Clapton CFC – survivor16b

S21-22 Round-ups: Essex Olympian League & Cups (Sat 29 Jan) [EOFL 21/22 31.1.22]

Still Image from OS v Hutton, Ed Gould [#11] on the ball for OS

Written by Scott W [Twitter: @ScottMHC14] – Non-League & EOFL Writer

Hello all and welcome to my round-up of the action in the Essex Olympian League, on Saturday 29 January. This week, the league action takes the central focus, with a number of matches also in several Cup competitions. This week’s round-up includes a section looking at EOFL Division Four, in addition to the top four tiers of league action & Results in the Cups.

Essex Olympian League Round-up – Saturday 29 January

EOFL Premier Division & Division One

In the top-tier, Shenfield AFC got another important victory as they won 2 – 1 at Galleywood. Charlie Heatley and Luke Williamson strikes were enough to give AFC the win which means they are ten points clear of the bottom two. Jamie Lockwood got a goal back for Galleywood though they still need points to move away from the bottom three. Leigh Ramblers also managed a vital victory, defeating Bishop’s Stortford Swifts 3 – 1 at Belfairs Park. Harry Bovington’s goal wasn’t enough to gain a point for Swifts, as the Rams rose one place to 12th.

At the summit, Hutton went into second spot with a fine 3 – 0 win at Old Southendian. Brad Freeman’s double and Tom Stephens’ goal was enough to keep Matt Singh’s side well in the title hunt. I attended this match & my report is here: Link: https://survivor16b.wordpress.com/2022/01/29/s21-22-match-report-old-southendian-0-3-hutton-sat-29-jan-eofl/

Meanwhile, Ongar Town lost ground as they were held 0 – 0 by an improving Springfield side at Lakeside Sports Ground. Richard Ponsford’s team are in fourth spot, three points adrift of leaders Basildon Town. Kelvedon Hatch are also moving into contention for a top four finish after a 2 – 0 triumph against Canning Town at New Hall. Joseph Newson and substitute Drew Klessa-Smith got the goals for Darren Hunt’s team as they moved seven points clear in fifth spot.

In Division One, leaders Runwell Sports took a big stride towards promotion with an important 5 – 1 win over Herongate Athletic at St Luke’s Park. Jimmy Cox and Charlie Little both netted doubles for Rob Hodgson’s side, with Gianni Frankis’ goal competing the scoring. George Doyle got the only goal for Herongate here but the win for Runwell means they lead by six points putting the onus on the chasing pack who do all have games in hand. Toby moved into second spot after a narrow 1 – 0 success at Leigh Town. Luis Ruiz got the only goal there, and Town need a couple of wins to avoid getting drawn into the bottom two.

Beacon Hill Rovers got a much-needed victory also, as they triumphed 3 – 1 at rivals Epping Town. Callum Turner got the only goal for Epping but they are in a similar position to Leigh with four teams in that battle to stay in the division. Also, Old Chelmsfordians defeated Chingford Athletic 2 – 0 at Town Mead to put themselves in a good position as one of five teams that could challenge the leaders for promotion.

EOFL Senior League Cup

Harold Hill 4 – 3 AS Rawreth | Noak Hill

Rayleigh Town 1 – 0 Wakering Sports | London Road

Essex Premier Cup – Quarter-Finals

Catholic Utd 2 – 1 Stanway Pegasus | Len Forge 3G

Clapton CFC 3 – 2 Manford Way | Held at Oakside

Sungate 5 – 3 Basildon Town (AET) | Ilford Wanderers RFC

EOFL Divisions Two & Three

Into the League action with the four games played in Division Two, and ACD Utd were held to a 3 – 3 draw at Westlands by improving Rayleigh Town Res. Even a brace from Michael Wade and one from Jacob Dingli was not enough to claim the points for Greg Knock’s side Wakebury are right there in the promotion running now after a 2 – 1 success at Shoebury Town. Harry Kateley netted both strikes for Matt Cardy’s side, which sees them strengthen their position in third & are four points behind leaders ACD Utd.

