Essex Senior League
Venue: Burroughs Park
Attendance: 71
2017-18 Season – Match 21
Saturday 16th September 2017 3pm KO
Great Wakering Rovers: Green & White Striped Shirts, White Shorts, White Socks
Ilford: Red & White Shirts, Red Shorts, Red Socks
Scott W reporting (Twitter: @ScottMHC14)
On a changeable afternoon at Burroughs Park, Great Wakering Rovers took on Ilford in an important early-season Essex Senior League encounter. Wakering welcomed back forward Jake Gordon this week as he has re-signed for the club from Aveley and he made the starting XI here, Scott Pethers took the armband for the hosts as Joe Nightingill was on the bench. For Ilford, James Peagram and Aaron Wickham led the line in attack.
Both sides traded initial efforts on goal in the opening five minutes. Jake Gordon shooting wide for GWR in the first minute, while Ilford’s Liam Burgess also couldn’t hit the target five minutes in. Wakering did take the lead after only six minutes as in-form forward Neil Richmond was put in by Gordon and the Richmond slotted home an easy tap-in.
In the next passage of play there weren’t a whole lot of clear-cut chances for either side though the hosts did have the lion’s share of possession. On the quarter-hour, a Wakering free-kick fell agonizingly wide of Richmond’s reach at the far post. The hosts did increase their lead on 26 minutes when Scott Pethers’ 25-yard low strike beat Ilford goalkeeper Chris Clark.
Clark was the busier goalkeeper in the later third of the opening half, first seeing Wakering winger Billy Johnson’s firing his strike just wide from an acute angle and then punching out a Wakering corner fired into the six-yard area. In truth, Ilford hadn’t really got going in the opening 45 minutes and Wakering were on top at the break.
Half-Time: Great Wakering Rovers 2 – 0 Ilford
The second half began with Iain O’Connell’s side in the ascendancy. Five minutes into the half, Johnson’s goal-bound drive forced Clark into a good save to parry the shot away. Five minutes after that, from Gordon’s free-kick, midfielder Ricky Evans blazed his shot over the bar. Soon after, Ilford had one of their better chances, with substitute Khadean Campbell blasting a fierce drive into the left-corner though it cannoned back off the underside of the bar, with home ‘keeper Rees Hawkins beaten.
With 21 minutes remaining, Richmond forced Clark into another decent save. Ilford did push forward a bit more in the last 15 minutes though simply lacked the cutting edge to get back into this one. Forward James Peagram did seem to be a slightly frustrated figure up top. Wakering held on fairly comfortably to get another three points, their 5th win of the season. Ilford’s ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ season seems to be continuing and manager Allan Fenn will know that his side will need greater consistency soon.
Full-Time: Great Wakering Rovers 2 – 0 Ilford
Richmond 6’, Pethers 26’
For Wakering, Scott Pethers stood out the most in my opinion with a typically whole-hearted performance, though he won quite a few challenges in defence today, as well as his goal. Full-back Charlie Seaden and forwards Richmond & Gordon played their part as well for the hosts. For Ilford, full-back Sam Buffour had a decent match, as did goalkeeper Chris Clark.
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Teams: |
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| Great Wakering Rovers
Manager: Iain O’Connell |
Ilford Manager: Allan Fenn |
| 1 Rees Hawkins (GK) | 1 Chris Clark (GK) |
| 2 Charlie Seaden | 2 Sam Buffour |
| 3 Oliver Woodhouse | 3 Justas Paliulis |
| 4 Scott Pethers (C) | 4 Stef Szajewski (C) |
| 5 Louis Robinson | 5 Billy Rix |
| 6 Sam Carter | 6 Luke McLeavy (Subbed 46’) |
| 7 Jason Ring | 7 Liam Burgess |
| 8 Ricky Evans | 8 Chris Lockwood |
| 9 Neil Richmond | 9 Aaron Wickham (Subbed 68’) |
| 10 Jake Gordon (Subbed 67’) | 10 James Peagram |
| 11 Billy Johnson | 11 Michael Graham (Subbed 53’) |
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Substitutes: |
|
| 12 Joe Nightingill | 12 Khadean Campbell (On 46’) |
| 14 Aaron Russell | 13 Tom Jackson (GK) |
| 15 Jimmy Cook | 14 Harry Markatis (On 53’) |
| 16 Chris Bryan (On 67’) | 15 Suli Nasir (On 68’) |
| 17 Franklin Craik | 16 Bill Rungay |
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Referee: |
Dean Markwick |
| Assistant Referees: |
Nicholas Hodges Martin Green |
| Booked: None | Booked: Rix |
