Saffron Walden Town – survivor16b

S22-23 Round-ups: Essex Senior Lge (Fri 24/Sat 25 Feb)

Image from Romford v Barking on Friday night [Image from Scott W]

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

Hello & welcome to the latest of my occasional series, looking at the Essex Senior League – Premier Division programme that took place on the weekend of Friday 24/Saturday 25 February.

Essex Senior Lge – Friday 24 February

The weekend’s action begins with three games of Friday & another fine win for in-form Woodford Town, who defeated Stanway Rovers 3 – 0 at Ashton’s. Ernest Okoh, Luke Parrott & substitute Wale Odedoyin all netted for Shane Baptiste’s side, in a win which fortifies their position in fourth, after the weekend’s action. There was a gritty goal-less draw between Buckhurst Hill and Stansted, in front of about 200 spectators at Roding Lane. Hill are 13th, while the Airportmen are eighth. Lastly on Friday, there was a memorable match as the Mayesbrook derby ended with Barking winning 4 – 3 over Romford, in front of 135 fans. Luke Hirst’s treble & a super goal by Ronaldo Kapica overturned a fine Hassan Nalbant double & a Anthony Furlong goal and it saw the Blues rise to sixth. If you’d like more on this game, my report is here: https://survivor16b.wordpress.com/2023/02/25/s22-23-match-report-romford-3-4-barking-fri-24-feb-esl/

On Saturday 25 February, leaders Enfield got a much-needed victory, as they won 3 – 0 at Takeley to stay two points clear at the summit. Alex Warman opened the scoring ten minutes in, before a first-half double for Louie Johnson secured the win for Jamie Cureton’s team. Also, Redbridge stay second after a 2 – 0 triumph over Halstead Town. Jamie Price & James Barlow got the goals to keep George Christou’s team six points clear of FC Clacton, who despatched Southend Manor 5 – 0 at the Austin Arena. The ensemble cast of Adam Tilson (2), Jordan Lartey, Teddy Collis and Mekhi McKenzie’s 22nd league goal this term secured the points for Tom Austin’s team.

Elsewhere, Athletic Newham are well-placed in ninth, with several matches in hand on their rivals as they won 2 – 1 at Little Oakley. Richard Kone notched both goals to reach 15 league goals this term. Danny Garrad responded for James Good’s side but they drop to seventh. White Ensign got another fine away result, as they won 1 – 0 at West Essex. Joe Gregory got the telling goal, to send Ensign up to 15th. Ilford won 5 – 0 at Clapton to see the Foxes up to 12th. The ensemble cast of Josh Boxall, Jack Zielinski, Conner Jones, Jake Chadwick and substitute Caleb Adomako-Mensah all scored to assist Richard Ponsford’s sude to the points. Lastly, Saffron Walden Town defeated Sawbridgeworth Town 3 – 0 in front of 321 at Catons Lane. Tom Skelton, Ryan Melaugh & Charlie Smith all scored for Terry Spillane & Michael Toner’s team, who rise to tenth now.

End

S22-23 Round-ups: Essex Senior League (Sat 5 Nov) [ESL 22-23 6.11.22]

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

Hello & welcome to the latest of my occasional series, looking at the Essex Senior League action, looking at all ten matches that took place on the weekend of Saturday 5 November. We saw 43 goals in the ten matches.

Essex Senior Lge – Saturday 5 November

The weekend’s action started on Friday night as Saffron Walden Town grabbed an impressive 4 – 1 victory at Halstead Town to bolster their top-five aspirations. The ensemble cast of Solomon Ofori, Dion Lewis-Kirwan, Palvy Manduakila and Stanley Leech all netted a goal each to render Jordan Blackwell’s goal for Halstead as mere consolation, in front of 425 spectators at Rosemary Lane. Also, Ilford got an decent 1 – 0 victory at Romford, with Paul Cox the scorer there for Richard Ponsford’s team who are 15th after the weekend’s action. Finally on Friday night, Woodford Town handed Clapton another loss as Town won 4 – 0, with Jaedon Phillips’ early double being added to by Luke Parrott & substitute Dimi Christou to keep the Tons second bottom.