Hutton Res were also held at home, as they drew 3 – 3 with Old Southendian Res at Polo Fields. Thomas Adams, Oliver Tatton-Bennett and replacement Harry DaCosta all netted for Josh Bambury’s team as they maintained fourth spot but their advantage over their rivals is slim. Finally. Harold Wood Athletic Res edged an outstanding game to win 5 – 4 over Rochford Town at Robert Clack Sch 3G. Billy Spencer netted twice for the hosts, with Ben Rowe, Thomas Butler and Josh Portway all also on target for Steve Hubbard’s side. Rochford responded through a four-goal haul for club stalwart Freddie Pettitt but the Wood second-side go three points clear of Town after this win.

In Division Three, Pitsea Athletic went three points clear in fifth spot after a 2 – 1 triumph at Collier Row. Kwadwo Asante and Sean Devlin got the goals which meant Pitsea got their seventh win this term, while Row remain second bottom. Catholic Utd Res extended their lead to six points after a 6 – 1 victory over Buckhurst Hill U23 at St Thomas More Sch.

Meanwhile, Basildon Town Res look set for a top four finish after a 5 – 1 victory at Corinthians Res. Matthew Keiller got two goals here for Town, with Rhys Willson, Nicholas Bowers and Sam Marsh also netting to overpower a solitary goal for substitute Jacob Hudson for the Corinthians Ressie side. Town are ten points clear of Pitsea with both having only four league games left. Finally in this division, Wakering Sports Res maintained their chance of promotion with a 7 – 0 success over Hullbridge Sports Res at Cupid’s. Connor Fardyga netted another fine treble to pass 20 league goals this term, with Scott Clark notching twice and Ciaran Sweeney also on target.

EOFL Reserve League Cup Results

Old Chelmsfordians Res 2 – 0 Runwell Sports Res | Lawford Lane

Wakebury Res 3 – 2 Sungate Dev | Nursery Sports Ground

EOFL Reserve League Trophy – May & Baker A 2 – 1 Canning Town Res

EOFL Divisions Four & Five

In Division Four, Roydon got another fine win as they defeated Wakering Sports A 3 – 0 at home. Nader Benzid, Connor Riddoch and Connor Presland all were on the score-sheet as Roydon continue their aspiration to get promoted once again. Also, Shenfield AFC Res got a 3 – 1 triumph at Springfield Res, with Billy Calder netting twice and there was also a goal for Ben Cawood. Finally, Leytonstone Utd won 2 – 1 at Southend Manor Development, with Jack Mead notching the consolation goal for the Manor reserve side.

Division Five Results

Bishop’s Stortford Swifts Res H – W Old Barkabbeyans | Home Walkover

Collier Row Res 0 – 0 Leigh Ramblers Res | Forest Row Centre (Pitch 2)

Pitsea Athletic Res 1 – 2 Herongate Athletic Res | Basildon Sporting Village

S21-22 Round-ups: Essex Olympian League & Cups (Sat 8 Jan) [EOFL 21/22 10.1.22]

Written by Scott W [Twitter: @ScottMHC14] – Non-League & EOFL Writer

Hello all and welcome to my round-up of the action in the Essex Olympian League, on Saturday 8 January. This week, the league action was rather gazumped by a huge number of Cup matches, in no less than three Cup competitions, two of them being EOFL competitions – we’ll have round-ups of those. The League action centres on the two matches that were played in the Premier Division. Happy New Year to all the readers of this column, thank you for your support.

