Thurlow Nunn First Division South Play Off Semi Final, Saturday 25th April
The final weekend in April saw me make a trip to somewhere that I used to visit regularly some years ago during my coverings of local non league football and the Essex Senior League, The Old Spotted Dog, and it was to see what promised to be a mouth watering clash between Clapton Community & Lymore Gardens.
Both sides were competing for a place in the Thurlow Nunn South play off final against either Coggeshall Town or Rayleigh Town, who also were doing battle over at West Street in the other semi final today, for a place in Step Five, and for many the home side were big favourites to get the job done today and set up that home semi final after finishing runners up in the division.
Clapton were close to winning the league, they finished three points behind champions Hutton having amassed ninety points in their forty games, and they had finished a whopping nineteen points ahead of today's opponents who had just squeezed into the top five themselves, the hosts were also on a run of nineteen unbeaten in the league, and were on a six game winning run too (they had won sixteen of those games on that run, including a ten match winning streak).
Despite all this though, they could not win the title, and they were up against a Lymore side who as said had just squeezed into the play offs by a point, edging out Newbury Forest & Brimsdown, this was helped by a decent run of form at the end of the season when it appeared their play off hopes were fading, one defeat in seven meant they could edge themselves into that post season lottery.
Also, if you looked at both league games these two competed in during the season, then you would fancy the hosts, Clapton won 3-0 at home and then only a month ago netted a 3-1 win at Oakside, but the play offs are a different kettle of fish, and Lymore on their day can be a match for most, which was evident in their first ever FA Vase run this season when they reached the last 16 after seeing off sides from a higher level.
The home side would again be backed by a huge home crowd once again, and after 1,712 had watched them last weekend in their final regular season game, 1,377 came through the gates for this game, an incredible effort for this level, and they were certainly creating a carnival atmosphere, and hoping their team would deliver, well James Briggs saw a powerful free kick superbly saved, but in the 19th minute the hosts were to be celebrating their opening goal.
It came after a lovely pass found Louis Brown with just the keeper to beat, again it was superbly saved but Nathan Cook was on hand to fire the rebound home and hand the hosts the advantage, and the atmosphere was cranked up a notch, Lymore always posed a threat on the counter though and did create a decent opening but saw Chris Mathers save well, despite this though Clapton were looking the better side and they duly doubled that lead six minutes before half time.
Andre Odeku burst through on goal, but with defenders chasing him down and unable to get the ball properly under control, his effort was blocked, but fell into the path of Brown who was duly wiped out by the keeper and stonewall penalty was duly awarded, Briggs then stepped up to fire home the spot kick and the hosts now had some breathing space heading towards the break.
Well, that breathing got even bigger as the game entered first half stoppage time, Brown lifting a cross towards the far post where Adam Sidky was on hand to volley past the keeper and hand Clapton a 3-0 lead heading into the break, job done almost you could say, well, after an hour it certainly game over, and the hosts added a fourth, and it was handed to them on a plate by the visitors.
Risky play at the back saw Cook bearing down on goal after a mishap, and he duly fired into the bottom corner past a stranded keeper for his second of the contest and now the home fans could really celebrate and continue what was a very enjoyable carnival atmosphere in the sunshine with a few beers, no doubt the hosts players and management still had their heads on, but they did appear to take their foot off the gas a tad for the final half hour or so.
This allowed Gardens to have a lot more of the ball, and with twelve minutes to go pulled one back when they got in on goal to fire past Mathers, but you still felt that the hosts were more than comfortable and had done the damage earlier in the contest and could enjoy the final moments of this play off tie, and maybe enjoy the superb atmosphere created in the scaffold.
No more goals were added thereafter and it meant Clapton Community would defeat Lymore Gardens for a third time this season with an aggregate of 10-2 no less, and they had in to next weekends final on the back of seven straight wins and twenty matches unbeaten, can they net one more win and grab that promotion to Step Five?
Lastly this sees Gardens excellent first season at this level and in Senior Football come to an end, but it's been a very good season, Vase Last 16 and a play off place earned, not bad at all, so well done to them on the season they have had.
Full time Clapton Community 4 Lymore Gardens 1
So, who will Clapton face at home next weekend, well the other semi final took place at West Street, Coggeshall, let's see how that one went and who would travel to East London next weekend.....
Coggeshall Town 2 Rayleigh Town 3
Rayleigh Town, who finished fourth and twelve points behind today's opponents in third, came from behind to net a fantastic win and send them into a second successive play off final in this division. They did lead early on when Dylan Jones played in John Sasere to give the visitors a 15th minute advantage, but, the hosts levelled ten minutes before half time when Hayes nodded home an Ambrose header back across goal before the hosts led two minutes before half time when a Hollocks corner was headed in by Borein to turn the tie on it's head.
But Rayleigh came back to level the match at 2-2 before the first half was done, levelling two minutes later when Mofi Tunde-Ojolowo smashed home from inside the six yard box to send the sides into the break all square, and it was the visitors who would strike the killer blow to win this contest, it came with fifteen minutes to go when Benny Fiadzomor out muscled a defender before driving into the box and firing home and send Rayleigh Town into next weekend's final at the Old Spotted Dog.
Commiserations then to Coggeshall Town who see their season end disappointingly, many fancied them to go on and achieve promotion through the play offs, but it's not to be and it will be Clapton Community Vs Rayleigh Town in front of no doubt another huge partisan crowd in East London, can Rayleigh surprise again and grab victory to silence the home fans, or will it be Clapton who after ten years of being this community club, achieve promotion to Step Five. We shall soon find out.....
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