Rayleigh Town Reserves

S21-22 Round-ups: Essex Olympian League & EJC (Sat 6 Nov) [EOFL 21/22 8.11.21]

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 6 November. This week, the focus on League action remains, with this round-up focusing on the top four divisions, with results from Divisions Four, Five and the Essex Junior Cup.

Image is from Corinthians v Herongate Athletic late last month. Many thanks for reading.

Essex Olympian League Round-up – Saturday 6 November

EOFL Premier Division

In the Premier Division, there was a big day of results at the summit. Basildon Town lead the standings by a single point after a 2 – 0 home win against Shenfield AFC, thanks to goals from Ryan Scougall and substitute Marcus Bowers. Hutton went into second spot after a big 3 – 1 triumph over former leaders Ongar Town at Polo Fields. Eamon Payne scored for the visitors, but goals from George Nash, Sean O’Callaghan and George Ezekiel saw Hutton a big three points. Ongar dropped to fourth as Rayleigh Town got their biggest win in many a match with a huge 9 – 0 triumph over Harold Wood Athletic at London Road. Harry Talbot got five goals himself here for Paul Higgins’ side, with Charlie Seaden adding two and Jack Long and George Vile also on target to complete a memorable day for the hosts. Harold Wood remain second-bottom.

Elsewhere, Galleywood went up to eighth spot after a 6 – 2 success against bottom side Canning Town. Thomas Watling got another double to continue his superb season, with Ryan Scott, Diogo Viveiros, Jack Chatterway and Ben Smith all adding one each for Mark O’Sullivan’s side. Bishop’s Stortford Swifts went into the top ten after a 5 – 2 win at Springfield, with Sam Chaney reaching ten league goals for the season after his brace here for Swifts. James Baughurst, Adam Palmer and Jordan Trott also scored for Craig Glashan’s team. Muyiwa Osenie and Joe Kiff’s spot-kick replied for the hosts but they remain 12th.

The remaining saw Catholic Utd defeat Leigh Ramblers 2 – 0 and Sungate win 3 – 0 at home to Kelvedon Hatch. Sungate and Utd remain in fifth and sixth places respectively as part of a top seven that is only separated by eight points.

EOFL Division One

In the second-tier, Wakering Sports lead the table by two points after a 2 – 1 victory at home to Chingford Athletic. Matthew Catlin and substitute Callum Burns-Green got the goals to overturn Andrew Omusi’s goal for Chingford and send Mitchell Gleeson’s side to their seventh win this term. Runwell Sports are second despite being held 2 – 2 by Snaresbrook. Herongate Athletic rose to third spot after a narrow 1 – 0 win over struggling Beacon Hill Rovers at Billericay Road. Dominique Momba-Simos got a debut goal for Billy Cove’s side. Corinthians are in fourth spot after a 1 – 1 draw at Old Chelmsfordians. Bailey Moss scored for the South Essex side, with Charlie Portway again netting for OC’s, who go up to sixth.

EOFL Division Two

Now into Division Two, Harold Hill remain three points clear at the summit, thanks to a 2 – 0 victory at Harold Wood Athletic Res. Harry Agombar and Peter Tyler got the goals to see Mark Ellis’ team to yet another win in their impressive campaign. ACD Utd did get back to winning ways with a thumping 7 – 0 success over Rochford Town at Westlands. Jacob Dingli and Jamie Alexandrou both got doubles here for Greg Knock’s team, with Michael Wade, Jake Noble and replacement Samuel Payne also scoring to make Utd’s goal difference more favourable than anyone else in the division. Shoebury Town got an important 4 – 2 win at Wakebury with player-boss Garry Johnson back amongst the goals as he scored twice here, with Luke Bull and substitute Steven Valente also on the score-sheet to keep Shoebury in sixth spot. In other action, Rayleigh Town Res won 2 – 1 at AS Rawreth while Old Southendian Ressies narrowly defeated Hutton Res 2 – 1 at Garon Park. Finally, May & Baker A got another fine win as they defeated Manford Way 4 – 1.

EOFL Division Three

In Division Three, there were three league matches this week. With the top three all in Essex Junior Cup action, Toby Res won the battle of the nearest challengers as they defeated Basildon Town Res 6 – 2 in Newbury Park. Ollie Dingli led the way with a fine treble, with Mike Nichols, Louis Hill and an OG completed the scoring for Toby’s second side who reduced the gap to their opponents to one point but remain 4th. Hullbridge Sports Res got a second straight victory with a 3 – 0 triumph at Leigh Town Res. Michael Clark netted twice for the visitors, with Harry Mole also on target to send ‘Bridge up to sixth. Finally, Corinthians Res drew 1 – 1 with Collier Row with the result leaving both sides still in the bottom three.

Essex Junior Cup

Buckhurst Hill U23 3 – 6 Haver Town

Cressing Utd 2 – 1 Pitsea Athletic

Hashtag Utd Dev 6 – 0 Crookz Utd (Goals got)

Kelvedon Social 4 – 3 Roydon

Leytonstone Utd 4 – 7 Old Chelmsfordians Res

Ongar Town Res 0 – 7 Wakering Sports Res

Ramon Rovers 0 – 3 Springfield Res

Rowhedge 1 – 2 Sungate Dev. (AET)

Thorpe Athletic 1 – 7 Catholic Utd Res

EOFL Division Four

Chingford Athletic Res 4 – 1 Canning Town Res | Town Mead

Southend Manor Dev. 1 – 0 Galleywood Res | Southchurch Park

Wakering Sports A 2 – 3 Shenfield AFC Res | Cupid’s CC (PitcH 2)

EOFL Division Five

Epping Town Res 1 – 1 Snaresbrook Res | Epping UC Rugby Club

Pitsea Athletic Res 5 – 4 Collier Row Res | Basildon Sports Village

Runwell Sports Res 6 – 0 Wakebury Res | St Luke’s Park

And in Herts Junior Cup

Bishop’s Stortford Swifts Res 6 – 0 Bullys Crusaders

S21-22 Round-ups: Essex Olympian League & EPC (Sat 16 Oct) [EOFL 21/22 18.10.21]

Leigh Town GK Matthew Riley making another fine save [Image: @ABridgeTooFar16]

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 16 October. This week, there was less League action in top three tiers as the focus was towards Essex Premier Cup ties, to which I’ll have a round-up section but I’ll also have a extensive look at all the League action this week, which I seldom get the chance to do.

Photo by Neil Hunwicks (@ABridgeTooFar16)
Many thanks for reading.

EOFL Premier Division & Division Two

In the top tier, two matches took place. Rayleigh Town got a fine 4 – 0 triumph at Springfield, thanks in no small part to doubles for Liam Oliver and Harry Talbot, while Bishop’s Stortford Swifts also notched a big win as they got a 3 – 1 success over Harold Wood Athletic. Harry Clifford netted for Ath but that goal was outdone by another pair for Sam Chaney and one from Samuel Brown.

Due to the myriad of Cup ties this weekend, there was no action in Division One. So we move on EOFL Division Two, where Old Southendian Res were the first side this season to stop ACD Utd from claiming a victory, as their match at Garon Park ended 2 – 2. Sam Jones struck twice for Josh Bambury’s side, while Michael Wade and Warren Taylor replied for the leaders.

Essex Premier Cup

In the first of our ten focused matches from the Essex Premier Cup this weekend, on Friday night Old Southendian got a fine 3 – 2 win at Billericay Town Res, who play in the Essex Senior Reserve League. Callum Ludlaim got two goals for Altar Ali’s visitors, with replacement Taylor Turner getting the other goal for OS. James Drake and Max Gnandi responded for the hosts but it was the EOFL side who went through. On Saturday, Canning Town went through after a 3 – 1 win against Saffron Walden Town Res, with Stephen Ikumelo’s hat-trick proving the difference in that match in Beckton. EOFL Division One side Leigh Town faced a tricky test at Essex Alliance League Senior Division side Chadwell Heath Spartans, who are playing a division higher than Town this term. Dan Driscoll, Shane Cooper and Junior Lawrence all netted for Jack Pearman’s side here but a stirring response from the Spartans saw goals from Ray Hunwicks, Samir Aboulainaf and Jonathan Adams force a 3 – 3 scoreline and with it, the added 30 minutes. Extra-time could not determine a winner so over it went to the arduous penalty shoot-out, with Leigh goalkeeper Matthew Riley proving the hero with three penalty saves as Town won 3 – 2 on spot-kicks.

Elsewhere, Wakering Sports were conclusive 5 – 0 winners at divisional rivals Epping Town, with Aaron Clark notching twice, plus Max Drury, Connor Burrows and Daniel Regan all netted for Mitchell Gleeson’s side as they went through to the third round. Leigh Ramblers also progressed with a 2 – 0 win at Galleywood, thanks to goals from Nathan Dewberry and Rick Alabaster. There was a good win for Harold Wood Athletic Res, who knocked out AS Rawreth as ‘Wood won 4 – 3 AET at Harold Wood Park. Tish Ogungbayi, Tom Butler, Del Hawtin and Eddy Clinton all netted for Steve Hubbard’s side as they went through.