On Saturday, Enfield remain five points clear at the summit with a comprehensive 6 – 0 victory over Sawbridgeworth Town at Woodside. Ibrahim Kehinde opened the scoring on 25 minutes for Jamie Curerton’s team, while Danny Norton added another two goals to reach nine leaguwe goals this term. Louie Johnson’s spot-kick, Samrai Gebrai & substitute Dwade James all added a goal each to make it 11 wins from 12 games for the E’s. Elsewhere, Redbridge are third after a 4 – 0 victory over White Ensign at Oakside. Joey May made a rare start & got the opening goal after five minutes. Bradley Bennett added another first-half goal before Solomon Ogunwomoju struck twice to secure the win. Little Oakley also got another good three points with a 3 – 2 win over Stanway Rovers at the Memorial Stadium. Harry Mann, William Crisell & Mason Ridgway-Lumley got the crucial goals for Matt Carmichael’s side to overturn strikes by Ernest Okoh and replacement Sanunur Bah Bah for Rovers.

FC Clacton got back to winning ways with an impressive 5 – 1 win at Southend Manor, in the match I attended this weekend. Mekhi McKenzie has so often been an important player for Tom Austin’s side and McKenzie showed that again with a treble, which was added to by strikes by Reuben Cowler & a penalty by Teddy Collis. Substitute Joe Darby got a late consolation for Manor but they remain bottom. My report is available here: https://survivor16b.wordpress.com/2022/11/05/s22-23-match-report-southend-manor-1-5-fc-clacton-sat-5-nov/

Meanwhile, Athletic Newham welcomed back Richard Kone from injury and he bagged a fine treble as Newham defeated West Essex 4 – 0 at the Terry Mac. Daniel Izekor got the other goal as the hosts went up to ninth spot. Buckhurst Hill made the most of an early sending off for Barking to grab a 4 – 0 win over Charlie MacDonald’s side at Roding Lane. Ezekiel Bademosi got a brace for Mark Williams’ side, with Nathan Sollosi also netting and there was a late goal for Hassan Nalbant as well. Finally, Takeley got a fine 3 – 1 victory at Stansted, with Glenn O’Hanlon and George Wappett getting first-half goals for Marc Das’ team. Ashaan Siddik got a goal back for the Airportmen before the interval. Hodje Almeida-Joaquim added a third goal to give the visitors the points which saw them rise to 11th.

That’s all for this week, thank you for reading.

S22-23 Round-ups: Essex Senior Lge (Sat 8 Oct) [ESL 22-23 9.10.22]

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

Hello & welcome to the latest of my occasional series, looking at the Essex Senior League action, looking at all ten matches that took place on Saturday 8 October, which saw three teams get important away wins.

Essex Senior Lge – Saturday 8 October

The weekend’s action started on Friday night as Saffron Walden Town got a 2 – 1 win in a heated battle at Barking. Luke Hirst got the goal for Charlie MacDonald’s side, but Jason Hallett’s free-kick & a Connor Scully goal was enough to see Jason Maher’s team to a hugely important win which sees them rise to mid-table. On Saturday, Stanway Rovers grabbed a 4 – 0 victory over visitors Clapton in the early kick-off at the Hawthorns. Ernest Okoh netted another two goals for Danny Slatter’s team, with Ezequiel Franchi & Joe Debell also on target to leave Clapton two points adrift of nearest rivals Halstead.

