Thurlow Nunn First Division South, Tuesday 17th March
I was over at Thames Road, Concord Rangers, on Canvey Island to see a big game at the top of the Thurlow Nunn South as play off chasing Rayleigh Town were seeking to end league leaders Hutton's long unbeaten run, which stood at eighteen games in the league, whereas Hutton themselves were looking to extend that run and go five clear at the summit, so a decent game was antcipated.
Hosts Rayleigh are bidding to reach the play offs for a second successive season, and hopefully in their eyes go one better than they did last time out when they lost the final, they sat three points ahead of Lymore Gardens in the final play off spot and had a game in hand too, so victory here could see them go further clear of the chasing pack seeking to take that fifth spot off the hosts, and their form heading into this one had seen them win eight of their last nine contests, with the only blip a 3-2 loss at Enfield Borough.
Cracking form then, although leaders Hutton came into this one EIGHTEEN matches unbeaten in the league, with their last loss coming back on 1st November when they suffered a shock loss at home against NW London, thirteen of those games during that run had been wins, so to say both teams were in pretty decent form was an understatement, so this was anticipated to be a decent battle as well as an Essex derby too.
The first half certainly belonged to the visitors who created three or four decent chances but they found hosts keeper Henry Noakes in inspired form, producing a top close range stop to deny an Adam Vyse header, and then also deny Jeffrey Cobblah after the attacker had got in on goal down the right, the hosts defence also had to block some goal bound efforts too as Hutton failed to capitalise on these openings.
The hosts did have moments of their own, Louie Watkins dragging wide from outside the box & then getting in on goal but after rounding visiting keeper Steffan Lamacq he went too wide and could only cross to the near post where the chance was cleared, however five minutes before half time Hutton did grab a deserved lead although it was a messy one from the hosts point of view.
Cobblah whipped in a cross from the right and it appeared that both player manager and centre half Rob Hodgson & keeper Noakes would deal with what seemed a straightforward cross to deal with, but, miscommunication between them both ended up with Hodgson trying to head clear but instead deflected the ball beyond his keeper and into the net, and Hutton would go into the break a goal to the good.
The hosts certainly improved after the break and put Hutton under a lot of pressure during the half, the hosts best chance fell to Watkins again, he found himself clean through on goal but could not beat Lamacq who made himself big to stop the effort, celebrating the save with a clenched fist, it was an important save too as had the hosts levelled who know what the final outcome could have been.
What did happen was as after Hutton soaked up all the second half pressure, they caught the hosts with a sucker punch in the 87th minute, and it was all the work and endeavour of Vyse who after blocking an attempted ball from a defender, ran onto the ball, rounded keeper Noakes, and despite being under pressure from chasing defenders managed to see the ball into the empty net and seal Hutton another three points towards what they hope is the title and automatic promotion to Step Five.
It means the visitors now have a five point over Clapton with both sides having five games remaining, and are now NINETEEN unbeaten in the division, that's some run, for Rayleigh it's a second loss in ten games but with Lymore Gardens losing at Hoddesdon Town, it means they still have a three point buffer to them with a game in hand, so it's as you were in that sense.
A good battle then between two good sides, Hutton certainly had the better of the opening forty five minutes, but Rayleigh really made them work hard for the points in the second period, although the hosts would have been disappointed with both the goals they conceded which settled this contest.
Full time Rayleigh Town 0 Hutton 2
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