Catholic Utd also went through after navigating a tricky test at Billericay Road, with Simon Thomas’ side defeating Herongate Athletic 2 – 1. Aaron Baldwin and Jay Nash both scored for Utd there. Rayleigh Town Res made it a good week for the club as they defeated Essex Alliance League Senior side CSM London 4 – 1, with Byron Down notching a treble and Matthew Oaten also netted for Dave Barker’s side. Basildon Town saw off fellow EOFL Premier side Shenfield AFC 5 – 1 at St Martins Sch 3G. Graham Harrison netted twice here, with Jamie Bradbourn, Adam Bessadi and Jaime Selby-Knight also on target for Marcus Bowers’ side. Finally for this section, Toby continued their good Cup run with a 4 – 2 win over fellow Division One side Corinthians, with Marc Porter-Brown, Ben Picton, Rhys Willson and Albert Perry notching for the hosts in a good victory in Newbury Park.

Other Results in EPC:

Colne Athletic 3 – 0 Kelvedon Hatch

Grays Athletic Res 2 – 1 Ongar Town

Manford Way 3 – 2 Runwell Sports

Shoebury Town 1 – 3 May & Baker A

Waltham Abbey Res 3 – 2 Snaresbrook

White Notley 1 – 2 Chingford Athletic

Wivenhoe Town Res 0 – 6 Sungate

Uncontested matches:

Beacon Hill Rovers A – W Harold Hill

Clapton CFC H – W Wakebury

Hutton H – W Rochford Town

EOFL Division Three

In the four matches in Div Three, Hashtag Utd Development emerged with a good 2 – 1 win at Hullbridge Sports Res. Joe Ives netted for Sports, but strikes by Kai Warren and Jay Knight ensured the points left with Denis Simpson’s side. Pitsea Athletic continued their fine form this term, with a 4 – 0 win at strugglers Corinthians Res, with Reece Stone grabbing a fine treble, and Ben Challis was also on target for the visitors in that one.

In the two other matches in the division, Leigh Town Res got a fine 3 – 1 success over Toby Res, with player-boss Antony Lane grabbing a rare but welcome double, alongside Zack Walker’s strike. Arty Benjamin replied for Toby’s second side. Also, Catholic Utd Res got a 1 – 0 win over Basildon Town Res at St Thomas More Sch and keep their lead at the top at six points.

Essex Junior Cup Results

Buckhurst Hill U23 3 – 0 Herongate Athletic Res | Roding Lane (pitch 2)

EOFL Division Four

This week, we’ve got round-up sections on Divisions Four & Five. Springfield Res went up to second spot in Div Four after a 3 – 1 win at Roydon, with Alfie Halliday notching twice and one for Sean Coughlan. Connor Riddoch got the only goal for the hosts but they drop to fifth. Chingford Athletic Res roared up to third spot after a big 5 – 1 success at strugglers Sungate Development. Luke Dimond nabbed four goals himself for the visitors with Jordan Baende also on target for Ath’s second side. Wakering Sports A are up to mid-table after a fine 5 – 2 win at local rivals Southend Manor Development. Telmo Cangoma and Matthew Pooley both scored for Carlos Codinha’s side but an ensemble cast of Tom Vine, Danny Pallett, Nikki Beale and substitutes Liam Jarrett & David Watson all netted in response to claim the win for Tony Wells’ side.

Meanwhile, Galleywood Res edged an eleven-goal thriller as they won 6 – 5 at Canning Town Res. Stuart Alexander hit two goals for the visitors, with William Santos, Luke Seaton, Lewis Brett & Travis Owles joining in on the goal-scoring. Canning responded thanks to a treble from Marcus Byfield plus strikes by Billy Evans and Sean Mooney. Galleywood rise to eighth spot after their second win this term. In the other matches, Old Chelmsfordians Res defeated Leytonstone Utd 3 – 2 whilst leaders Ongar Town Res maintained their unbeaten record by drawing 1 – 1 at Shenfield AFC Res.

EOFL Division Five

Finally this week in Division Five, Leigh Ramblers Res maintained their eight-point lead at the summit after winning their top of the table clash with Runwell Sports Res 3 – 0. Charlie Batchelor grabbed all three goals for the Rams, which takes them up to thirty goals scored this term. Nearest rivals Pitsea Athletic Res are the only side who have scored more with 32 goals after a 8 – 2 success against Epping Town Res at Basildon Sports Village. Kwadwo Asante led the way for Ath with a hat-trick here, though the supporting cast were Joshua Ledger with a brace, plus Jimmy Donovan and substitutes Joseph Milne and Jay Seeley-Hanson.

In other action, Collier Row Res were held 1 – 1 by Bishop’s Stortford Swifts Res at the Forest Row Centre. An OG accounted for Swifts’ goal, with Raheem Bravo equalising for Row. Old Barkabbeyans also went up to seventh after defeating Wakebury Res 7 – 2 at the Nursery Sports Ground, with Bailey Diamond and Ben Morley scoring for Brett Deeming’s side.

S21-22 Match Report: Rayleigh Town Res 2 – 2 AS Rawreth (Sat 4 Sept) [EOFL 21/22 5.9.21]

Essex Olympian League – Division Two

Venue: London Road (Back pitch)

2021-22 Season: Match 19

Saturday 4th September 2021 – 1pm KO

Rayleigh Res: Navy Blue Shirts, Navy Blue Shorts, Navy Blue Socks

Rawreth: Green Shirts, Green Shorts, White Socks

Rawreth grab a point in well-contested match at Rayleigh Reserves

Rayleigh Town Res 2 – 2 AS Rawreth

Match Report & Photos by Scott W [Twitter: @ScottMHC14]

This weekend saw a rarity of a double-header in the Essex Olympian League. The early match was in EOFL Division Two, which saw AS Rawreth, now managed by Josh Hutchins, travel to London Road to face Rayleigh Town Res who voluntarily dropped down to this division in the summer. Dave Barker’s home side had Jayden Powell between the posts, with a defensive four of centre-backs Dan Webb and Jordan White with full-backs Lewis Dines and William Vile. Support for the front two of Ebeneezer Djan and Matt Oaten came from wingers Byron Down and Kempson Allen. Their options from the bench were forward Robbie Allen plus midfielders Dean Hazleton and Brandon Martin and Jack Taylor. AS Rawreth embarked on a new era in the summer under Hutchins and assistant Callum Bolger and fielded Oliver Johnson as goalkeeper, with a central defensive pair of captain Reece Samuel and Alex Swan, with Tom Binks leading the attack, supported by Ryan Kenyon, Said Ahmed and Mason MacCullum. On their substitutes’ bench were forwards Danny Carr and Mahir Adbulkadir and defenders Todd Bolger and James Brice.

The match got underway with the right-sided duo of Lewis Dines and Byron Down for Rayleigh looking to use that flank to cause the opposition defence problems. Forward Ebeneezer Djan having an early shot on Oliver Johnson’s goal but it drifted wide. The home side did have more of the play in the early stages, with Dines looking to get his team going. But AS Rawreth were starting to find their rhythm with a little more purpose on the ball as on 11 minutes, centre forward Tom Binks’ lofted effort was gathered by home stopper Jayden Powell. That served as a warning though which the hosts didn’t heed as only two minutes afterward, the visitors opened the scoring. A neat move involving winger Said Ahmed and full-back Joseph Frisby-Brown found Binks who slotted the ball into the net past Powell on the second attempt.

Town had a speculative chance just before that goal as support forward Matt Oaten attempted a lob from about 35 yards, trying to catch Johnson out off his goal-line but it was to no avail. Rayleigh couldn’t quite gather their pace and rhythm in possession to get in behind the Rawreth defence, with centre-backs Reece Samuel and Alex Swan doing a good job of clearing their lines. That being said, Town still had a number of half-chances, with a poor pass by the visitors midway through the half allowing Town winger Kempson Allen a strike on goal but he could only fire over the goal frame.

Rawreth were having to hold firm at this stage, and Djan’s curling lob was well-denied by a sprawling save by Johnson. As we passed the half-hour though, Josh Hutchins’ side responded with Binks unfortunate to not squeeze a shot past a congested six-yard area and thus allowing Powell to gratefully claim the ball. Powell also denied AHmed’s strike, cutting inside from the left flank at his near post. Rayleigh knew they had to raise it up a gear after the interval, despite a good move seven minutes before the break which good play from winger Byron Down find Oaten whose imaginative back-heeled effortwas denied at point-blank range by Johnson.

