Ilford 2 Athletic Newham 3

Essex Senior League, Wednesday September 1st

My first match of September (and last for around two and a half weeks) saw me over at Cricklefield to see Ilford host Athletic Newham, and it saw visitors skipper Joel Appiah net a 79th minute winner as his side made it three wins on the bounce to climb up to sixth in the Essex Senior League.

The hosts league campaign had been a mixed affair so far, two wins and three defeats, but their FA Cup exploits has seen them into the First Qualifying Round after wins at local rivals Redbridge and then stunning Barking at Mayesbrook Park to set up a home tie with Aveley, so they certainly have showed this season they can mix it with the best.

Their opponents Athletic Newham are of course still making their way in their first season at this level, but after a win, a draw and a defeat in their opening three fixtures, and a win and then a heavy loss in the FA Cup, they have had a good few days having won back to back league fixtures, netting ten goals in the process, and with star man Richard Kone having netted six of these, he would no doubt pose a threat to The Foxes here.

After three minutes he was quickly into the action and on the scoresheet once again as Ilford gifted their opponents the lead, as after a defensive howler which saw keeper Josh Blackburn miscontrol the ball inside his own six yard box, Kone pounced to knock the lose ball over the line, an absolute disastrous start for the hosts.

Ilford to their credit responded well and did everything but score in the following twenty minutes or so but lacked a cuttage edge up front, whereas the visitors had Kone, and he was to double his sides lead midway through the first period when he managed to get into the box from the left hand side before drilling a finish inside the near post.

The Foxes needed a lifeline, and got one nine minutes before the break when after the referee had adjudged one of the many Athletic Newham defenders had handled a goal bound effort inside the box, Michael Ogboin stepped up to send keeper Wilkinson Boateng the wrong way and reduce the arrears.

Prior to this penalty I witnessed something I'd never seen before, the referee halting Ogboin's original run up, which went on for an age, to book one of the visiting players for his continuous protests against the award of the spot kick, I have never seen a players run up to a spot kick halted in order to do this, was strange, as strange as Ogboin's run up in fact, but he scored which is the main thing.

The next goal was crucial you felt, and Ilford brought on Ellis Leveridge at the start of the second period, and he made an immediate impact, sending a long range effort towards Boateng's net and although the big man got a hand to it, he could only help it on its way into the top corner, and The Foxes were now level.

Momentum seemed to be with Ilford for a time, but the game then went a bit scrappy with both sets of players and management resorting to shouting at the officials for anything to gain an advantage, which did get rather annoying at times, but it's a passionate game as they say!!! Anyway as the game entered it's final fit teen minutes it remained locked at 2-2.

But, with eleven minutes of normal time remaining the visitors were to conjure up one more quality moment as they found what proved to be the winner when a lovely cross from the left by Louis Hiobi found Kone who chested the ball into the path of skipper Appiah who swept a lovely finish past Blackburn.

The visitors thought they had sealed the points late on when substitute Tony Cookey headed home a cross from the right, but then saw the linesman's flag go up for offside, and then Ilford so nearly levelled to snatch a point when they lobbed inches over the bar down the other end, but the visitors did hold on and record a third straight win and climb up to sixth in the standings, whilst Ilford, who probably deserved something from the game,  are down in 16th after a fourth league defeat in six.

Full Time Ilford 2 Athletic Newham 3