Essex Olympian League Division One, Saturday 5th November
I made my first visit to Henderson's on Guy Fawkes day and saw a brace from skipper Jack Suters plus goals from Ash Blackburn & Joel Sampson help Harold Hill recover from a slow start to come from behind to defeat Wakering Sports in their EOFL Division One contest.
Harold Hill boss Billy Cove had kindly offered to come and pick me up and take me home from their game, so I duly took up the kind offer, and after a rather comical stop off at KFC (Billy and Abbey Dell, who was also in the car will know what I am talking about!!!), we arrived at a rather soggy Henderson's Sports and Social club.
It's a nice set up there, and a very decent clubhouse too, the pitches are of a pretty decent standard too, with some decent drainage, ideal for a day like today and for the rain we have seen fall in recent days, yes the pitch was heavy, but it was still in decent nick it has to be said, could the hosts take advantage of this and net what many thought would be a routine win.
The home side did only have one win from five in the league so far, but had drawn three others, whereas the visitors had endured a rather difficult beginning to their campaign, losing all five matches and only netting twice in those contests too, so to say it was a tough start was an understatement.
The hosts though started very slowly indeed and were stunned after twelve minutes when Sports netted a rare league goal to go in front after Ryan Curtis headed home a corner from close range, but Hill did manage to respond eight minutes later when a Sampson corner swung in from the right found the far corner via a glance on from a defenders head, helping it on it's way, and the game was tied up.
Hill then hit the bar twice in the remainder of the first period, Blackburn seeing a long range effort strike the woodwork before another Sampson corner glanced off the top of the bar, the visitors were not without their moments too and saw Curtis send a drifting effort from the right sail just over the target in one such moment, and at half time the sides were locked together at 1-1, with the visitors, who had not picked up a point all season, certainly being the happier.
Cove and his assistant George Young, who I was also pleased to catch up with after so many years, gave a decent team talk at the break, and it seemed to do the trick as Hill finally managed to get themselves on top, and netted eight minutes into the second period when Blackburn produced a superb overhead free kick to find the bottom corner and put his side into the lead.
That lead was then increased just past the hour mark when the superb Suters let fly from range to find the net with a sweet sweet strike, and this seemed to cue a more relaxed home side whereas the visitors were kind of into the attitude of here we go again, it was an important goal and one that swung the game totally in favour of Hill.
Sports to their credit kept plugging away though, this side were the Division Four side from last season, who had to step up and fill the void left by the First Teamers who had departed before the start of the season, so it was always going to be a tough season for them, but fair play they kept going and were a credit to their club.
Hill though were always threatening a fourth, and this did arrive with six minutes to go when after Jo O'Connor had been felled inside the box, skipper Suters capped off a fine performance by emphatically dispatching the penalty, and seal his sides victory and a second league win of the season.
It means that the hosts remain in sixth spot but only four points off second placed Epping Town whereas Wakering Sports remain rock bottom having lost all six so far, and I would just like to say thank you ever so much to the hosts for welcoming me as you did, I had a wonderful day, it was so good to meet you all and share your day, thank you. I also wish Abbey Dell all the best in her recovery from her ACL injury, was great to chat with you today also amongst many other lovely people I met, saw again today.
Full time Harold Hill 4 Wakering Sports 1
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