Half-Time: Rayleigh Town Res 0 – 1 AS Rawreth

Town skipper John Hanrahan was encouraging his players from his anchor midfield role and after a quiet-ish opening phase of the second half where his side were causing the visitors problems, the breakthrough came on the hour. Down was felled in the area and without hesitation, referee Daniel Mann pointed to the spot. Hanrahan duly stepped up and converted the resulting spot-kick low into the net and for the first time in the game, Rawreth were really up against it. The introduction of Robbie Allen from the bench just before the hour had proven a positive one for Dave Barker’s side and the visiting defence were starting to concede set-pieces more often as well. The game turned again from one said set-piece on sixty-nine minutes as Allen powered home a free-kick past the wall and Johnson’s grasp to give the hosts the advantage.

Robbie Allen strikes free-kick to give Rayleigh the lead

Both sides were scrambling for the initative as we entered the latter stages of the game, but Rawreth did end up claiming a share of the points as a close-range finish by another replacement in Danny Carr six minutes from time proved important for the visitors. There was still one good chance with moments remaining as two substitutes combined for Town, with Allen’s good ball in finding Brandon Martin who unfortunately the hosts slotted wide. All in all, it was a decent result for both sides, with perhaps Rayleigh having the better of the the second period, after Rawreth had made an encouraging first-half display.

Full-Time: Rayleigh Town Res 2 – 2 AS Rawreth

There were a number of influential performances today by both sides. For Rayleigh Town Res, skipper John Hanrahan led his team admirably and was constant encouraging his team-mates as well as putting in a good display in anchor midfield. Right-bank Lewis Dines put in a commendable display and really stood out in the early stages, looking assured and showed good energy levels. Centre-back Jordan White also showed good positioning for the majority of the match whilst substitute Robbie Allen gave his side a lift after his introduction and his goal was a turning point in the match. For Rawreth, centre-back Reece Samuel marshalled his backline well and dealt with a lot of crosses aerially as well. Forward Tom Binks was also a threat for the home defence, looking to breakthrough and had a decent strike in him as well. Said Ahmed had a decent match on the left side too, whilst goalkeeper Oliver Johnson also deserves a mention for two or three smart saves to keep his side in the match.

I’d like to thank both teams for their assistance & wish them a good rest of the season.

Rayleigh Town Res | Manager: Dave Barker

Starting XI: 1 Jayden Powell (GK), 2 Lewis Dines, 3 William Vile, 4 John Hanrahan (Capt), 5 Dan Webb, 6 Jordan White, 7 Kempson Allen, 8 Jordan Lewis, 9 Ebeneezer Djan, 10 Matthew Oaten, 11 Byron Down

Subs On: 12 Dean Hazleton [30′], 16 Robbie Allen [55′], 14 Jack Taylor [63′], 15 Brandon Martin [79′]

Goal-scorers: John Hanrahan [pen 60′], Robbie Allen [69′]

Booked: None | Subs Not Used: None

AS Rawreth | Manager: Josh Hutchins |

Starting XI: 1 Oliver Johnson (GK), 12 Chris Batt, 3 Joseph Frisby-Brown, 4 Derek Boakye, 15 Reece Samuel (Capt), 6 Alex Swan, 7 Ryan Kenyon, 8 Harry Groves, 9 Tom Binks, 10 Mason MacCullum, 11 Said Ahmed

Goal-scorers: Tom Binks [13′], Danny Carr [84′]

Subs On: 22 Todd Bolger [46′], 14 Mahir Adbulkadir [58′], 5 James Brice [73′], 19 Danny Carr [76′]

Booked: None | Subs Not Used: None

Referee: Daniel Mann

S20-21 Match Report: Rayleigh Town Res 3 – 5 Shoebury Town (Sat 8 May) [EOFL 20/1 9.5.21]

Essex Olympian League – Division One

Venue: London Road

2020-21 Season: Match 33

Saturday 8th May 2021 – 12.30pm KO

Rayleigh Res: Navy Blue Shirts, Navy Blue Shorts, Navy Blue Socks

Shoebury: White & Black Shirts, Black Shorts, Black & White Socks

A re-engerised Shoebury win first game in eight at London Road

Rayleigh Town Res 3 – 5 Shoebury Town

Match Report & Photos by Scott W [Twitter: @ScottMHC14]

This weekend, there was a bit of a treat as I visited London Road again for a double-header of matches, starting with this Essex Olympian League Division One clash between Rayleigh Town Reserves and Shoebury Town, who despite being depleted in numbers recently, have steadfastly continued on playing, which is a credit to them. Home manager Dave Barker fielded Jayden Powell in goal with Harry Barham and Jack Taylor the chief support to forwards Eben Djan and Matt Atoo. Visitors Shoebury have installed Lee Boosey as their interim manager until the end of the season and had Kyle Merenda between the posts, Tyler Boosey in midfield and the attack was led by Garry Johnson, Aaron Day and Kirk Hudson, with Dominic Binns unavailable, Mitchell Odd and Simon Pearce were among the options from the bench.

The visitors set their stall out early to test Rayleigh ‘keeper Jayden Powell’s handling skills in the swirling wind as a strike from distance by Tyler Boosey needed the stopper to gather on five minutes. That ended up being a warning as on seven minutes, the visitors did open the scoring. Forward Garry Johnson found a yard of space in a congested 18-yard box to plant his header firmly into the net. Howver, the defensive ‘gremlins’ that have affected Shoebury recently returned a minute later as Harry Barham levelled neatly for Dave Barker’s side.

The visitors looked really motivated for the contest but were fortunate on eleven minutes as Rayleigh forward Matt Atoo evaded the visiting backline before skewing a tame strike wide when through on visiting custodian Kyle Merenda’s goal. Billy Cottrill’s wind-assisted corner was desparingly out of reach for Powell as despite laying a glove on it, the ball flew into the top corner to give Shoebury a two-one lead on 18 minutes. The vistors’ good momentum continued on twenty minutes as a fine effort from Johnson forced Powell into a decent save low down on the deck. Both sides continued to trade chances as Merenda pulled off a good save to parry over Reiss Foley’s deflected free-kick for the home side.

Much to the disappointment of the home dugout, Shoebury were then awarded a spot-kick with 32 minutes on the clock. Johnson stepped up and duly fired home high ibtob the corner to extend the visitors’ advantage. To their crediit, the hosts halved their deficit three minutes afterward as good tracking back by Atoo was rewarded as the ball flew off his block ans sailed past Merenda into the net.

Half-Time: Rayleigh Town Res 2 – 3 Shoebury Town

Shoebury had a slender lead but were looking fiesty and just about the more likely the score at the interval. Shoebry were happy to be awarded another spot-kick on the hour and forward Kirk Hudson also blasted the ball home to make it 4 – 2. to the visitors. Midway into the second half, a curling free-kick by Foley needed Merenda to tip the decent strike out of danger. Rayleigh were having arguably their best phase of the game as they forced a number of set-pieces but the revitalised Shoebury defence held firm. Rayleugh Res could well have forced a more nervy end to the game had Eban Djan connected with a header or support forward Jack Taylor’s chip not been nervily parried by Merenda in the swirling wind. Atoo also headed wide with eleven minutes left and the feeling was building that it wasn’t going to be the hosts’ day.

That feeling was only elevated on 82 minutes as fine chip by Johnson evaded Powell and secured a good treble for the Shoebury Town striker. Matthew Bampus headed in another consolation for the hosts a few minutes later but it wasn’t enough to avert Shoebury getting their first league win in eight matches here in this lunchtime kick-off.

Full-Time: Rayleigh Town Res 3 – 5 Shoebury Town

In summary, Shoebury did deserve their win given the chances they created and the energy they put into their play for most of the match. News came out this week that a new committee has been appointed so Town will no doubt be looking to stay in this division for next term and they will need the battling qualities they showed here. Rayleigh’s Ressie side also showed promise going forward but their defensive errors were costly.

There were a number of good performances in this game. Firstly for Shoebury, I felt that forward Garry Johnson was a threat with his finishing & movement and also backed up his record in front of goal this term. Tyler Boosey also had a good game in midfield showing good willingness & energy. Kirk Hudson showed desire and good passing down the channels & finally, Aaron Day also had a decent game. For the hosts, winger Harry Barham took his goal well and tried hard to instigate attacking moves for his side. Forward Matt Atoo was also a presence in attack for the hosts with his strength, with midfielder Reiss Foley looking to drive his team on from midfield. Finally, goalkeeper Jayden Powell arguably kept his side in the contest in the second half with some smart saves.

The win for bottom side Shoebury brings them only one point behind Herongate just above them, whereas Town’s second side stay third-bottom, six points adrift of Ramsden Scotia above them. My thanks to home boss Dave Barker & Best wishes to both teams for the rest of the campaign.