Elsewhere, FC Clacton got another good win with a 2 – 1 success at Halstead Town in the match I attended this weekend. Charlie Thompson and Jake Clowsley’s penalty was enough to overhaul Ben Morris’ first goal for Town at Rosemary Lane and send Tommy Austin’s side up to fifth spot. If you’d like more on this match, my report is available here: https://survivor16b.wordpress.com/2022/10/09/s22-23-match-report-halstead-town-1-2-fc-clacton-sat-8-oct-esl/

Ilford also got a good 3 – 1 win over Buckhurst Hill at Cricklefield. Joe Lilly netted twice (one from 12 yards) for Richard Ponsford’s team, with Harry Rawlins also scoring to outdo another goal for the in-form Hassan Nalbant for Buckhurst. The Foxes are up to 13th place after this win. Romford got an important 2 – 0 win at rivals Redbridge, with Charlie Morris and Jesse Olukolu the goal-getters for Steve Butterworth’s side there, which saw them up to tenth with games in hand. Enfield are up to third spot after a super 3 – 0 victory at Little Oakley, thanks to strikes by Danny Norton, Gavin Cockman & Dwade James. Jamie Cureton’s side are well-placed with two games in hand on the top two.

West Essex went back up to the summit with a 4 – 0 success at Southend Manor. Marlon Ortiz netted twice after coming off the bench, with Callum Bloss and Cameron Gray also on target for Kwame Kwateng’s side. Manor also announced Alex O’Leary as their new gaffer this week, and his role in lifting this hastily rebuilt side will be a hard ask as they seek to get out of the bottom two. Takeley also prevailed with a 2 – 0 win over White Ensign at Station Road, with George Powell & Glenn O’Hanlon on target for Marc Das’ team, which saw them go up to 12th spot.

We end this article with two home wins. First, Sawbridgeworth Town continued their impressive start to the campaign with a 3 – 2 success over Stansted at Crofters. Larry Akanbi, Zach Davidson & David Etcheri all netted for Kieran Amos & Ben Taylor’s team which sent them up to ninth. Carl Conway & Connor Hammond scored for the Airportmen but they remain in mid-table. Lastly, Woodford Town managed an excellent 3 – 1 triumph against Athletic Newham at Ashton’s. Jaedon Phillips, Lee Sharpe & substitute Dimi Christou’s goal ensured Shane Baptiste’s side ended the day in seventh. Chris Nguidjol got his second goal this week for Chris Davis’ team.

S22-23 Round-ups: Essex Senior Lge (Fri 30 Sept/Sat 1 Oct) [ESL 22/23 2.10.22]

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

Hello & welcome to the latest Essex Senior League round-up, which is part of an occasional blog series this term, in addition to the many match reports on League matches this term. This article looks at the action from the weekend of Saturday 1 October.

Essex Senior – Saturday 1 October

We start the Saturday action with a huge win for Saffron Walden Town as they defeated Ilford 6 – 1 at Catons Lane, in front of 280 fans. Jason Hallett struck yet another hat-trick (two of them were penalties) to set Jason Maher’s side on the path to success, with Cameron Watson’s early goal allied with strikes by Craig Calver and Stanley Leech. Brandon Wood’s goal was little consolation for the Foxes as they fell to 15th spot. Walden are still outside the top half in 13th but they are only three points adrift of the top six, which shows how tight the table is at present.

Stansted are also finding their form as they outclassed Stanway Rovers 5 – 1 at Hargrave Park. The returning Connor Hammond hit two fine free-kicks to net a brace, with Michael Mignot also scoring two for Paul Pittuck & John Watters’ side here. Jack Mitchell got the other goal here, but there was no clean sheet here as substitute Ezequiel Franchi got a late reply for Danny Slatter’s team here. The Airportmen rise back up into the top, into 8th. Meanwhile, Little Oakley got another gritty 1 – 0 win away from home, this time at former leaders West Essex. Danny Garrad’s goal midway through the second period was the decisive moment and was enough for all three points as Oakley stay in third and three points adrift of the leaders.

Elsewhere, Takeley got a big 5 – 0 win at White Ensign, with an Oliver Jenkins OG, Glenn O’Hanlon and Jordan Westcott goals setting them on their way. Late goals from Hodje Almeida-Joaquim and Lewis Deamer gave Marc Das’ side a more than comfortable triumph to send them up to 14th. The North East Essex rivalry resumed at Rush Green Bowl as FC Clacton edged to a 3 – 2 victory over Halstead Town. Jake Clowsley, Reuben Cowler and Mekhi McKenzie’s spot-kick was enough to give Tommy Austin’s side the points, despite the Humbugs threatening a comeback thanks to goals from Alfie Cleal and Jordan Blackwell. The Seasiders broke into the top five with this win. Halstead remain third from bottom, two points clear of the bottom two.

