Essex Senior League Playoff Semi Finals, Wednesday 30th April
The regular season was over, and now it was down to the post season and the play offs in the Essex Senior League, who would be joining Champions Stanway Rovers in Step Four next season, runners up Takeley had a home semi final against fifth placed Barking, whilst third placed Woodford Town would welcome Great Wakering Rovers to Ashton's with all four still harbouring hopes of getting to Saturday's finale and a chance of promotion.
Home advantage is often important in these games, but pressure does funny things to teams, who could handle the pressure the best, would both home sides get through for a shot at glory, or would the two visiting sides upset the applecart? Let's find out who kept their chances of glory going for a few more days.....
Takeley Vs Barking
Runners up Takeley kept champions Stanway honest almost up to the end of the season but just could not prevent them from winning the title and automatic promotion, however, they did defeat Stanway on the final day of the season to only finish two points behind the winners, & come into this play off game with plenty of confidence.
Barking ended up finishing level on points with fourth placed GWR, with goal difference deciding who they would travel to in these semi finals. the Blues ended their regular season with a 1-1 draw at third placed Woodford Town, had they bettered GWR's on the final day, they would have returned to Ashton's for these play off games.
Takeley though were their opponents, and the hosts tonight would need to be wary of The Blues whose boss Craig Edwards knows what it takes to win these play off encounters, so a tight and tense game was expected with plenty of physicality of course, who could gain the edge in this one and make it through to Saturday's finale?
It was the hosts who would draw first blood nine minutes before the break, George Powell managing to get on the end of a whipped corner in by Lewis Wicker to head home at the back post and hand the hosts the advantage as the sides went into the break, and it was an advantage they continued to hold on to in a second period that had fewer opening with the game bogged down in a midfield battle.
And with 81 minutes on the clock they were to double that advantage when Olly Miles remained composed to fire beyond keeper Joseph Johnson after Lanre Balogun had seen an initial effort rebound into the path of Miles, and it was enough for the hosts to book a home play off final at the weekend.
Takeley 2 Barking 0
Woodford Town Vs Great Wakering Rovers
Hosts Woodford ended up finishing behind Takeley in the run for promotion and fell well off the pace after at one stage leading the division although Stanway always had games in hand so they knew if those were won, which they were, the eventual champions knew they would be in control.
Woodford ended up nine points off the leaders and seven behind the runners up too, which would have disappointed them no end, they ended the season with a 1-1 home draw against Barking, and because both The Blues and GWR drew on the final day, it meant GWR would visit Ashton's for these play off games, either way it would be a tough assignment for whoever came to visit.
GWR have had a very solid campaign, a fourth placed finish, two cup finals, one which they had already won, with the other coming two days after the play off final, not ideal, but Rovers just wanted to have the chance of promotion and have that worry to still be a worry come the end of the evening, the visitors ended their regular season campaign with a 1-1 draw at bottom two side Stansted, could they go one better here against a dangerous Woodford side?
The first half saw the hosts have one ruled out for offside, a couple of efforts off the line and also see both teams strike the woodwork, but it meant the sides remained locked together at 0-0 as they headed into the dressing rooms at the break, and after the break both sides went very close but the score line remained goalless.
Then, in the 72nd minute the visitors had a golden chance to get their noses in front when they were awarded a penalty after Callum Boylan was brought down inside the box, and Harry Talbot was a cool as you like from the spot, firing into the bottom corner, and Woodford now had just over fifteen minutes to salvage their season.
It looked like this would not be the case, and the visitors were minutes away from a superb win to earn a place in the play off final, but, their was to be a dramatic twist in added on time, firstly when Woodford finally found the visitors net to level after a long throw into the box caused chaos, and Ernest Okoh was on hand to fire the ball into the roof of the net in the 92nd minute.
And unbelievably in the 96th minute Woodford won the game when Okoh again was the hero, converting at the back post to hand the hosts the most dramatic of wins and see the visitors chances of promotion ended in the most cruellest of ways imaginable. Incredible stuff!!!
Woodford Town 2 Great Wakering Rovers 1
So, it all means that Takeley will hosts Woodford Town in Saturday's play off final, so Runners Up against Third, Takeley did finish seven points ahead of Woodford in the table but that will mean nothing on Saturday, both sides beat each other in the two league games during the regular season, Woodford winning 1-0 at Ashton's before Takeley netted a 2-0 win at Station Road, but again that counts for very little at the weekend.
There is sure to be a big crowd as well at Station Road on Saturday, 430 attended Takeley's semi final this evening, so no doubt their will be a large crowd at the weekend, who will go up to Step Four, hard one to call but only time will tell as they say!!! Will be exciting, especially if it ends like it did at Ashton's this evening, that was insane.....
No comments:
Post a Comment