If you’d like to read about all the action in the Essex Olympian Lge divisions this week, my round-up is available here: https://survivor16b.wordpress.com/2021/05/09/s20-21-round-ups-essex-olympian-league-sat-8-may-eofl/

Teams

Rayleigh Town Res | Manager: Dave Barker

Starting XI: 1 Jayden Powell (GK), 2 Matt van Lint, 3 Matt Seago, 4 Reiss Foley, 5 Matthew Bampus, 6 James Braithwaite, 7 Harry Barham, 8 Dean Hazleton, 9 Ebeneezer Djan, 10 Jack Taylor, 11 Matt Atoo

Goal-scorers: Harry Barham [8′], Matt Atoo [35′], Matthew Bampus [84′]

Subs On: 12 James Jarvis [31′], 15 Liam Brooks [61′], 14 Jack Maguire [67′]

Booked: van Lint, Seago, Jarvis | Subs Not Used: None

Shoebury Town | Interim Manager: Lee Boosey

Starting XI: 1 Kyle Merenda (GK), 2 Billy Horrell, 15 Jack Kindell, 23 Jason Carter, 4 Daniel Brooker, 5 Tyler Boosey, 7 Henry Swan, 18 Billy Cottrill, 19 Aaron Day, 10 Garry Johnson, 14 Kirk Hudson

Goal-scorers: Garry Johnson [7′, pen 32′, 82′], Billy Cottrill [18′], Kirk Hudson [pen 60′]

Subs On: 9 Simon Pearce [46′], 6 Mitchell Odd [46′], 20 Adam Woolsey [46′], 3 Steven Sharpe [60′], 16 Fahad Issa [80′]

Booked: Woolsey | Subs Not Used: None

Referee: Lewis Moore

S20-21 Round-ups: Essex Olympian League (Sat 17 April) [EOFL 20/21 18.4.21]

Image from Cor 3 – 3 OS Res (EOFL D2 18.4.21)

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

Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of my round-up articles, looking at the action in third week of the ‘mini-season’ in the Essex Olympian League divisions on Saturday 17th April. As ever, our focus here is on the top four divisions but myself and fellow writers were out watching Olympian League matches this week. Thank you for reading.

EOFL Premier Division

As ever we start in the Premier Division and in a crucial match between the top two, Buckhurst Hill emerged with a 3 – 0 win at Basildon Town. Talisman Suleyman Zuhdu notched another two goals to make it to 19 goals already this term. Recent recruit Callum Ibe had earlier put Mark Williams’ side ahead with a good piece of opportunism. Hill have now won all six of their home matches and extend their lead at the summit to five points. Catholic Utd could yet challenge the leaders as well after they emerged from a bruising encounter with a 5 – 3 win over Sungate at the Len Forge Centre. Rhys Fatt notched a brace here for Stuart Marshall’s side, with Michael Sammut, Aaron Baldwin & Brad Rowland also netted to overpower goals for the visitors from Petrit Elbi, Jamie Doyle and George Johnson. Utd remain third, seven points away from Buckhurst, while Sungate remain in 8th and even with matches in hand on the sides above them, it’ll take quite a run to break into the top three I feel.

Meanwhile, Rayleigh Town picked up an important 2 – 0 win over Canning Town at London Road which pushes them up to 9th spot and drops their opponents to the foot of the table. Old Southendian rose off the bottom despite being held 1 – 1 by Kelvedon Hatch at Garon Park. Ryan Scott netted for the visitors who drop to eleventh place. That was because Shenfield AFC grabbed only their second away win this term, defeating Harold Wood Athletic 2 – 1 at Harold Wood Park. Josh Steel netted again for the home side, but strikes by Ben Absolon and Joe Heath ensured the victory which sees them rise to tenth. It’s also worth noting that the bottom six are separated by just three points.

Springfield fell to third bottom after sharing a 2 – 2 draw with Bishop’s Stortford Swifts. The hosts were two goals to the good at half-time but late goals from Kurt Smith and Chris Gibbs meant it was Billy Cove’s side who left the happier of the two sides.

Finally, in the lunchtime kick-off, Leigh Ramblers had a fight hard for a 4 – 3 victory over fellow top five side Hutton at Belfairs Park. Justin Hazell nabbed a brilliant treble, which was added to goal-scoring centre-back Harry Haysom. Matt Singh’s side fought back through a double from Will Marlowe and Mason Hall from the penalty spot. Ramblers replace Hutton in fourth spot but both sides will be looking to surprise the top three in the remaining weeks of the campaign.

EOFL Division One

There were mixed fortunes for the top four in Division One this weekend. Leaders Ongar Town retained their unbeaten record with a 3 – 0 win at second-placed Runwell Sports with Frankie Goodall, Harry Rawlins and Aaron Blair all on target for Richard Ponsford’s side. Ongar extend the lead at the summit to six points now. Manford Way also picked up a great 2 – 0 win at rivals Old Chelmsfordians, with Connor Hammond netting both goals there for Trevor Grace’s side. Manford rise to fourth in the standings while the OC’s first loss in six matches sees them lose ground on leaders Ongar.

Elsewhere, Chingford Athletic continued their rise in the form book with an emphatic 11 – 0 win over struggling Shoebury Town at Town Mead. Michael Mignot again showed the art of finishing by notching five times here, with Sam Coe netting three times also, plus substitute Lee Lashley struck twice and George Miller added the other goal. Chingford remain ninth but are only six points away from the top four now. Shoebury remain bottom after another hard loss for them this weekend.

In the other action this weekend, in the lunchtime kick-off, Ramsden Scotia nabbed a narrow 1 – 0 win over Galleywood in the match reversed to Clarkes Field. The win keeps Ramsden in eighth while ‘Wood drop to fifth. Rayleigh Town Res got their third win of the season and go up to ninth spot after a 2 – 1 success at Snaresbrook. And Toby had a Rhys Willson goal to thank for a 1 – 0 triumph over second-bottom Herongate Athletic at Ford’s Sports Club in Newbury Park, which takes them up to sixth spot. Fellow Non-League writer Aaron Moore was watching and his report is available here: https://footballreview.net/match-report-toby-1-0-herongate-athletic/

EOFL Division Two

Moving into Division Two now and Laindon Orient arguably got the result of the weekend with a 5 – 0 victory over Rochford Town at Markhams Chase. Ashley Blackburn led the way with a brace to take his tally to nine goals so far this term. The other scorers were Anthony Hill, Jason Purewal and a well-known name in Non-League circles in Shomari Barnwell. Neil Blackburn’s side go up to second, level on points with leaders Leigh Town. Rochford dop to ninth spot.

The other contender for result of the week was Epping Town’s 2 – 1 win over Leigh Town which ended Town’s hugely impressive 30+ match undefeated streak. Callum Turner got both goals for Stuart Hoskins’ side while Kieran Craine netted for Jack Pearman’s side. Epping go up to fourth in the standings and cannot be discounted in the race for promotion.

Another side who may have a say in the promotion race are fifth-placed Corinthians who were held to a 3 – 3 draw by Old Southendian Reserves at Stambridge Memorial Ground, which I was fortunate to watch first-hand. This was a brilliant, see-saw, end-to-end dramatic encounter filled with attacking football. Jordan Stoneham, Leo Clarke & Damian Siemienczuk all scored for Chris Stoneham’s side. Nico Dubouchet’s brace and a tap-in from Thomas Margerison made sure Josh Bambury’s side left with a deserved point. My in-depth report on this pulsating match is here: https://survivor16b.wordpress.com/2021/04/17/s-20-21-match-report-corinthians-3-3-old-southendian-res-sat-17-april/

Meanwhile, Beacon Hill Rovers are yet to win since the season restarted after they were held 1 – 1 by Harold Wood Athletic Res. Adam Farley got the goal for the Athletic second-side as they fortified ninth spot. Rovers drop to third and are vulnerable to being caught by Epping & Corinthians as the latter two sides have games in hand on Stephen Bennett’s side. Also in this division, Ryan emerged with a 3 – 2 win at home to AS Rawreth which sent Declan Murphy’s side up to eighth place in the table.

EOFL Division Three

In Division Three, Manford Way Res remain in second place after a comprehensive 5 – 0 win at Buckhurst Hill Res at Roding Lane. Jack Barraclough’s superb hat-trick led the way though David Hornsby stuck for the third successive match to add further gloss to the score-line. The East London side are three points clear of Wakebury in third who clinched a 4 – 1 win away at Leigh Town Reserves. Daniel Buglione scored another double here for Matt Cardy’s side to take his tally to seven goals in the last three matches alone. Harry Kateley and Charlie Little also chipped in to give the Berries a three-point cushion over nearest rivals Collier Row. Row lost 1 – 0 at Basildon Town Res with Nathan Fisher getting the decisive goal for Richard Bennett’s side there for their third win in their last five games and they remain seventh.

ACD Utd were not in action as they got the points, courtesy of home walkover in their match with Corinthians Res, who were unable to field a side. Elsewhere, Lakeside Utd got their first win since the restart with a 3 – 1 home triumph over Hullbridge Sports ‘A’. David Alele notched twice here with Mohamed Bouzeryouh grabbing the other goal to keep them comfortably in eighth spot.

Finally in this division, Hutton Res made it two wins in four days, firstly with a midweek 1 – 0 win over Basildon Town Res at Polo Fields with Keelan O’Donovan getting the goal of that game, watched by myself and Non-League colleague Pete Dudley – his report on that game is here: http://pedroslocalfootiefix.blogspot.com/2021/04/hutton-reserves-1-basildon-town.html

The Hutton second-side followed that up on Saturday with a 2 – 0 win against Toby Res, also at Polo Fields. Conor O’Regan got both goals in that match, which sees them remain in sixth place but are only six points adrift of the top three.

