White Ensign 0 Redbridge 1

Essex Senior League, Wednesday February 9th

Burroughs Park, Great Wakering was my venue on Wednesday evening and it saw a late strike from Redbridge skipper James Barlow hand his side a huge three points against White Ensign in their Essex Senior League contest.

The hosts came into this one off the back of a 1-1 draw at Cockfosters, this after seeing their eight match unbeaten run in the division come to an end the previous midweek against local Southend rivals Southend Manor, it had been a side ravaged by injuries lately so just to get a team out is something for managers Jack Maleary and Carl Conway, but they were hoping to grab all three points here and rise into fifth as a result.

The Motormen themselves were looking for three points to take them just a point behind second placed Stansted and they came into this contest off the back of a 2-2 draw with Saffron Walden Town, this after being 2-0 up as well, and there league form of late has been mixed, with two wins, a draw and two defeats, so they really needed a win here to keep the pressure on that runners up spot.

Redbridge did start the better of the two sides, and came closest to opening the scoring early on when Rob Norris struck an effort against the post from inside the box, and they were the ones creating most of the openings/attacking play in the opening half hour of the contest, although they were unable to make this count.

Ensign managed to grow into the contest as the half wore on though and did create one decent opening when Rudy Cachicote-Da-Roche cut inside onto his right foot before firing a decent effort at the visitors goal, but keeper Michael Cordoroy got across well to beat the effort away, and it meant the game remained goalless at the half time break.

The second half continued with neither side able to get anything going in the final third, both sides build up play was ok, but when it got near the attacking areas they were struggling to create anything of note, which made for a rather frustrating contest for all concerned, and it looked as if the game had 0-0 written all over it, but with five minutes of the ninety remaining that changed.

This is because visitors skipper Barlow, who had encountered a rather frustrating evening like many others had, saw the ball rolled into his path and he fired a powerful left footed effort first time which keeper Louis Hawes saw late, and despite getting a hand to the shot could not keep it from flying into the back of the net, and this proved to be the winning moment for the visitors.

Another frustrating night for Ensign then, who have now lost two of their last three games, and have no wins in that time either, injuries are taking their toll on the side, and it's another late goal which has done for them here, they remain eighth in the table whilst for Redbridge it's a hard fought win and a big three points which takes them a point behind second placed Stansted who they play next in nine days time at Hargrave Park, that proves to be a rather big contest although the Airportmen do play twice before that game.

Ensign welcome St Margaretsbury to Burroughs Park at the weekend and will hope they can get back to winning ways and put what they hope is a small blip behind them.

Full time White Ensign 0 Redbridge 1

Southend United 2 Bromley 0

Vanarama National League, Tuesday 8th January

I was over at a rocking Roots Hall on Tuesday evening as over 8,000 saw Southend United extend their unbeaten run to eight after early second half goals from Matthew Dennis & Shaun Hobson saw them to victory over high flying Bromley. 

The Blues are slowly turning round what was a desperate season up until Boxing Day, going into the corresponding fixture against their opponents here they were fighting to try and get out of the relegation spots, and since that 1-1 draw the Blues have been on a seven match unbeaten run, five of them wins, which has seen them starting to look up rather than down.

They were up against a Bromley side though who had won four games in a row having only conceded one goal in that time so this game would really see how far the Blues had come and really test out that unbeaten record, and with a bumper crowd inside Roots Hall they were certainly going to be backed by a noisy support.

A tight first period saw the best chance fall to the visitors in the 19th minute, and it was almost a gift from the hosts, as a poor back pass from Nathan Ralph saw George Alexander pounce onto the lose ball, but hosts keeper Steve Arnold came and made a superb stop to keep the score line level, but the Blues were to take control with two quick fire goals at the start of the second period.

