doubt give Ensign a tough battle on what
was a very heavy surface.
Ensign themselves had not lost in the league for around
three months, or six games, and they knew a win here would see them top the
Division at Christmas and most probably end the year there too, although they
had drawn their previous two league games prior to this one, although that was
over a month and a half period!!!
Wick themselves knew if they could pull off an upset here,
they would go level with tenth placed Barkingside, but who could gain an
advantage in this one?
Well, the first period was rather uninspiring with neither
keeper really tested that much, the opening half hour saw a couple of blocked
attempts by the hosts, whilst the visitors saw two fairly weak free kicks at
goal dealt with by the hosts, and then the hosts saw a long-range effort dealt with
by Lewis Brown.
Brown also had to punch clear a dangerous cross from the
hosts, but chances had been few and far between from either side, although two
minutes before the break Ensign had the best chance by far up to that point
when a Gates cross was somehow headed wide by centre half George who came steaming
in but planted his powerful header the wrong side of the post.
It meant the half ended goalless in what had been a rather
tight scrappy thus far. You felt that it
was one of those games where one goal would probably win it.
Half Time Hackney Wick 0 White Ensign 0
So, would the second period be a bit more exciting? Well, it turned out to be a better half that
was for sure, and the opening exchanges saw Ensign fire one over from an angle,
before two point blank efforts were somehow kept out by the hosts, although
Wick responded by firing across goal down the other end.
In the 63rd minute though came the breakthrough
as the hosts drove into the box and were awarded a penalty after the attacker
had adjudged to have been fouled, although there was some debate as to whether
he got the ball before the man, or vice versa, and Ensign were very upset with
the decision.
A penalty it was though, and the hosts sent Brown the wrong
way from the spot and Wick now had something to defend for the remaining twenty-five
minutes or so.
Ensign so nearly responded but saw a Gates free kick come back
of the bar before the rebound was somehow headed over the bar, and more
openings came their way, but it seemed like it was one of those days in front
of goal for the visitors.
Wick though were battling so well and making it very hard
for the visiting side, and they were showing all the character they had and
backed by the loud and supportive Wickers crew behind the goal they certainly
were being encouraged to fight right till the end.
And they held on to record a terrific victory, one which was
certainly well earned in tough conditions and against a very good side who
rarely fail to score, so that was certainly a terrific shift by the home side. Not Ensign’s day today if truth be told, and it’s
a second league defeat of the season.
Full Time Hackney Wick 1 White Ensign 0
How does that leave the table?
Ensign fail to end the year on top spot after that loss, so stay third and two points behind leaders Newbury Forest, whilst victory for Wick sees them level with tenth placed Barkingside and have now picked up seven points from their four games since the return, not bad at all.
Here are some snaps from today’s game
This will probably be it football wise for this year at least, and maybe even for some of January due to tighter restrictions in some of the areas concerned locally to me and to the leagues around me, so not sure when my next game is coming from, but until then, have a good Christmas and a happy new year!!!
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