Essex Olympian League Round-up – Saturday 27 November

EOFL Premier Division

In the top-tier, Springfield continued their quest to get themselves out of the danger zone, as they won 4 – 1 at bottom side Canning Town. Adam Cole netted twice, with Jack Gibbons and Jack French also on target for Francesco Zabotti’s side here. In the other match, Shenfield AFC held Kelvedon Hatch to a 3 – 3 draw at St Martin’s Sch 3G. Joseph Newson, Lewis Young and Wayne Semanshia all scored for Darren Hunt’s side but the point means they are in fifth spot, behind Rayleigh Town on goal difference.

Before we move on to the Cup action, here’s a quick reminder of the top of the table ahead of the second half of the season. Basildon Town lead the standings with 38 points from their 15 matches, four points clear of Hutton who continue to prosper under Matt Singh & his staff. Ongar Town are also well placed in third, with 31 points from 15 matches. It is sure to be a dramatic end to the campaign.

EOFL Senior League Cup

Moving into the five matches played in the EOFL Senior League Cup, and Toby progressed with an impressive 7 – 1 success at Leytonstone Utd in their game which was moved to Robert Clack Sch 3G. Albert Perry continued his fabulous goal-scoring campaign with four goals here, with Jake Jones, Jamie Simpkins and Marc Porter-Brown on target for Mark Jones’ side here. Shoebury Town also made it into the next round after a 5 – 3 victory against high-scoring Old Barkabbeyans at Cupid’s. Player-boss Garry Johnson and Steven Sharpe netted twice for the hosts, with Oliver Jenkins getting the other goal. Josh Robinson responded for Barkabbeayans with a fine treble but they exited here. Runwell Sports also went through with a 2 – 0 win against Collier Row at St Luke’s Park. Charlie Little and Isaac Pascal got the goals for Rob Hodgson’s team there.

Meanwhile, Corinthians progressed with a 5 – 0 victory over Wakebury at Stambridge Memorial Ground. Bailey Moss netted another two goals, with Leo Clarke, Cameron Glover and Connor Summerhill adding to the visitors’ pain as they can now focus on the League. Finally, Herongate Athletic got a fine 4 – 1 win over Southend Manor Development at Billericay Road. Benjamin Clarke netted a great treble, with Carey Wallace adding the other strike for Kurt Smith’s new side.

Essex Premier Cup – Last 16

The EPC reached the last 16 stage and the story goes on for Clapton CFC as they defeated Leigh Ramblers 4 – 2 at Wadham Lodge 3G. Josh Adejokun, Jake Stevens, Julian Austin and Noah Adejokun all scored for the hosts as the Middlesex County League Premier Division side knocked out the EOFL Premier side, and also can say they’ve knocked out both Leigh-on-Sea clubs in this competition this term, having beaten Leigh Town in a previous round. Catholic Utd will play in the Quarter-Finals though after a 5 – 3 success at Essex & Suffolk Border League Premier side Colne Athletic. James Warder scored a brace here, supplanted by strikes from Aaron Baldwin, Alfie Whiteaker and Jay Nash as Simon Thomas’ team took a fine win.

In other action, Manford Way edged to a 2 – 1 win over Chingford Athletic, with James Dobson and David Hornsby scoring for Manford. Old Southendian exited the competition as they lost 3 – 1 to the Border League Premier leaders Stanway Pegasus and Sungate got a 5 – 1 win over Harold Hill at Ilford Wanderers RFC.

EOFL Reserve League Cup

Finally this week, in the Reserve Cup there were goals aplenty. Collier Row Res got a fine 5 – 1 victory at Canning Town Res with Raheem Bravo and Anton Ostrii both notching twice here, with Jordan Adesanya also netting for the Row second side. Toby Res had a superb five-goal haul from Ollie Dingli to thank for a 5 – 0 home win over Corinthians Res at Ford’s Newbury Park. Hashtag Utd Development got one over on their divisional rivals as they defeated Catholic Utd Res 6 – 1 at Barleylands. Jay Knight and Matthew Gauci both scored twice for Denis Simpson’s team. That was allied with goals for Kai Warren and Samuel Pratt and the solitary reply for Utd came from Thomas Elliott.

