Thurlow Nunn First Division South, Wednesday 13th March
I was back at my spiritual home of football, Spa Road (or the Simarco Stadium as it's now known), in Witham (the place where I grew up and went to school of course) for a Thurlow Nunn South contest between two sides who are having very differing seasons and fortunes right now.
Hosts Hackney Wick were on an incredible run of form, since the start of February they had won eight games out of nine and were on a six match winning streak, form that had seen them with a very realistic shot at making the play offs, something that looked nigh on impossible at the turn of the year and even in late January, before they hit some amazing form.
And they were up against bottom side St Margaretsbury who had lost eight games in a row and were in danger of being cut adrift at the foot of the table, their last win had come all the way back on January 13th, a whole two months ago, but they desperately need to find some points from somewhere as they started the evening nine points off third bottom Park View, who occupy the final relegation spot and are level on points with the teams above.
Now as said Wick were right in with a shout of a play off spot, and this has been even more improved as sixth place will be enough for a play off spot most likely because Harlow Town, who are second and pretty much guaranteed a top five berth, cannot be promoted, so this means that an extra place will be provided, and if Wick could net an expected win in this one they would only be four points behind Dunmow Town who currently occupy sixth, and fifth placed Clapton CFC were only a point better off too, so very much in the mix.
The two sides did meet only eighteen days ago in the corresponding fixture at The Recreation Ground in St Margarets, and Wick ran out 5-3 winners in what was a very entertaining contest, and Wick striker Victory Akam netted four goals in that win too, would we get the same sort of entertainment here like there was back on February 24th?
As it turned out, not quite, but there were certainly plenty of openings in the game if not too much quality, the first half certainly belonged to the hosts and they did manage to break the deadlock in the 27th minute when Akam, St Mags nemesis over the last eighteen days, glanced home a header into the far corner, that's his fifth goal in less than a month against the bottom side, they would have been sick of the sight of him no doubt.
Wick had further chances to extend that lead but were unable too, and the visitors should have made them pay for not having a bigger lead at the break after they started the second half much the better side as Wick seemed to loose their concentration and were being pressured by their opponents.
St Mags hit the woodwork from an angle and then had a golden chance to level when winning a penalty after a good run into the box was ended with a foul, but, the visitors saw their spot kick hit the outside of the post and go out for a goal kick, and the chance to get back on level terms was wasted.
Wick then had chances to double their lead thereafter but were either wasteful or found the visiting keeper in the way as he made some good stops to prevent his side from slipping further behind, but Wick were always aware that their opponents were a danger when they went forward and that slender lead could easily be wiped out in an instant.
Despite all this however, no more goals came, and it meant the hosts rather laboured to a seventh straight win and in turn handed St Mags a ninth loss in a row, I suppose at this point of the season it doesn't matter how you win as long as you win, and they now head into a huge game at Clapton CFC at the weekend with the chance to close the gap even further to those play off spots.
For St Mags it really could have been so much more, especially if they had capitalised on those chances early in the second period, the penalty miss certainly didn't help, and all their efforts in this contest ended up counting for nothing, and with just nine games to go they are at least three or four wins away from safety, they will be hoping that only one goes down and they can overhaul Enfield Borough just four points above them, but time is running out for them that's for sure and they need their luck to turn soon.
Full time Hackney Wick 1 St Margaretsbury 0
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