Buckhurst Hill got the win they wanted as they won 3 – 1 at Southend Manor. Hassan Nalbant continued his superb scoring run with another double here, to which club stalwart Henry Day added a third to give Mark Williams’ side the points. Manor are in the process of a complete squad rebuild after recent events and gave the visitors a tougher game in the second half, shown by Will Atwill’s consolation goal. Buckhurst stay fourth while Manor are still without a win this term.

The big match on Friday for Redbridge saw them face second-bottom Clapton, which the Blues dominated on their way to a 6 – 0 triumph at Oakside. Substitute Tony Martin struck twice in the second half to add to first half strikes by Joe Elliott, Michael Pindy, Samraj Gill and Miles Peterkin. The Tons found it difficult to cope with the pace and passing of George Christou’s team and the hosts went top. I attended this match & if you’d like more on it, my report is here: https://survivor16b.wordpress.com/2022/10/01/s22-23-match-report-redbridge-6-0-clapton-fri-30-sept-esl/ 

In the other match on Friday night, Woodford Town were denied a good win as a last minute leveller from Larry Akanbi saw them draw 2 – 2 with Sawbridgeworth Town.

Finally, in the FA Cup there was no dream ‘giant-killing’ for Romford as they gave Step 2 side Chelmsford City a tricky test before falling to a 5 – 0 loss at Mayesbrook Patrk 3G, in front of over 330 spectators. Khale Da Costa’s treble ensured Robbie Simpson’s side marched on, with Ade Oluwo’s strike on the hour plus a late Tom Blackwell goal added gloss to the score-line.

That’s all for this weekend, thank you for reading.

S21-22 Round-ups: Essex Senior League (Sat 16 Apr) [ESL 21-22 17.4.22]

Hello and welcome a bonus blog looking at the action from the Essex Senior from Thurs 14th to Saturday 16th April, the penultimate weekend of the regular league season. Thanks for reading.

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

Action still from Redbridge v Little Oakley on Good Friday [Image by Scott W]

Essex Senior League – Premier Division

On Thursday night, the re-arranged game between Hoddesdon Town and Stansted at Lowfield ended in a 2 – 1 victory for the Lilywhites. Larry Asare-Bediako gave them a first-minute lead, before Harry Andic netted a second goal just after the half-hour. Billy Coyne’s reply by way of a penalty six minutes before the break didn’t do enough to reverse the Airportmen’s fortunes here and further dimmed their play-off spot chances.

On Good Friday, Redbridge also had a dramatic game as they were held 1 – 1 by Little Oakley at Oakside. Michael Pindy put the Motormen ahead after three minutes to give them a dream start. However, profligate finishing scuppered their chances of making the points safe, allowing Oakley to stay in the game and a Harry Mann spot-kick was enough to give a depleted Oakley side a point.

If you’d like more on this game, my report is here: https://survivor16b.wordpress.com/2022/04/15/s21-22-match-report-redbridge-1-1-little-oakley-fri-15-apr

On Friday night, Woodford Town‘s last home game of the season ended in a 1 – 1 draw with Cockfosters. Both goals came late on, with Montel McKenzie putting Shane Baptiste’s side ahead on 81 minutes, only for substitute Bailey Stevenson levelling the game deep in added time with a fine volley. Cockfosters still remain in the top ten and have a Errington Cup Semi-Final at Enfield in midweek. If you’d like more on this game, fellow Non-League writer Peter Dudley was there & his report can be viewed here (second part of article): https://pedroslocalfootiefix.blogspot.com/2022/04/redbridge-1-little-oakley-1-woodford.html

Onto the five matches on Saturday now, start with Saffron Walden Town‘s priceless 2 – 0 triumph over strugglers Sawbridgeworth Town. Khris Oti and Gavin Cockman got the goals as Walden almost mathematically secured the second-place they have sought after. A crowd of 457 watched on at Catons Lane and they are unbeaten in their last 11 matches – some run that is at a crucial time. Sawbo have to win at home to West Essex next weekend and hope St Margaretsbury fail to win at Redbridge or they will be in the lottery of the relegation/promotion play-off between a Step 5 & 6 side as I understand it.

