Pre Season Friendly, Tuesday 21st July
My penultimate pre season match saw me over at local Essex Senior League side Great Wakering Rovers and Burroughs Park as they welcomed Isthmian North Division side Witham Town for both sides latest warm up ahead of the new season, and take another step towards finding out what team and squad they are shaping for the competitive action which gets closer and closer.
GWR have lost some personal for the new season but have equally signed some decent replacements for those who have left, and no doubt Marcus Bowers & Bunny will hope it's third time lucky in their promotion push, they have lost in the play offs the last two seasons, they were up against a Witham side who will again be plying their trade in the Isthmian North division, a division that GWR are desperately trying to get promotion too.
Witham themselves were looking to build on a decent ninth placed finish last season, they ended nine points off the play off spots, maybe this season they can improve on that, we shall see, they were certainly second best in the first period in this contest as the ESL hosts carved out most of the decent openings that came in the opening forty five minutes, one effort was superbly tipped onto the bar.
Their was certainly an edge to this contest too, and just before the half hour mark it exploded into quite a bit of argy bargy with most of the players involved, resulting in two yellows a piece, nothing friendly about this one, both sides were certainly up for it, and even in the second period their was another flashpoint which resulted in another yellow for the home side, now now boys!!!
The second period was much more equal but GWR had another great chance to score but saw a brilliant last ditch tackle thwart them, and then soon after that midway through the half Witham found the net, nice direct play down the left saw a ball fizzed across the six yard box to the back post where the ball was rifled into the roof of the net, and for a short period after the visitors looked like they may take control.
But, this did not happen and GWR got themselves on level terms with fifteen minutes to go, a wonderful ball in from the left flank was perfect for second half substitute Harry Talbot who guided the ball across goal and into the far corner, setting up a grandstand finish, could anyone find a winner?
Both had chances, but neither side could muster a winner meaning this hard fought contest, which felt more like a competitive game rather than a friendly, ended all square, and certainly gave both sides a very good workout for sure.
Full time Great Wakering Rovers 1 Witham Town 1
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