Walthamstow 0 White Ensign 0

Essex Senior League, Tuesday September 21st

My first football match in almost three weeks saw me over at Wadham Lodge for an Essex Senior League contest between Walthamstow and White Ensign, and it ended goalless after neither side could find the net in front of another decent crowd in East London.

Stow are many peoples front runners in the division and are expected to gain promotion to Step Four at the end of this season, whilst Ensign were also tipped to more than compete in this division in what is their first venture into Step Five football this season, and the hosts have won seven of their nine league games thus far to put themselves in a strong position near the top.

Ensign had found it tough in the opening weeks of the season, which included a 5-2 loss at home to this evenings opponents on the opening weekend, but it looks like they have found their feet recently having gone four games without defeat, winning their last three netting sixteen goals in that time, so they feared no one and Stow would have to be on their guard to not be shocked here.

Stow had netted 26 goals in their nine league games whilst Ensign had also netted the same in eleven games, so goals a plenty in this one then? Well not quite...

Stow's best openings in the first period saw Hallett and Beck both go close with headers, and a Carnegie corner was tipped off the line, whilst Ensign saw efforts from Locke and Barnby miss the target and then see Stow keeper Cekrezi produce a brilliant point blank save to deny the visitors, however despite these efforts it hadn't been the best of halves and the sides went in goalless.

The early exchanges of the second period were quiet to say the least but as the game went past the hour mark Stow begin to crank up the pressure, but the Ensign defence, which is much improved from earlier in the season, held firm and kept arguably one of the best attacks in the league at bay.

Scully shot narrowly over the hosts, and then Hallett saw a free kick deflect and go inches wide of the post with the keeper totally wrong footed, and then the hosts were screaming for a penalty when Hallett claimed he had his legs taken from under him, but the referee waved away their claims.

Ensign nearly went ahead late on in spectacular style when Woodward's long range effort was brilliantly tipped round the post by Cekrezi, and although the hosts finished strongly, Ensign held out for a superb point and saw the hosts drop more points at home against a side they fancied to beat after netting five against them back in August.

Not a game that will live long in the memory then, but good to be back covering local football after a break.

Full time Walthamstow 0 White Ensign 0