Sporting Bengal United 0 Takeley 3

Essex Senior League, Wednesday January 5th

Mile End was the setting for this weeks Wednesday night fare, and it saw an own goal from Adebayo Gbadamaosi plus strikes from Kieran Southgate and Freddie Burrell hand Takeley a comfortable win over Sporting Bengal United in their Essex Senior League encounter.

The hosts have had a very poor season thus far sitting rock bottom of the division, and since their last point against Sawbridgeworth Town, one of only four all season, they had lost six straight in the league scoring only three and conceding twenty one, taking their goal difference to a staggering minus seventy seven in just twenty two league games. And in new boss Steve Clark's first game last time out they shipped four at home to White Ensign.

Takeley in contrast were in good form after a very slow start to their campaign, four wins from their last five in the division since they were humbled at home by Woodford Town back in early November and looking to break into the top ten with a win here, and by all accounts that was what everyone inside the ground were expecting.

The opening half hour saw Takeley have a lot of the play and attacks on the hosts goal, with the home side having fleeting attacks themselves, but after 32 minutes came a rather calamitous moment in the home sides defence, not for the first time this season, when a ball into the box saw defender Gbadamaosi stretch to intercept the cross, but with keeper Kevin Rrushi behind him expecting him to leave it and claim the cross himself.

Gbadamaosi and Rrushi lacked communication though, and the action of the defender incepting the ball took it towards goal where the keeper was not, and although the defender got back to the ball he could not keep it from going into the net, and Takeley had the lead in the most comical of ways. It kind of summed up Sporting's season thus far.

This meant Takeley went into the break a goal up, and eight minutes after the break Southgate, who had missed a great chance moments before, gobbled up this one after being played into the box and with Rrushi coming out the close the angle, slotted beyond him and into the net, and he had just put his side two goals up and firmly in control of the contest.

Thereafter both teams seemed to be going through the motions, Sporting lacked any threat going forward whilst Takeley, who were not at their best by any means, were just happy to run down the clock and get out with a win, and with several stoppages in a poor second half, it wasn't easy to watch.

Takeley did add a third goal with twenty minutes to go, getting in behind the hosts defence with ease before a ball squared across goal saw Burrell on hand to sweep home from close range, and that was most certainly game over at that point, if it hadn't been before.

Sporting did have a couple of decent chances to pull one back after the visitors had rather taken their foot off the pedal themselves, but lack of cutting edge, a problem for Sporting this season as well as their defending, meant Takeley would leave with a clean sheet and another three points, taking them into ninth now, they didn't really get out of first gear in this one, but they didn't have to really and still won fairly comfortably.

This is because the hosts just are not good enough at this level, and new boss Clark needs to bring in quite a few new players if they are to stage a miracle escape from relegation this season, they put in a lot of effort but sometimes that is just not enough and they remain rock bottom  and seven points adrift of second bottom Southend Manor, and with a goal difference of minus eighty now, things get bleaker and bleaker each week.

Full time Sporting Bengal United 0 Takeley 3