Elsewhere, Stansted kept up their very slim hopes of that second spot with a 2 – 0 victory at home to White Ensign at Hargrave Park. Michael Salako [49 & 82′] notched a double here to reach 20 league goals this campaign, congrats to him on another fine season. A win for Ensign at Enfield next Saturday evening will confirm a top-ten spot in their first term at Step 5. Also, Enfield conclusively won 4 – 1 at Clapton, with Samrai Gebrai notching a fine treble and Jack Grosvenor also on target midway in the second half. Ryan Ferrari got a consolation for the Tons as they still need a point to vanquish any mathematical chance of finishing in the bottom three.

FC Clacton got a 1 – 0 victory over Athletic Newham at the Rush Green Bowl, with Jamie Bennett the goal-scorer there. the Seasiders go above Newham in the standings into seventh and could still finish in the top eight which would a super achievement. Finally, Hoddesdon Town drew 0 – 0 with Ilford at Lowfield which means both sides will finish the bottom half this term. A good point though for the Foxes in boss Adam Peek’s penultimate game in charge.

S21-22 Round-ups: Essex Senior League Round-up (Sat 9 Apr) [ESL 21-22 10.4.22]

Archive Image: Ensign v Clacton last month [Image by Scott W]

Hello and welcome a bonus blog looking at the ten Essex Senior matches that took place on the 8th & 9th April, as we enter the last fortnight of the regular campaign. Thanks for reading.

Written by Scott W [Twitter: @ScottMHC14] – Non-League & ESL writer

Essex Senior League Round-up- Sat 9 April

The match with the most significance at the top was Saffron Walden Town’s 2 – 1 win at Little Oakley. Daniel Rowe had given Matt Carmichael’s team a first-half lead but Walden’s form has been strong of late and they showed this once again through strikes by Gavin Cockman and teenager Stanley Leech. The win puts Walden in prime position for the promotion play-off place, with matches against Sawbridgeworth and Hoddesdon to come, crucially both at Catons Lane. Oakley’s season still looks very positive overall and they will be looking to secure a top-six finish. Elsewhere, Redbridge got a good 3 – 1 home win over Stanway Rovers at Oakside, in a match delayed for nearly two hours as Rovers were caught in traffic chaos en route. Stanway did take the lead early in the second half through Danny Nesbitt, but a brace for Loui Hazlewood and a late goal from Michael Pindy secured the comeback win and keep George Christou’s side in contention for that much-wanted second spot.

Stansted also have a slim chance of pinching that spot after a 2 – 1 win over Southend Manor at Hargrave Park, thanks to goals from Jack Mitchell and Michael Salako. Manor had an unfortunate OG to assist their way back into the game but other results mean they are now safe from relegation, and credit has to go to boss James Wakeling and his coaching team. The Airportmen meanwhile have four matches left, and arguably have to win all four to leapfrog their rivals. Athletic Newham’s season is coming to a stuttering end as they were held by top-six rivals Enfield at Terry Mac. Kieran Bishop’s goal had given the E’s a first-half lead, but Daniel Izekor got a good equaliser with about ten minutes left. The result means Enfield remain six points clear of Newham, though Chris Davis’ side also have four matches to play (in the next fortnight). Also, FC Clacton are also finishing the season well as they got a 4 – 0 triumph over Clapton at Rush Green Bowl. A double for Mekhi McKenzie, plus goals by Elias Ahmed and Harry McDonald saw Tom Austin’s side to a fine win and they rose to eighth spot because of it. The Tons debatably need a point or two to make sure of their ESL place next term.