Finally for this division, some news this week. Leigh Town Reserves boss Robert Hutchings-Spiller has elected to step down at the end of the season, after four years in charge. I’d like to wish ‘Hutch’ well in his future in the game.

EOFL Division Four Results

Canning Town Res 2 – 5 Old Chelmsfordians Res | Jo Richardson Sch

Catholic Utd Res H – W Laindon Orient Res | Home Walkover

Galleywood Res 2 – 2 Hashtag Utd Dev | Clarkes Field

Leytonstone Utd 1 – 9 Chingford Athletic Res | Forest Row Centre

Shenfield AFC Res 1 – 3 Ongar Town Res | The Drive, Warley

Sungate Res A – W Wakering Sports Res | Away Walkover

EOFL Senior Five Results

AS Rawreth Res A – W Newbury Forest Res | Away Walkover

Bishop’s Stortford Swifts Res 4 – 2 Old Barkabbeyans | Silver Leys |

Roydon 3 – 0 Springfield Res | Roydon Playing Fields |

Shoebury Town Res 4 – 0 Runwell Sports Res | Cupid’s CC (pitch 4) |

Wakering Sports ‘A’ 5 – 0 Leigh Ramblers Res | Cupid’s CC (pitch 2) |

Preview: Essex Olympian League Division One Resumption [EOFL 20-21 2.4.21]

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

Hello everyone and welcome to a preview of the opening weekend of the resumption of the 2020-21 Essex Olympian League Division One season, looking at the first fixture weekend taking place on the 3rd April, plus a look at who is in the running for the Division One title this season.

As a spectator and writer on Non-League Football, Saturdays in the last four months have been something to adapt to, just another caveat of a thoroughly troubling year.

We begin with a look of the current Division One table, courtesy of the re-modelled FA Full-time site. Then we’ll move on to who is in the running for the title & the first three fixtures those runners have to restart their campaign.

So who could win the Division One title?

As you can see from the table above, leaders Ongar Town have had a superb start, remaining unbeaten and well, their goal-scoring record of 31 goals in eight matches (averaging nearly four goals a game) speaks for itself. But that doesn’t mean there are not potential challengers, as to describe Division One as a dull division would be doing a disservice to the sides around them.

Runwell Sports and Galleywood are the nearest challengers and are close enough to take advantage if Ongar have a uncharacteristically poor start this month. And it would be unwise to rule out the goal-scoring firepower of Old Chelmsfordians and the improving Manford Way side under Trevor Grace, who also have games in hand on all the top four.

Leaders Ongar will have to wait to return to League action as their fixture this weekend has been postponed, but they are due to welcome Shoebury Town to the Lakeside Sports Ground on April 10th before making the trip to St Luke’s Park to take on rivals Runwell Sports a week later..

Second-placed Runwell Sports themselves are fortunate to begin with three home matches, starting with the small matter (not) of Old Chelmsfordians this weekend, followed by Rayleigh Town Reserves and leaders Ongar on April 17th.

Galleywood in third have two home matches to begin their ‘mini-season’ with their first game against Herongate Athletic at Clarkes Field, before visiting Toby a week later. Following that, in a reversed fixture, they are set to welcome Ramsden Scotia in what will be a lunchtime kick-off on April 17th (It will be fascinating to see if that draws in the spectators & ground-hoppers as it may be OK for them to attend then)

Fourth-placed Old Chelmsfordians have the second-best goal-scoring record in the division thus far, but that will be tested as they travel to Runwell first up, followed by a trip to mid-table Ramsden Scotia a week later and then a fascinating encounter with rivals Manford Way at Lawford Lane on April 17th.

Finally, Manford Way possess the second-best defensive record in the division and they welcome mid-table sides Toby and Snaresbrook in the next two weekends, followed by the trip to Old Chelmsfordians mentioned a paragraph ago.

The following fixtures this weekend are subject to Covid protocols (ie. they could be postponed at short notice) & a reminder that spectators are still barred until at least April 12th.

Saturday 3rd April (2.30pm KOs unless stated)

EOFL Division One

Galleywood v Herongate Athletic | Clarkes Field

Manford Way v Toby | London Marathon Sports Ground

Rayleigh Town Res v Chingford Athletic | London Road

Runwell Sports v Old Chelmsfordians | St Luke’s Park

Snaresbrook v Shoebury Town | Nutters Field

Postponed: Ramsden Scotia v Ongar Town (Covid reasons)

That’s all for this article, thank you for reading & I hope to be able to bring back my round-ups of Olympian League action early next week. I wish each team well.

S20-21 Round-up’s: Essex Olympian League (Week 10 – Sat 5 Dec) [EOFL 20-21 6.12.20]

Shenfield AFC on the attack in their match at Leigh Ramblers [Image Credit: Andy Wilkins]

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

Hello and welcome to the return of the Essex Olympian League round-up, here on my blog, looking at the action from Saturday 5th December from the Premier Division all the way to Division Three this week, also including results from Senior Four & Five. My thanks to Andy Wilkins [@wilkins_media] for the match photos used in this article. Thanks for reading.

EOFL Premier Division

We start our round-up in the Premier Division as ever, and in-form Hutton got their fourth straight win with a 2 – 0 win at joint-leaders Basildon Town. Matt Singh’s side had Will Marlowe and replacement Sean O’Callaghan to thank for the goals which sent player-boss Marcus Bowers’ team to their first loss of the league campaign. With Buckhurst Hill’s game at Rayleigh Town postponed due to standing water on the London Road surface, Catholic Utd lead the chasing pack in third spot after a superb 6 – 0 drubbing of Springfield at the Len Forge. Brad Rowland struck two goals to take his tally to five in the league this term. Rhys Fatt also struck before the interval and the points for Stuart Marshall’s side were confirmed thanks to Aaron Baldwin’s spot-kick plus goals for Thomas Kearney and Simon Thomas. Springfield drop to ninth place as there two big wins for sides previously below them in the table.

Harold Wood Athletic were one of those sides, and went up to seventh after a good 2 – 1 triumph at Canning Town. Chris Denham and Robert Whitnell strikes saw Alex Goldstone’s side to their third win this term. Bishop’s Stortford Swifts also got a vital win, defeating Old Southendian 3 – 0 at Silver Leys. Recent signing Wale Odedoyin grabbed two goals in this game, with Carlos Flood securing the win for Billy Cove’s side who rise to eighth spot.

There was a sobering end to the match at New Hall, as Kelvedon Hatch’s match with Sungate was abandoned after twenty minutes due to serious injury. I’d like to send best wishes to the player concerned. Finally in this division, Leigh Ramblers made it five wins in their last six matches with a comfortable 2 – 0 win over Shenfield AFC, with centre-back Harry Haysom notching another two goals to take his tally to five goals this season.

Leigh Ramblers in possession vs Shenfield AFC [Image Credit: Andy Wilkins]

EOFL Division One

In Division One, the runaway juggernaut that is Ongar Town were held for only the second time this term, as they drew 1 – 1 at Old Chelmsfordians. Richard Ponsford’s side are still three points clear at the summit though and their unbeaten run remains intact. The OC’s remain in fourth spot. Runwell Sports, buoyed by being awarded three points during the enforced break after Snaresbrook were deemed to have fielded an ineligible player in the latter side’s win in October, could not take further strikes towards the top as Runwell lost 3 – 0 at new-look Manford Way. Tyrone Scarlett got a pair of goals here, with David Leech also on the score-sheet for Trevor Grace’s side who go up to fifth spot, three points adrift of the top three.

In third place now is Galleywood, after their fine 3 – 1 win at Chingford Athletic. Thomas Watling, Jamie Ricks and replacement Luke Osborne all netted to render Lee Lashley’s goal for Chingford a consolation. The Town Mead side are five matches without a win now and fell to second-bottom after Rayleigh Town Res won 2 – 1 at basement side Shoebury Town. Kalvin Armstrong and George Vile goals assisted Dave Gipp’s side to only their second league win this term. Finally, Ramsden Scotia won 2 – 0 at Toby in the early kick-off of the day to make their way up to sixth in the latest table.

Match Postponed in Div One: Snaresbrook P – P Herongate Athletic

EOFL Division Two

Moving into Division Two now, and there were big moves in the table from this weekend’s four matches. First up, table-toppers Beacon Hill Rovers grabbed a superb 4 – 1 away win over Old Southendian Res at Garon Park. Henry Ballard struck twice here for the mid-Essex side, with Lewis Sherwood and Ben Jackman also on the score-sheet for a Rovers side that remain four points clear at the summit. Leigh Town also got back to winning ways with a 3 – 0 success at Wakering Sports in Shoebury. Lewis Lawrence, Max Jones and Jack Bruce all struck to put Jack Pearman’s side back up to second place, four points shy of the leaders but with two games in hand for Leigh, the only unbeaten side left in the division.