Two minutes after the break Sam Dalby cut inside before firing a wonderful left footed effort towards the top corner was superbly tipped onto the post by visiting keeper Mark Cousins, however, Dennis was the quickest to react to roll the rebound home and send the 8,000 plus crowd wild with delight, and then three minutes later they were to be on their feet celebrating again.

This was because a Tom Clifford delivery from the left found Hobson who stole in to power a header beyond Cousins and double the Shrimpers advantage, and Bromley now had a mountain to climb to keep their winning streak going, and break into the top three in the division as well.

The closest Bromley came to finding a goal arrived fifteen minutes from the end when Arnold stuck out a leg to deny Luke Coulson after he had broke in down the right hand side, and it meant the Blues would record a sixth win in eight games and remain unbeaten since Boxing Day, meaning they remain 13th but are still closer to the play off places that the relegation zone still.

The hosts are eleven points from seventh spot now and will believe they can make a late charge for the play offs, an impossible thought only six weeks ago, and they are now eighteen points clear of the drop zone, it's been some six weeks for Maher and Co who are seemingly finally stamping their mark on this club and side now, the desire and passion shown by the Blues is typical of what Maher was like as a player, so it is definitely shining through now.

For Bromley this was a disappointing loss, a point would have taken them above FC Halifax Town into third spot, and a win would have taken them just two points off leaders Stockport County, however, their four match winning streak comes to an end here but they are still in fourth and still in a good position going forward, despite this setback on the Essex Coast.

Finally I must say the Blues support was amazing, they did not stop singing all game and created a superb atmosphere inside the stadium, there is a real feel good factor there right now and it is so good to see as a Southend resident that they are looking to be on the way up once again, a very enjoyable evening indeed.

Full time Southend United 2 Bromley 0

 

Sunderland 1 Doncaster Rovers 2

EFL League One, Saturday February 5th

My annual pilgrimage to The Stadium of Light ended in disappointment for 2022 as League One basement boys Doncaster Rovers sprung a shock win against Sunderland to give themselves a fighting chance of survival and in turn dent the hosts promotion aspirations.

As you all know, my late father was a Sunderland fan, and around his birthday (which is 8th February) me and the step mum go up to watch his beloved Black Cats (he supported them for more then forty years until his passing in 2008) and we have probably only see them win a handful of times over the years.

This year though we really thought we were onto a winner here, Sunderland were hosting one of the worst teams in League One in the shape of Doncaster Rovers who were rooted to the foot of the division having only five league wins all season and eleven points from safety with the leagues worst goal difference too.

The Black Cats sat third at kick off and within striking distance of the automatic spots, although a run of one win in six recently and a humiliating 6-0 loss at Bolton Wanderers last weekend resulted in the sacking of manager Lee Johnson, so this wasn't ideal prep for this contest, typical I thought leading up to the game we were going to come and watch.

But on Tuesday all hope was restored with the news that Jermaine Defoe was returning to the club for what they called 'One Last Dance', and this saw ticket sales sky rocket with over 38,000 turning up to watch his return to the club, albeit he was to begin on the bench, however there was a terrific atmosphere prior to kick off and we all hoped this would lead to a commanding performance and bounce back from last weekend's loss to grab an easy three points against a Donnie side who Sunderland had strolled past in the corresponding fixture earlier in the season.

But we should have known better quite frankly, as the Black Cats put in a horrid first half display, and if it had not been for keeper Hoffman, the woodwork and some wayward finishing from the visitors, Sunderland could have been well and truly beaten at the break, however, the visitors were to still go into the half time interval two goals clear.

Debutant Reo Griffiths managed to stroll clear to slot Rovers ahead midway through the first period, and then in first half stoppage time experienced campaigner Tommy Rowe fired an unstoppable effort into the far corner, and the chorus of boos that greeted the hosts at half time were well merited, it had been an abysmal display so far and to say I was dejected at the break was an understatement.