Archive Image: St Mags v L Oakley earlier this season [Image by Scott W]

That is the case due to Sawbridgeworth Town’s hugely important 2 – 1 win over Errington Cup Finalists Cockfosters at Crofters. James Falaise and Morgan Arnold got the big goals for Alex Salmon and Kieran Amos’ side, with Bailey Stevenson responding for Gavin Kelsey’s team. ‘Fosters drop down to tenth but they still have 3 games left. Sawbo’s assignment is clear – they need at least one win from matches against Saffron Walden and West Essex to evade the bottom two. Meanwhile, Takeley continued their mini-revival with a 4 – 1 success over Sporting Bengal Utd at Station Road. The ensemble cast of Elliott Long, Glenn O’Hanlon, George Frodsham and Traevon Williams-Lauder all netted for Marc Das’ side to take them up to 11th spot. Bengal ended their campaign here and responded via an OG in this match but there will be a lot of soul-searching in the close season to come whilst they find out which division they will be placed in Step 6 following relegation.

The remaining Saturday game to note saw Hoddesdon Town claim a good 2 – 0 victory over champions Walthamstow. Terrell Sterling and Harrison Rookard both struck to give Simon Riddle’s team the points which takes them up to 50 points for the season. ‘Stow can still hit 90 points this term, even with a draw in their final game on April 23rd. On Friday night, West Essex got a 2 – 1 win over Ilford at Wadham Lodge, with Cameron Gray and Reece Clarke’s spot-kick enough to overhaul Jordan Fisher’s reply for the Foxes. West remain 13th after the weekend’s action, while Ilford stay 16th. Also, Woodford Town were held to a goalless draw by St Margaretsbury at Ashton’s, which kept Town in 14th but St Mags stay third-bottom, a point clear of Sawbo but with only one match left – at Redbridge on the final day of the league season.

End

S21-22 Round-ups: Essex Senior League (Fri 11/Sat 12 March) [ESL 21/22 13.3.22]

Archive Image: S Manor 1 – 0 Sawbo from late February

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

Hello & welcome to a Essex Senior League round-up from the weekend of Saturday 12th March, which forms part of a occasional blog series through the 2021-22 season. There were big results, particularly at the bottom of the table which does form the bulk of our focus in this piece.

Essex Senior – Saturday 12 March

All the bottom five sides were in action this weekend, and second-bottom Sawbridgeworth Town will be the ones feeling most pleased with their result after a fine 2 – 1 victory at Stanway Rovers. Goals from Harry Davison and Arley Barker meant that Kieran Amos & Alex Salmon’ side got their fifth win this term and closed the gap to St Margaretsbury directly above them to three points, with a game in hand. Ernest Okoh netted for Danny Slatter’s side but their form has dropped recently, having only won two of their last ten league games, they remain in seventh spot. Southend Manor went out of the bottom two after securing a good 1 – 1 draw with Redbridge at Oakside. Tony Martin’s spot-kick put George Christou’s side ahead ten minutes before the break, but ten minutes after the resumption, Ben Allen levelled, also from the penalty spot. Manor are in 18th now, a point behind Clapton who also got a 1 – 1 draw away from home, as they drew with Hoddesdon Town at Lowfield. Larry Asare-Bediako opened the scoring for the hosts six minutes after half-time, though Isaac Stevens got a important equaliser for Michael Walther’s team with 20 minutes left. Hoddy remain 15th in the table.