Elsewhere, Laindon Orient got a huge 1 – 0 win away at previously unbeaten Corinthians, with Matthew Gibson getting the only goal before half-time. Neil Blackburn & Rob Neville’s side went above their opponents here into third spot, though the Stambridge side (like Leigh Town) do have two games extra to play in comparison to Laindon & Beacon Hill. Epping Town moved up to fifth with a comprehensive 6 – 1 triumph at home to Rochford Town with Joe Rickett notching two goals here. The supporting cast of Spike Bell, Callum Turner, David Limber and Graeme Turner added to a great afternoon for Stuart Hoskins’ side.

Matches Postponed in Div Two:
Harold Wood Ath Res P – P Ryan

May & Baker ‘A’ P – P AS Rawreth

EOFL Division Three

In Division Three, the weather restricted the action but there were still big results for the top-of-the-table sides. First up, leaders ACD Utd maintained their 100% start with a impressive 3 – 0 win over previously unbeaten Hullbridge Sports ‘A’ at Westlands. Michael Wade resumed his imperious goal-scoring touch this term with another brace here for the hosts, with George Munns also adding a goal to make it thirty goals scored for the team in just six matches. Elsewhere, Manford Way Res won 2 – 1 at fellow high-flyers Wakebury. Charlie Little’s free-kick notched for Matt Cardy’s side but strikes by Jack Barraclough and Fuad Ibrahim made the win possible for the East London-based side and they rose to third, level on points with the Berries.

Also, Lakeside Utd got their third win in their last four games, winning 2 – 1 at home to Collier Row. Harry Davison and Daniel Stokes got the goals to give new player-boss Ben Crouch a win in his first match in charge. Utd move up to sixth spot, while Row fell to fifth in the standings after this result, and they are one of four sides all on 13 points (alongside Wakebury, Manford Way Ressies & Hullbridge ‘A’).

Matches Postponed in Div Three:
Buckhurst Hill Res P – P Corinthians Res

Hutton Res P – P Basildon Town Res

Leigh Town Res P – P Toby Res

EOFL Division Four Results

Catholic Utd Res 4 – 2 Shenfield AFC Res

Laindon Orient Res 3 – 3 Wakering Sports Res

Leytonstone Utd 1 – 0 Canning Town Res

Ongar Town Res 1 – 2 Old Chelmsfordians Res

Sungate Res 3 – 4 Chingford Athletic Res

EOFL Division Five Results

AS Rawreth Res 4 – 3 Collier Row Res

Herongate Athletic Res 4 – 2 Bishop’s Stortford Swifts Res

Leigh Ramblers Res 1 – 2 Roydon

Runwell Sports Res 3 – 0 Epping Town Res

Shoebury Town Res 4 – 1 Wakering Sports ‘A’

Springfield Res 1 – 0 Newbury Forest Res

End

S20-21 Round-ups: Essex Olympian League & Cups (Wk 6 – Sat 10 Oct) [EOFL 20-21 11.10.20]

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

Hello and welcome to another packed edition of the round-up of the Essex Olympian League, here on my blog, from Saturday 10th October from the Premier Division all the way to Division Three this week, with results from Divisions Four & Five and sections on the Senior &Reserve League Cup and the Essex Junior Cup ties this weekend. Thank you to Pete Dudley (@ped1980) for the additional photo. Thanks to you for reading.

Image from OS 0 – 2 LR (Sat 10 Oct – image: Scott W)

Essex Olympian League – Saturday 10 October

EOFL Premier Division

As ever, we begin in the Premier Division, with one match called off on Friday due to ‘health concerns’ so Kelvedon Hatch v Rayleigh Town will be rescheduled. Five matches did take place and leading the standings are Basildon Town on goal difference after Marcus Bowers’ side made it five wins from five matches as they won 4 – 1 at Shenfield AFC. Graham Harrison’s hat-trick set the visitors on a great course and Benjamin Smith’s goal secured another super day for the visitors. Shenfield drop down to ninth place after this result. Buckhurst Hill are also on 15 points from five matches after a brilliant 5 – 0 win over Catholic Utd at Roding Lane. A brace from Tyler Dolan plus strikes from skipper Suleyman Zuhdu, substitute Zachary Davidson and Josh Banfield made sure of the points for mark Williams’ side.

My Non-League colleague Pete Dudley was at this game and if you’d like more on it, his report is here: https://pedroslocalfootiefix.blogspot.com/2020/10/buckhurst-hill-5-catholic-united-0.html/

Elsewhere, at the match Scott attended this week, Leigh Ramblers won their second consecutive local derby as they won 2 – 0 at Old Southendian. A double from centre-back Harry Haysom made the difference for the well-organised Rams, who move up to fourth place. OS fall to tenth after their third loss this term. If you’d like more on this match, my report is here: https://survivor16b.wordpress.com/2020/10/10/s20-21-match-report-old-southendian-0-2-leigh-ramblers-sat-10th-oct-eofl/

Also, Sungate remain third after defeating Bishop’s Stortford Swifts 3 – 0 at home. Swifts’ tough run goes on after a fourth straight defeat. Hutton also got their first win this term, winning 2 – 1 at Harold Wood Athletic thanks to goals from George Wickings and Will Marlowe. The result moves them up to sixth place. Robert Whitnell netted for Ath but their quest for consistency continues, sitting in 12th spot.

EOFL Senior League Cup Results

Canning Town 4 – 0 Ramsden Scotia

Ongar Town 5 – 1 Ryan

EOFL Reserve League Cup

One match in the Reserve Cup saw Catholic Utd Res convincingly win 7 – 0 at Herongate Athletic Ressies which took place at St Clere’s in Stanford-le-Hope. Frankin Craik netted another four goals as he pushes for a recall to the first team, with James Warder, Tom Elliott and Joe Keville also on target as they progressed to the next round.

EOFL Division One

Returning to the League now with Division One action and Snaresbrook lead the division after a fine 2 – 1 win at Runwell Sports. A cracker from 35 yards by Ife Ogunbayo put Rob Caine’s side ahead. Max Catherall also netted for the visitors who are two points clear at the summit. After Sports had a spot-kick saved, Jon Atmore replied for Jason Plom’s side but they still fell to their first league loss this term and drop to fourth place. Manford Way are up to third place after their 2 – 0 success at Toby, with Kieran Smih and Dexter Stuart the goal-scorers for Trevor Grace’s team. Toby are still in a respectable fifth place. In sixth place are Galleywood after a superb 4 – 1 away-day win at Shoebury Town. Replacement Max Orrin notched twice, with Matthew Buckingham and Thomas Watling also on the score-sheet.

Elsewhere, Rayleigh Town Res got their first win in the league this term as they defeated Herongate Athletic 3 – 1 at London Road. Dean Hazleton, Tommy Dominguez and Ebe Djan all scored for Dave Gipp’s side as they go up to tenth. Herongate are eighth, one of three sides on six points in a tight mid-table area. Finally, Old Chelmsfordians won 2 – 1 at Chingford Athletic despite Luke Dimond scoring for the Town Mead side.

EOFL Division Two

Now moving into Division Two, Leigh Town lead the standings by two points after a fine 3 – 1 win over Beacon Hill Rovers at John Burrows Recreation Ground. Sam Gillmore, Sam Irvine and James Roberts were the goal-scorers for Jack Pearman’s side as they remain unbeaten. They also benefitted from being awarded two extra points after Rochford Town were found to have fielded an ineligible player in their draw in late September.

Rochford also had a painful defeat at home as they lost 3 – 2 to ten-man Old Southendian Res at Rochford Recreation Ground. The OS second-side saw goalkeeper Chris Leonard dismissed, and won the game thanks to goals from Nico Dubouchet, Lewis Bickford and Luke Stillwell. Wakering Sports are in fourth place after a narrow 1 – 0 win at the newly-renamed May & Baker ‘A’ (see end of this section for news on that). Ryan Gregory got the only goal for the Shoebury-based side here. Laindon Orient are a point behind them in fifth place after they got a hard-fought 3 – 2 win over Epping Town in a match moved to the Eversley Leisure Centre in Pitsea. Former Walthamstow & Saffron Walden player Lewis Francis turned out for Neil Blackburn’s side and got their opening goal, to which Sam Moore and Anthony Hill added to obtain the three points. Epping fall to sixth after their first league defeat of the campaign.

Lastly for this division, Corinthians got a 2 – 1 victory over Harold Wood Athletic Res at Stambridge which means Chris Stoneham’s side go up to second spot.

Re: May & Baker ‘A’, the Essex County FA recently ordered them to revert to the previous name of ‘A’ as there is already a Reserve side in the Essex Senior Reserve Division.