I didn't hold out much hope for a second half comeback but the hosts dominated the period but just could not find that killer touch in front of goal, seeing visiting keeper Jonathan Mitchell in the way, with one such save seeing him claw away a Ross Stewart header, although it did look like the ball had crossed the line, but we will never know, so it will go down as one of the great saves.

The hosts also struck the post as they looked to try and find a route back into the game, and with twenty minutes left Defoe and their other new signing Matete were brought on to try and galvanize the home side, but they were unable to claw back the first half deficit despite finding a breakthrough finally after 89 minutes when Corry Evans finished from close range and fell to a very disappointing loss against a side who had won only one away from home all season and had lost twelve of their fourteen away from home.

Credit must go to the visitors who dug in and made it so difficult for the hosts, and they put in a brave and courageous display to give themselves a fighting chance of maybe escaping the bottom four, who knows what a result like this can do for their confidence, it is results like this than can kick start a run of results, so who knows.

For Sunderland though it's an awful loss, they need to install a manager as soon as possible, will it be Roy Keane, will it be Grant McCann, who knows, but whoever it is needs to install some belief into these group of players before the season slides away like many have before, it's the least their suffering passionate fans deserve quite frankly who were brilliant in the second period.

Full time Sunderland 1 Doncaster Rovers 2

 

Athletic Newham 1 Woodford Town 3

Essex Senior League, Wednesday January 2nd

Wednesday evening was spent over at The Terrence McMillan Stadium and saw a second half brace from Luke Parrott and a late third from Ayub Kadiri help Woodford Town to a third straight win in the Essex Senior League as they saw off an off colour Athletic Newham.

The hosts had come into this one off the back of a 2-2 draw at promotion rivals Saffron Walden Town although they did lead 0-2 so would have been disappointed to have thrown it away as they did, whereas Woodford had netted back to back wins and were looking to heap some more misery on their opponents in this one.

Newham knew if they could net a victory in this one they would go just five points behind second placed Stansted with two games in hand, meaning second place would still be in their hands just about, Woodford meanwhile knew three points would haul them closer to the top ten, they started the evening nine points off tenth placed FC Clacton with three games in hand.

The first period was best left alone as neither keeper was really tested, both sides had half chances but nothing real clear cut, and us neutrals were hoping for a big improvement after the break, and seven minutes into the second period we had a break through, and it went to the visitors, as the pacey full back Shaye La-Rose burst down the left, sent a ball across goal and it looked as if the defender would deal with it.

However, he did not, and the ball fell to the lurking Parrott who had the simple chance of firing into an empty net as hosts keeper Wilkinson Boateng was out of commission too having tried to stop the ball across goal, and send the rather noisy Woodford Towners into raptures (ok maybe not raptures but you know what I mean!!!)

Those Towners were to be even happier twelve minutes later as just before the midway point of the half more calamitous defending from the hosts allowed Parrott to lob a stranded Boateng and had the visitors a two goal cushion and see them well on their way to a third straight win.

The game looked to be as good as done as it drifted towards it's conclusion with the visitors happy to keep their opponents at arms length with a two goal lead, but with two minutes of the ninety remaining they found a goal from nowhere as a awful sliced clearance from visiting keeper Eddie Allen went straight to Tony Cookey and his ball into the box found Richard Kone who managed to fire an effort through bodies on route to goal and find the bottom corner.

So could the hosts grab an unlikely point? Well no, because two minutes later as the clock struck ninety minutes the superb La-Rose blasted down the left once again, leaving the hosts for dust, and he crossed into the six yard box where Kadiri was on hand to convert into the hosts net and seal the points for the visiting side and cap a very good performance.

It was a big blow to Newham's promotion hopes as they now do not have second place in their hands anymore, they must take all three points against Sawbridgeworth Town at the weekend and get back on track, whereas Woodford have a very quick turnaround as they host Takeley on Friday night under the lights at Ashton's, they will go into that full of confidence after another impressive win here.