The now bottom two sides both suffered tough defeats this weekend. Bottom side Sporting Bengal Utd’s recent uptick in form was brought to a juddering halt as they lost 1 – 5 at home to Cockfosters at Mile End. George Beattie’s fine treble saw him reach 18 league goals this term, allied with strikes for Reece Mosanya and substitute Bailey Stevenson – Gavin Kelsey’s side got a big win which takes them up to 11th spot. Bengal’s goal here came from Chris Bird once again but they are 11 points adrift of St Mags in third-bottom with only six matches left. Stansted also heightened the pressure on St Margaretsbury as the Airportmen powered to a 5 – 1 win at Hargrave Park. Michael Salako went past 15 league goals this term with a fine treble here. Jack Mitchell and Michael Mignot also added strikes late on to give co-boss Paul Pittuck a win in his 201st match in charge, congrats on reaching 200 games earlier this week Paul. Jon Stevenson’s goal had given Paul Holding’s side a glimmer of a way back into the contest before half-time.

At the summit, Walthamstow got an important 2 – 0 win at Athletic Newham, with Jason Beck and substitute Tendai Quamina notching for Terry Spillane & John Mackie’s side here. It would seem more likely than not that four more wins will be enough to see the champions-elect secure the title. Newham’s fixture pile-up is starting to have an effect on their form, as they reside in ninth place at present, but they still have 11 matches left to play. Saffron Walden Town have really come back into play-off contention in recent weeks, and they remain third after a 4 – 3 triumph over Ilford at Catons Lane. A double for Khris Oti, plus goals for the long-serving James Crane and George Pullen just outdid a brace for Josh Oghagbon and one from Joel Gomes for Adam Peek’s side. Walden boss Jason Maher paid tribute to the Bloods fans post-match. Ilford remain 16th, seven points clear of the bottom five.

Meanwhile, Enfield got a narrow 1 – 0 win at West Essex with Kieran Bishop getting a late goal to send Jamie Cureton’s side up to fifth. The last game on Saturday saw two sides that are battling it out for a top ten finish battle at Burroughs Park. White Ensign were held by Matt Carmichael’s Little Oakley 0 – 0. Ensign sit in tenth, while Oakley are three points clear in sixth in what has been a fine season for the Acorns, regardless of where they finish.

There was one match on Friday night, which Woodford Town draw 1 – 1 with FC Clacton at a rainy Ashton’s. George Thompson had given the Towners a narrow advantage just before the interval but Jordan Lartey’s second-half leveller meant the points were shared. Woodford dropped to 12th after the weekend’s action and Clacton are well-placed in eighth.

Thanks for reading, hopefully there will be at least one more ESL round-up piece before the end of their campaign.

S21-22 Round-ups: Essex Senior League (Sat 19 Feb) [ESL 20.2.22]

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

Hello & welcome to a brief Essex Senior League round-up, rounding-up the three matches on Saturday 19 February that managed to bypass the miserly weather of the past week. It looks as though there will be a hectic end to the campaign for some ESL clubs as the FA have insisted that the season be concluded on April 23rd, a week earlier than planned, to allot time for the Promotion & Relegation play-offs also involving Step 4 and 6 clubs.

Image from West Esex 2 – 2 FC Clacton earlier in Feb 2022

Essex Senior – Saturday 19 February

We begin with arguably the most important win on this matchday for title favourites Walthamstow, who grabbed a 2 – 0 win at Sporting Bengal Utd, with Charlie Edwards and the returning Jason Hallett both notching for John Mackie & Terry Spillane’s side. Seven more wins will be the most they will need to confirm ‘Stow’s long-awaited elevation to Step 4. Bottom side Bengal will need at least ten points from their ten remaining matches to evade the bottom two in two months’ time.

Also, Saffron Walden Town got a fine 4 – 1 triumph at West Essex, with the ensemble cast of Craig Calver, Khris Oti, George Pullen and Tom Skelton goals proving far too much for the Stags, who managed a reply through Oliseh Okuguni on the half-hour. The win for Walden keeps them in fifth, with games in hand they have a good chance of a top-four finish. Finally, FC Clacton went up to sixth spot with a 3 – 1 derby win over Stanway Rovers at the Rush Green Bowl. Mekhi McKenzie’s brace and one from Harry McDonald just before half-time overhauled a Ayo Odukoya strike just after the hour mark to claim a big win for the Seasiders. Such is how tight the top ten is, Tom Austin’s team may have to keep winning to secure a top ten finish with teams in & around them having matches in hand.

