Essex Senior League Play Off Final, Saturday 3rd May
This was the day that the Essex Senior League league season play offs came to an end as second placed and runners up Takeley were hosting third placed Woodford Town at Station Road on what began as a nice sunny warm day in North West Essex.
Takeley had come through a tough semi final at home to Barking, whilst Woodford netted two stoppage time goals against Great Wakering Rovers to net a dramatic late win to be here, to see what happened in both those games in more detail, please see my previous blog, which can be found here https://pedroslocalfootiefix.blogspot.com/2025/04/essex-senior-league-playoff-semi-finals.html
Takeley had finished just two points behind champions Stanway Rovers, who they beat on the final day of the season, Woodford had finished some way back in the end, nine behind the champions and seven behind Takeley, and considering they were top at one stage, this would have been a disappointment for them, even though the others did have games in hand in the run in.
And the visitors were also trying to avoid another playoff heartbreak for the second season running after not even making the final last season, losing out to eventual winners Sporting Bengal United in the semi finals last time round, they had gone one better this time, but they wanted that ultimate prize of promotion, just like last season, could they possibly do it.
They would have to be physically up for the challenge against a Takeley side who know how to win games just like Woodford do, and they had finished the season strongly as well to earn that runners up spot and in the end finish well second ahead of today's opponents whose end to the campaign wasn't quite as convincing, but that mattered not now and this was a one off game were the side who could deal with the pressure better and have the rub of the green perhaps take victory in this one.
Both sides had beaten each other in the league season, Woodford netted a 1-0 success at Ashtons early on in the season, Takeley had then beaten them 2-0 in the return game in early February, so this one was a hard one to call although I think the majority of people felt home advantage would maybe edge this towards the hosts, but sometimes being at home has it's added pressures, so it was a tight one to call.
A terrific crowd of 1,003 came through the gates including a sizeable contingent from Woodford Green, and this was a record crowd for the Essex Senior League ever recorded, so that was a great achievement for all involved, would they all entertained though?
Of course we were all hoping for a nice open attacking game of football with plenty of goals or at least goal mouth action, but this rarely happens in such big games, especially finals, and sure enough this one was very tight and really lacked much in the way of openings for either side, there was so much riding on this game neither team wanted to give an inch.
Could anyone gain an advantage? Well, twelve minutes before half time the hosts grabbed the lead, it was a corner swung in from the right by Lewis Wicker, and the ball found its way into the six yard box where the unfortunate visiting player Nathan Sollosi was standing and he could couldn't react quick enough to prevent himself sending the ball into his own net and giving the hosts the lead, a lead they would hold onto the break.
It hadn't been the greatest of contests, but it had been well fought, and you felt it would take a goal like this to break the deadlock, could Woodford, who made a dramatic comeback in midweek, turn the tables again? Or would Takeley go on and take control of this one, only time would tell as they say.
The visitors, whose only real effort in the game up to then was late on in the half when Ernest Okoh, hero from Wednesday's semi final, managed to get clear but fire straight at Jarvis Monk in the hosts goal, certainly came out with much more purpose after the break and Takeley did have to defend for long spells, but they were more than comfortable in defending anything that came there way, hosts keeper Monk had very little to do if truth be told.
To be honest though visiting keeper Manny Agboola had very little do as well as neither side really had many openings, this was just a very hard fought contest where both defences were keeping each other at arms length, would there be another goal or would that own goal prove to be the decisive moment, we were kind of hoping that wouldn't be the case.
With 83 minutes on the clock we did get another goal, and it went the way of Takeley who were taking a massive stride towards promotion, a ball into the box was headed back into the danger zone and into the path of John Clarke who fired a lovely effort into the bottom corner of the net, giving Agboola no chance at all, and Takeley were now two goals to the good with not much time remaining.
The hosts knew though that they had to remain switched on against a side who had scored many stoppage time goals or late goals during the campaign, especially Wednesday night, so it wasn't over till it was over, although Woodford were well off the pace if truth be told and they didn't ever threaten a comeback as Takeley easily saw out the remaining minutes and eight minutes of stoppage time that followed.
The final whistle saw unbridled joy from the hosts, they had created club history by reaching Step Four of the non league pyramid for the very first time, contrast that to the visitors who were despondent and had missed out on promotion via the play offs for the second year in a row, well done to Takeley, they deserved the win today overall, but commiserations to Woodford who had a superb season but sadly fell short at the final hurdle.
Takeley 2 Woodford Town 0
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