Full time Athletic Newham 1 Woodford Town 3

Southend Manor 2 White Ensign 1

Essex Senior League, Tuesday February 1st

Tuesday saw me over at Southchurch Park as a late thunderbolt from substitute Meschack Kisoka handed Southend Manor a deserved win over an off colour White Ensign and pick up a huge three points in their battle for survival down at the foot of the Essex Senior League.

Manor have been trying to rescue what had been a poor season so far, James Wakeling and his new management team had played four games since they had come into the club and after narrow losses to Walthamstow and Woodford, they had picked up a massive win at St Margaretsbury before being heavily beaten at West Essex at the weekend, the first real disappointing performance under the new regime.

And they were up against local rivals White Ensign who were on a eight match unbeaten run in the division, winning five of those games scoring a number of goals too, and they were coming into this game off the back of a very hard fought home win against Hoddesdon Town, so on paper at least this looked like a difficult game for the hosts however this was a local derby so form normally goes out the window.

This was the third attempt at trying to play this fixture too in recent weeks, the original contest was postponed because of a waterlogged pitch, and then the rearranged fixture two weeks ago was postponed after less than three minutes due to fog, so everyone was hoping this game would actually be completed, Manor knew a win would take them out of the bottom two and a point above Sawbridgeworth Town with a game in hand, Ensign knew a win would take them into the top five.

Prior to the game I took a wonder around the pitch, taking in the new additions to the ground, a perimeter fence three quarters of the way around the pitch, and a new covered terrace plus new dugouts, it looks really good now, and when the fence is completed plus other small additions, it will look like a proper little ground, so real good to see that the club are finally doing the needed improvements to stay in the division.

They obviously needed to pick up points too to stay in the division and they certainly began this game well and took the lead just before the midway point of the first half when lovely play down the left from Andre Embalo, who impressed in the opening forty five minutes, saw him cross into the six yard box where Isaac Acquah was waiting to convert first time and hand the hosts the lead.

It was a lead that wasn't to last too long though as barely a minute later Ensign had levelled after the hosts had switched off, a long ball saw Christian North, the hosts keeper, try and get to the ball but Ensign attacker Jason Reynolds-Blanche got to the ball before him and lofted an effort beyond him and into the empty net, it was a poor goal to give away and it handed Ensign a route back into the contest.

Manor had been the better side in the opening forty five minutes but had failed to stamp home their pressure with goals, and this continued into the second period too and saw goal scorer Acquah miss a golden chance when he sent a effort straight at the keeper, but the second period also got more and more tetchy too, typical for a local derby you would say, and this almost came to a head when Manor's star man Embalo got into an altercation with an opponent, and after both were booked, he was taken off for his own good as he needed calming down somewhat.

Manor though continued to search for the winner they deserved as Ensign continued to struggle to really get anything going, but it looked like it would be one of those nights after a stinging long range effort struck the post (it may have been tipped onto the post) but, with 84 minutes on the clock came the winning moment, and it was a goal worthy of winning any game too.

Ben Allen, who had also had a decent game, did superbly down the right and managed to get past his man and send a ball across the area into the path of substitute Kisoka who sent a first time rocket at goal which although the keeper got a hand too, could not prevent it from whistling into the top corner, and it cued mass celebrations with his mates on the side-line, it was a wonderful strike and it handed Manor a massive three points and a good bounce back from Saturday. 

It sees them climb out of the bottom two as said earlier, it had been a marvellous performance from the hosts here against a side who had been going very well under new management too, however Ensign were not at the races in this one and there unbeaten run comes to an end here, although still sitting in eighth spot and just two points off fifth spot, so still a very decent position in their first season at this level.

Manor next welcome Ilford to Southchurch Park at the weekend hoping for more joy against one of their ex management in Adam Peek, so no doubt he will want to stick a spanner in the hosts works, whereas Ensign will look to start another unbeaten run perhaps as they travel to Cockfosters in North London.

Full time Southend Manor 2 White Ensign 1