EOFL Division Three

In Division Three, Wakebury are the new leaders following a 7 – 2 victory over bottom side Leigh Town Reserves at Shoebury Park. Defences in this division will be alerted to the fact that the returning Charlie Little nabbed four goals in this match, with an OG, Chris Gore and Shaun Lewis-Evans accounting for the other goals as Matt Cardy’s side remain unbeaten. Collier Row drop to second place after being held 3 – 3 away to Manford Way Res, with Daniel Reeve notching a treble for Row in this one. Shaun Goddard and David Hornsby were among the scorers for the Manford second-side.

In the two other matches in this division, Lakeside Utd got their first win of the league season as strikes by Carl Prendergast and David Alele saw them to a 2 – 0 triumph at Basildon Town Res. Also, Hutton Res drew 3 – 3 with Corinthians Res with both sides yet to win this term and in the bottom three.

EOFL Division Four Results

Canning Town Res 1 – 3 Ongar Town Res

Old Chelmsfordians Res 2 – 1 Laindon Orient Res

EOFL Division Five Results

Bishop’s Stortford Swifts Res 4 – 4 Wakering Sports Dev

Old Barkabbeyans 7 – 0 Newbury Forest Res

Essex Junior Cup Results

ACD Utd 5 – 3 Sungate Res

AS Rawreth Res 2 – 0 Hashtag Utd Development

Epping Town Res 3 – 2 Shenfield AFC Res

Galleywood Res 2 – 1 Old Chigwellians Res

Leigh Ramblers Res 3 – 3 Leigh Town ‘A’ (Town won 4 – 3 on pens)

Leytonstone Utd 4 – 1 All Prospects

Lymore Gardens 3 – 1 Collier Row Res

Roydon 2 – 4 Brentwood Utd

Sandon Royals 3 – 2 Buckhurst Hill Res

Springfield Res 2 – 4 Waltham Abbey Res

Wakering Sports Res 5 – 2 Hullbridge Sports ‘A’

West Essex Res 4 – 0 Toby Res

Writtle 1 – 0 Chingford Athletic Res

S20-21 Round-ups: Essex Olympian League & Cups (Wk 5 – Sat 3 Oct) [EOFL 20-21 4.10.20]

Image from Catholic Utd 1 – 3 Leigh Ramblers [EOFL Prem 3.10.20]

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

Hello and welcome to another edition of the Essex Olympian League round-up, here on my blog, looking at the action from Saturday 3rd October from the Premier Division all the way to Division Four this week, also including sections on the Senior & Reserve League Cup action this weekend. Thanks for reading.

Essex Olympian League – Saturday 3 October

EOFL Premier Division

In the only Premier Division match that took place this weekend, Leigh Ramblers put in a great performance to win 3 – 1 at local rivals Catholic Utd. First-half goals from skipper Ryan Lowe and Harry Haysom overturned an earlier Harley Kee spot-kick for the ‘Super Hoops’ and the win was secured by a late goal by replacement George Moxon. I attended this match and if you’d like more on this good advert for the division, my report is here: https://survivor16b.wordpress.com/2020/10/03/s20-21-match-report-catholic-utd-1-3-leigh-ramblers-sat-3rd-oct/

EOFL Senior League Cup

The EOFL Senior Cup once again involved most of the sides in the top three tiers and although it was curtailed by the elements, we still had some surprise results. In the first of our six featured matches, Epping Town of Division Two defeated Division One side Old Chelmsfordians 3 – 1 at Epping Rugby Club. Strikes from Callum Turner, Kai Bowers and Ben Collier sent the OC’s out of the competition. Premier side Shenfield AFC had to survive with ten men before edging to a 2 – 1 success at Division One side Manford Way. Liam Burgess netted for Trevor Grace’s side but AFC responded through strikes by Tom Blackmur and Ben Carroll to go through.

Elsewhere, in the first of two all top-tier clashes, Bishop’s Stortford Swifts defeated Old Southendian 2 – 0 with both goals for Billy Cove’s side coming through Chris Gibbs. Also, Harold Wood Athletic got a morale-boosting win, dispatching Kelvedon Hatch as Alex Goldstone’s side won 3 – 0 at Harold Wood Park. Robert Whitnell, John Bradley and Jack Baines got the goals on a fine day for Ath. Top-tier Rayleigh Town were too strong for Division Three hosts Lakeside Utd as they emerged with a 5 – 0 victory, with Bailey Moss earning a hat-trick and Harry Talbot netting twice for Paul Higgins’ team.

It wasn’t so clear-cut as Westlands though as Division Three outfit ACD Utd gave Premier side Sungate a scare, holding them to a 0 – 0 draw, with the ‘Gate going through 6 – 5 on penalty kicks. The visitors will be happy to get through but credit has to go to Michael Wade’s side for the progress they have made since joining the EOFL. Buckhurst Hill join them in the next round as they got a home Walkover with opponents Leigh Town unable to field a side for their contest.

Other Results (Senior Cup):

Beacon Hill Rovers 6 – 1 Wakebury

Herongate Athletic 1 – 1 Runwell Sports (Herongate won 4 – 3 on pens)

Matches Off:

Collier Row P – P Roydon

Galleywood P – P Basildon Town

Hutton P – P Springfield

May & Baker ‘A’ P – P Newbury Forest Res

EOFL Reserve League Cup

Finally for the Cup action this week, there was goals aplenty in the Reserve Cup. Old Southendian Res comfortably won 4 – 1 over Wakering Sports Development at Garon Park. Thomas Smith struck twice for Oliver Tatton-Bennett’s team, with Nico Debouchet and Jared Brand also on target as they progressed. Rayleigh Town Res also had a great day, defeating Runwell Sports Res 6 – 0 at London Road. Among their scorers was a double for substitute Samuel Barker, plus goals for Matthew Bampus, Matthew Oaten and Kalvin Armstrong as Dave Gipp’s side went through comfortably. Also, Springfield Ressies went through with a 3 – 1 win against Shoebury Town Res at Arun Close. Harrison Elles, Liam England and James Page strikes outdid the response for Town from Simon Pearce as Peter Ellwood’s side went through to the next round.

Matches Off:

Chingford Athletic Res P – P Manford Way Res

Sungate Res P – P Collier Row Res

EOFL Division One

Returning to league action now and it was kudos all round to the home sides in Division One as all three matches went ahead. Chingford Athletic got their first league win this term with a 4 – 1 victory at Shoebury Town and in doing so leapt out of the bottom two. Snaresbrook went up to third spot after edging to a 4 – 3 win over Ramsden Scotia at Nutters Field, with a pair of spot-kicks from Ife Ogunbayo and goals from Daniel Tesfay and Drew Barbier secured the points for Rob Caine’s team.

Meanwhile, Toby continued their good start to the campaign by holding irrepressible Ongar Town to a 2 – 2 draw in Newbury Park. Chris Rowland got both goals for Mark Jones’ side but Aaron Blair made it twelve league goals already this term by grabbing another brace here as Ongar eked out a one-point lead over nearest rivals Runwell Sports, who were in Cup action this weekend.

EOFL Division Two

The weather further limited the Division Two action, though Wakering Sports handed Rochford Town a first league loss this term as Sports won 1 – 0 at Cupid’s. Meschack Kisoka got the decisive goal for the home side as they moved up above their opponents into fourth. Elsewhere, Laindon Orient were held 2 – 2 by an improving Ryan side at Markhams Chase. James Shadwell and Ashley Blackburn both netted for Neil Blackburn’s side but both sides remain in mid-table.

Match Off: Corinthians P – P AS Rawreth

EOFL Division Three

Unfortunately, all three Division Three matches were postponed this week so It’s ‘as you were’ at the top of the standings with ACD Utd, Collier Row, Buckhurst Hill Res and Basildon Town Res all on six points each, with ACD and Row the only sides with a 100% league record.

Matches Off: Basildon Town Res P – P Toby Res |

Buckhurst Hill Res P – P Corinthians Res |

Leigh Town Res P – P Hutton Res |

EOFL Division Four

This week, we’ll go into more detail in Division Four. Leaders Catholic Utd Res further endorsed their goal difference as well as their 100% winning start with a huge 9 – 0 triumph at Old Chelmsfordians Res. Also on nine points are Laindon Orient Ressies who won 2 – 0 at Shenfield AFC Res, with replacement Olanrewaju Aborisade and Thomas Springer both netting for Kevin Scott’s side, who sit second. In third spot are Hashtag Utd Development, who got their third win in four games, defeating Galleywood Res at Barleylands. William Santos and substitute Michael Parkinson scored for the ‘Wood second side, but a brace for Harry Braysher and goals for Harrison Michaelson and substitute Kai Warren ensured the three points stayed with Denis Simpson’s team.

Match Off: Ongar Town Res P – P Leytonstone Utd (Due to a Waterlogged pitch)

EOFL Division Five

Old Barkabbeyans 3 – 0 Bishop’s Stortford Swifts Res

Matches Off: AS Rawreth Res P – P Herongate Athletic Res

Leigh Ramblers Res P – P Epping Town Res

Season Review 2019-20: Essex Olympian League Division One [EOFL SR 19/20 27.4.20]

Written By Scott W [Twitter: @ScottMHC14]

Hello and welcome to the fifth piece of a mini-series of blog articles looking back at the ‘void’ Season 2019-20, as deemed by the FA.

