Barking 1 FC Clacton 1

Essex Senior League, Friday 10th March

The Essex Senior League latest round of fixtures began on Friday evening and I was over at Mayesbrook Park to see a late Kyelan Marvell free kick earn FC Clacton a hard earned point against Barking and take themselves into second spot in the Essex Senior League ahead of the weekend games.

This was arguably one of the fixtures of the weekend in the division, sixth placed Blues were trying to keep their very slim hopes of a top three finish alive against a third placed Seasiders looking to go second with a positive result, and then hoping that Redbridge slip up on Saturday.

For Barking it was a must win, they were thirteen points behind their opponents and knew any slip ups from now to the end of the season would almost certainly end their hopes of catching the likes of their opponents, Redbridge and Woodford Town who have quite a gap back to the rest, and despite a heavy loss at Redbridge in mid-February, the Blues form hasn’t been too bad of late.

Since the beginning of February they have won all their league games (bar that loss at Oakside), that is five wins out of six, and they have netted plenty of goals too, twenty in those five wins as well, so goalscoring has not been an issue for them, they have conceded fourteen goals in those six league games too though, so it’s certainly been an entertaining watch for all that have seen them play lately.

They were sure going to be tested defensively in this one too by a FC Clacton side who still harbour hopes of winning the league, but a runners up finish is the least they expect you would have thought, and they come into this contest with four straight league wins netting eleven times in those games and conceding just three, although prior to those wins they had lost to promotion rivals Enfield and Woodford Town in back to back losses, so they have done well to bounce back from those setbacks.

Both sides have met each other twice this season already, both were in Clacton, the Seasiders won the league game 2-0 in September but Barking then won their County Cup tie a couple of weeks after that 3-2, although many months have passed since then so this was not really much to read into perhaps, although when FC Clacton visited Mayesbrook Park a few weeks ago they netted a 3-0 win over Romford, so they have good recent memories of this ground, would they net another win in this one?

Well, they would have to come from behind if they were to because it was the hosts who edged ahead after fourteen minutes with a brilliant goal as well, as Tim Ogunrinde received the ball on the right hand side and he duly cut inside onto his left foot before firing a lovely dipping effort into the far corner giving visiting keeper Luke Avenell no chance whatsoever.

In fact Ogunrinde caused the visitors quite a headache in the first period after switching onto the left hand side, with the only way they could stop him it seemed was to stop him illegally, one such foul saw him down injured and one off three melees between the sides after some rather ‘industrious’ challenges seemed to upset both sets of players, it was certainly a game where the referee needed to have some control, which he seemed to have, and dealt with the situations fairly well genuinely I felt. It had certainly been a physical battle but one that Barking held a slender lead at the break.

The second period saw less in the way of those types of challenges, and a better game of football ensued as both sides actually got on with playing the game rather than scream every time a tackle was made, the visitors certainly had Avenell to thank for preventing Barking from finding a second goal after making some smart stops, one after an awful ball across the back line was intercepted by Luke Hirst, but the striker rushed his effort and fired straight at Avenell instead of taking a moment or two and possibly pick a spot and net what would have given The Blues a very healthy two goal cushion.

The visitors dug in though and kept themselves in the contest, and with Barking not grabbing that second goal and probably sealing the game it was always possible that could come back to haunt them, and sure enough after Mekhi McKenzie was adjudged to have been fouled about twenty yards out, Marvel stepped up to curl a wonderful free kick in off the post, giving hosts keeper Harvey Simson absolutely no chance at all.

How precious a point that could be we will find out, but it meant the visitors climbed above Redbridge into second for now, whereas Barking also climbed a place to fifth ahead of the weekend games, still thirteen points off second place and needing a lot to go for them in the remaining games if they are to clinch an unlikely runners up spot and a chance at promotion.

Full time Barking 1 FC Clacton 1

 

Let’s now look at what else happened in the division over the weekend…..

Friday

Buckhurst Hill 1 Takeley 4 (Takeley came from behind to heap more misery on a very out of form Buckhurst Hill and take all the points at Roding Lane, the hosts began well and saw Nathan Sollosi drill home after just six minutes to give the Hill the lead, however the visitors responded emphatically, levelling through Jack Martin after eighteen minutes before Jordan Wescott then gave them the lead six minutes later.  Kieran Southgate then headed Takeley further ahead four minutes before half time before a second half penalty from Bryn Thorpe sealed the deal for the visitors)

 

Saturday

Athletic Newham 3 Ilford 1 (Richard Kone netted another couple of goals as Athletic Newham took all three points against Ilford at The Terry Mac. Early goals from Kone and Appiah had the hosts two goals up, and when Cox was dismissed ten minutes into the second period the Foxes were really up against it. Ilford then saw McCabe miss a spot kick but then Yiasoumi did pull one back for the ten men, but any thoughts of a comeback were quickly extinguished when Kone netted a worldie from eighteen yards to seal the points for the hosts)

Halstead Town P-P Woodford Town (The match at Rosemary Lane was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch)

Little Oakley 3 Clapton 1 (Oakley got back to winning after goals from Dan Rowe, Danny Garrad and Jordi Papple saw off struggling Clapton at The Memorial Ground. The Tons did take the lead through Victor Ferrini but were pegged back by half time courtesy of that Rowe strike, and two quick goals in the second period from Garrad and Papple sealed the points for the home side)

Redbridge 3 Sawbridgeworth Town 0 (Its now TWELVE, yes TWELVE straight clean sheets in the league for The Motormen as well as ten straight wins after they saw off Sawbo Town at Oakside. A ninth minute goal from George Purcell had the hosts ahead at the break, and then a Jamie Price goal midway through the second period plus a late Purcell spot kick handed the hosts all three points)

Southend Manor P-P Romford (The match at Southchurch Park was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch)

Stansted 0 Saffron Walden Town 1 (A scrappy Uttlesford derby was settled by a Charlie Cole second half spot kick and saw The Bloods net back-to-back wins in the process) 

White Ensign 0 West Essex 0 (Remarkably the game at Burroughs Park ended goalless between Ensign and West, the hosts did edge the contest for large parts, but West defended well to earn a hard-earned point)

 

Sunday

Enfield 3 Stanway Rovers 1 (Its now five on the bounce for the league leaders as they came from behind to defeat Stanway Rovers, the visitors edged ahead after just nine minutes when Crisell saw a deflected effort find the net but the hosts only took three minutes to respond as Johnson slotted home into the bottom corner. And they went in front on the half hour mark when Dwade James poked home a Miles cross before sealing the points four minutes from time after Johnson converted from the spot)

 

After all that action, let’s see how it affects the table…..

Enfield maintain their five-point gap Redbridge at the top, FC Clacton are now two points behind second spot and seven off Enfield after they could only draw at Barking, Woodford Town lost ground but only because their game at Halstead was postponed so are still right in the mix, the top four still have a healthy advantage though to the rest.

Down at the bottom it’s still Clapton and Southend Manor battling for who finishes second bottom, nobody else above is likely to be dragged into that fight as there is a huge points difference to the rest.

 

That concludes the latest weekend of the Essex Senior League, many thanks for taking the time to read my blog, it’s always appreciated.