Elsewhere, PItsea Athletic Res went through to the next round with a 4 – 1 win at AS Rawreth Res, thanks to trikes by Rinor Zeqiri, Vishnu Panikkar, Joe Shulver and replacement Sean Devlin. Old Southendian Res joined them with a 4 – 2 win at local rivals Leigh Town Res. Jack Cripps, Thomas Magerison, Daniel Frimley and Sean Simmonett netted for Josh Bambury’s side, outweighing goals in reply by Chris Pope and Danial Roberts for Town. Wakering Sports A safely negotiated a tricky match at Hackney Marshes with a 4 – 3 win at Snaresbrook Res. Tom Vine struck a fine treble, with Chay Saggers also scoring for Sports’ third-team. Also, Springfield Res went through after a 2 – 1 win over Basildon Town Res. Rhys Willson netted for Town but goals from Harrison Elles and substitute Owen Stewart saw the hosts make the next round.

In other action, Buckhurst Hill U23 continue to impress under boss Darren Gosnell as they won 5 – 2 at Ongar Town Res in Chelmsford. Chingford Athletic Res went through 5 – 3 on spot-kicks after a 1 – 1 draw with May & Baker A at Town Mead.

2018-19 Pre-Season: West Essex 3 – 0 Clapton CFC (PSF 29.7.18)

Pre-season Friendly

Sunday 29th July 2018 – 1pm KO

Venue: London Marathon Community Ground, Stratford

Attendance: 115

2018 – 19 Season – Match 3

Scott W reporting (Twitter: @ScottMHC14)

On a drizzly & gusty afternoon in the near shadow of the massive Olympic stadium in East London, my latest pre-season friendly saw West Essex take on the newly-formed Clapton Community Football Club at the London Marathon Community Ground.

West Essex are limbering up for their third season in the Essex Senior League and the familar player ‘merry-go-round’ has seen them re-building somewhat after the loss of important players in the summer. Clapton CFC will start their journey in the Middlesex County League Division One, playing on the 3G pitch at the Wadham Lodge Complex in Kitchener Road – ironically re-tracing a similar path that their hosts here started before their rise up the footballing ladder.

Onto the match itself then and the frst thing you noticed was that the visitors were well-supported, as you might expect though transitions are a tricky thing to predict. That and the visitors arguably were the brighter starters here and Geoff Ocran’s side were awarded a penalty on five minutes after a lunging tackle in the area. Forward Tony Cookey stepped up though lofted his effort high above the woodwork.
The Stags gradually found their way into the game though their neat approach play wasn’t matched by clear-cut chances to get past goal-keeper Vlad Bendovsryy.

Clapton did have the ball in the net on 33 minutes through Tom Carding’s header from a corner though as the ball had swirled out of play on its way to the box, it was swiftly ruled out. West Essex took the lead two minutes later as midfielder Tom MacLeod made no mistake finishing off a decent move and Clapton Community ‘stopper Bendovsryy twice denied the hosts soon after.

Half-Time: West Essex 1 – 0 Clapton Community FC

After the break, the Stags seemed keen to add to their narrow lead and they did just that only three minutes in as MacLeod distracted the ‘keeper and the unfortunate Clapton defender put the ball into his own net.

Bendovsryy made up for the earllier error by pulling off a very good recovery save to deny the impressive MacLeod’s header just shy of the hour mark. Kwame Kwateng’s side did ‘go through the gears’ a bit going forward in the latter stages and in added-time, forward Emmanuel Obeng-Kouassi powered in a drive from MacLeod’s pass from a narrow angle to give the Stags their third goal of the afternoon.

All in all though, Clapton will feel heartened that they more than stayed in the game for long periods, partly through their work ethic and defending though they just didn’t quite have the final ball needed to undo the Stags defensive line on a regular basis.

Full-Time: West Essex 3 – 0 Clapton CFC

Best wishes to both sides for the forthcoming campaign.