In this edition, I look back at the EOFL Division One campaign, rounded out with an array of statistics compiled from the EOFL FA Full-Time website including top goal-scorers & top appearance makers in the League fixtures. I won’t shirk, I’ll get the apology in now that I didn’t see any EOFL Division One matches live, but I will try to treat it the same as the other divisions that I did see matches in (Premier, Div Two & Div Three) this season.

EOFL Division One (as of season cut-off point of March 14th 2020)

As with all the EOFL divisions, the season was halted in mid-March 2020 before eventually being curtailed several weeks later. At the top of the standings at this point was Chingford Athletic, who continued their terrific progress up the EOFL divisions following promotion from Division Two last term. Dave Richbell’s side won fourteen of their 17 matches to end up on an impressive 43 points. In doing so, they had the best home record, winning eight of their ten matches at Town Mead [3G] and had the second-best goal-scoring record, striking the net 48 times (at a Goals per game average (Or GpG) of 2.82). The only sides to beat them this term were Old Chelmsfordians and Lakeside and the fact they had two entrants in the top five of the goal-scoring charts (see below) means they will again look for elevation next term you feel. All in all, another good campaign that chairman Lee Bowers can reflect on with pride.

In second spot were Old Chelmsfordians, six points further back on 37 points from their seventeen matches played. All season they have been a tough side to breakdown, having the fourth-best defence conceding twenty goals and are the top-scorers in the division, having plundered 54 goals (a GpG of 3.17) and to cap it off, the Chelmsford-based side also had the second-best home record, winning seven of their nine matches at Lawford Lane. Matthew Crick also topped the goal-scoring charts with 15 league goals this term. Ongar Town were third on 31 points from only eleven matches, having been blighted by weather and being in Cup action as well, particularly the Essex Premier Cup. Even so, they won ten of their matches, scoring 36 and conceding only nine times – the best in the division. They were unbeaten at their Fyfield Village Hall home as well, winning six of their seven matches there. Had the season continued, the East London side may well have caught the leaders though they can still be more than satisfied with a fine season.

Lakeside finished in fourth place, having accrued 29 points from their fifteen matches. Not bad going at all for the promoted side. It is one of those statistical quirks that six of their nine wins this season came away from their Lakeside Sports Ground 3G home. Plus, their goal-scoring and defensive records sit in mid-table, with them having the sixth-highest scoring record with 31 (GpG of 2.06) and having shelled 22 goals, the sixth-best in Division One. Highly-rated forward Drew Klessa-Smith was again their top league goal-scorer with eight goals and they can look forward to another good campaign next term. Another side in the Chelmsford area finished fifth, in Galleywood. They got 24 points from their fifteen outings, though they won six of those and only lost three times. In an interesting stat twist, they were the lowest scorers of anyone in the top seven sides (with 23 strikes this term), whilst also having the fifth-best defensive record with 20 goals conceded. Going from that, they are a tough side to defeat and will look to maintain that going into the next campaign.

A point further back in sixth were Rayleigh Town Reserves, under the leadership initially of Lee Bunn and Dan Williams before the latter’s departure meant Bunn took sole charge in the last couple of months or so. They improved on a bottom-two finish in 2018/19, having won seven of their 13 matches to end up on 23 points. They were not a dull side to follow, having struck the net thirty-five times (at a GpG of 3.18) but also shelled 30 goals themselves and it was perhaps the latter that hindered them from achieving a top-four finish, though it’s worth noting they did have matches in hand on most of their rivals. The Town second-side also were unbeaten in their last five matches so they will be optimistic that they will have a decent season again next time around. They were six points clear of Shoebury Town in seventh, who ended a mixed season to put it mildly with seventeen points from 18 matches. They only won three matches, though they did also draw a league-high of eight matches as well. The mixed theme continues as Shoebury struck 38 times this term (a GpG of 2.11), only to concede 49 goals at the other end, the third-worst in the division. On a better note, star forward Dominic Binns again was their highest goal-getter, grabbing eleven goals this season so congratulations to him. Plaudits also go to Mitchell Odd and Matthew Smith, the other two Town players in the top goal-scorers chart this term with six goals apiece.

Next in the standings were another club affected by weather and Cup action in FC Hamlets, who got 15 points from their eleven matches, after a three-point deduction for fielding an ineligible player. On a happier note, Ashley King’s side had the second-best record defensively, only shelling twelve goals in their league season, as well as another fine in the London Junior Cup, which saw them make the Final once again. It is impossible to leave out a mention for the 2018-19 Division One Top goal-scorer Charlie Heatley, who added a further ten goals this term. Respect to you Charlie. I would also like to wish departing player-boss Ashley King well as social media reports indicate he will move on in the summer. Snaresbrook are two points behind their fellow East London side in ninth, having reached thirteen points from their ten matches, as the weather heavily impacted their fortunes. Their management will probably look to the point that they scored nineteen goals in their matches this term, the second-most goal-shy this term. Ramsden Scotia are a point further back in tenth spot, having been deducted two points as well. They finished fifth in the previous season though the Billiericay-based side had more problems going forward this term, scoring eighteen goals in their 15 games (GpG of 1.20) – the lowest in the division. Their top-scorer Jamie Auvache (6 goals) deserves a mention too for preventing a worse outcome there.

Into the bottom four now and Manford Way had another hard campaign following relegation from the Premier Division in 2018-19. They finished in eleventh spot with 11 points from their fifteen matches (after being deducted two points). Unfortunately, their biggest headache this term was at the back as they conceded forty-eight goals (average of 3.20 a match) which is the fourth highest this league term. Top-scorer Joe Lovell got six of the twenty-two league goals they did strike though they will look to improve next term. In twelfth place is Herongate Athletic, who gained three points as a result of an opposition error to end on eleven points from their15 matches. Goalscoring wasn’t a particular issue for them, having scored twenty-six goals (the highest number of all the bottom six clubs) though their troubles were in defence, having conceded fifty-three times which was the division’s joint-worst record this season. Two wins all campaign really lends itself to the feeling they will want to improve next term. Below them are Runwell Sports in 13th after a very hard campaign for outgoing manager Jason Emery, who will concentrate on being Chairman next season. Sports grabbed ten points from their 14 matches though in fairness, they did show glimpses of improving form both in the league and in Cups in the second part of the season. They may have got themselves higher in the standings given the big number of matches they had to play and in another anomaly, they only conceded 26 goals, the best defensive record of the bottom six sides.

Finally, Toby prop up the table in last place, having gained seven points in their 18 matches. One win all season (which was against rivals Herongate Athletic in early February) almost tells the tale sadly for the previous season’s Div Two runners-up which saw them promoted, and also conceding 53 goals did hamper their aspirations to evade the bottom two. Wish them well next campaign.

EOFL Division One – Top Goalscorers 2019-20 Season

		Club/s	League Goals	League Starts

1	Matthew Crick	Old Chelmsfordians	15	16
2	Alex Gordon	Chingford Athletic	14	15

=3	Aaron Blair	Ongar Town	11	11
	Lee Lashley	Chingford Athletic	11	10
	Dominic Binns	Shoebury Town	11 (1 pen)	12

6	Charlie Heatley	FC Hamlets	10	11

7	Rodney Wilson	Rayleigh Town Res	9	10

=8	Max Johnson	Old Chelmsfordians	8	14
	Drew Klessa-Smith	Lakeside	8	14

10	Joshua Boxall	Ongar Town	7	8

=11	Martin Mixture	Old Chelmsfordians	6	4
	Mitchell Odd	Shoebury Town	6	6
	Luke Quinton	Lakeside	6	6
	Joe Lovell	Manford Way	6	9
	Joe Lilly	Ongar Town	6	9
	Jamie Auvache	Ramsden Scotia	6	10
	Matthew Smith	Shoebury Town	6	13

Finally, here’s the top page of the Leading Appearance Makers in Division One (focus on League Starts)

			Appearances
		Club/s	League Starts	Bench	Total

=1	Benjamin Britton	Toby	17	0	17
	Matthew Crick	Old Chelmsfordians	16	1	17

=3	Aaron Clark	Shoebury Town	16	0	16
	Joe Peters	Old Chelmsfordians	16	0	16

=5	Alex Gordon	Chingford Athletic	15	0	15
	Sean O’Sullivan	Toby	15	0	15
	Max Johnson	Old Chelmsfordians	14	1	15
	Drew Klessa-Smith	Lakeside	14	1	15

=9	Liam Aston	Lakeside	14	0	14
	Ollie Pettit	Lakeside	14	0	14
	Sam Pettit	Lakeside	14	0	14
	Samuel Pollard	Old Chelmsfordians	14	0	14
	Liam Saunders	Old Chelmsfordians	14	0	14
	William Strutt	Lakeside	14	0	14

=15	Charlie Adams	Runwell Sports	13	0	13