Matches Postponed from Friday 18 & Saturday 19 February because of waterlogged pitches and/or Storm damage:

Friday – Woodford Town v P – P White Ensign (Match rescheduled for Wednesday 23 February)

Saturday

Clapton P – P Southend Manor

Hoddesdon Town P – P Cockfosters

Ilford P – P Enfield

St Margaretsbury P – P Athletic Newham

Stansted P – P Redbridge

Takeley P – P Little Oakley

Before we end this article, here’s a word on what was hinted on in the Introduction, there are a few sides who will have a fixture pile-up of League matches to complete in the next 60 days or so.

Athletic Newham – 14 matches remaining

Stansted, Saffron Walden Town, Little Oakley, Enfield and Hoddesdon Town – 11 matches left

Woodford Town, Ilford, Clapton, St Margaretsbury & Southend Manor – also have 11 matches left

That’s all for this edition, thanks for reading. You can follow the league’s Twitter for more updates @EssexSenior

S21-22 Round-ups: Essex Senior League (Sat 8 Jan) [ESL 21-22 9.1.22]

Archive Image from Dec 2021 – Ensign v Sawbo at Burroughs Park [Image by Scott W]

Hello and welcome a bonus blog (replacing this week’s Match report as the focused match fell to the weather) rounding-up the four Essex Senior matches that took place on the 8th January. We’ll also have a short look at the standings as well, with nearly four months of the season remaining (if there are no remaining Covid interruptions). Thanks for reading & a Happy 2022 to you all.

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

Essex Senior League Round-up- Sat 8 January

The match with the most on the line was at the Hawthorns as Saffron Walden Town set aside a challenging week with a 4 – 2 success at fellow top six side Stanway Rovers. Walden started the match the stronger and after leading the way at the interval, two goals from Joe Pullen from a goal apiece for Tom Skelton and Craig Calver was enough to give the Bloods a vital win, which sees them reduce the deficit on the top three to five points. Recent signing Ayo Odukoya got both goals for Stanway though they fell to only their third loss at home this term.

Elsewhere, Athletic Newham went into seventh spot, only two points adrift of Walden following a 3 – 0 victory over Ilford at the Terry Mac. Jailson Seidi opened the scoring for Chris Davis’ side, before a late brace for the League’s top-scorer Richard Kone secured the win for Newham and took Kone to the 25-goal mark this season. Ilford remain in 16th, nine points clear of the bottom four. There was an extraordinary comeback by FC Clacton as they won 4 – 3 in added-time at Little Oakley. Strikes by Danny Garrad and Mason Ridgway-Lumley had put Matt Carmichael’s side two goals up at half-time, but Clacton were level on the hour thanks to goals from Harry McDonald and Jordan Lartey. Tyler Sullivan netted for Oakley with fourteen minutes left to give them a narrow lead but injury-time strikes from McDonald and Mekhi McKenzie secured the points for the visitors which took them back into the top ten.

Finally, in their derby at Hargrave Park, Stansted had first-half goals from John Clarke and Paul Clayton to be thankful for in their 2 – 1 success over Sawbridgeworth Town. Teddy Hall got a late consolation for Kieran Amos & Alex Salmon’s side who continue to seek points to draw in the sides above them .

The six matches that were off this weekend (Sat 8 Jan) were as follows:

Enfield P – P Takeley, Hoddesdon Town v St Margaretsbury, Redbridge v Clapton, Southend Manor v White Ensign, Sporting Bengal Utd v Woodford Town and Walthamstow v Cockfosters.

With regards to the table, Walthamstow are still strong favourites to finally seal the promotion they have sought for some time. They are on sixty points (with 19 wins from their 24 matches), ten points clear of nearest rivals Stansted who are again having a fine season under the tutelage of Paul Pittuck and John Watters. Then we have the chasing pack of Redbridge (3rd – 48 points from 24 games), Stanway Rovers (4th – 47 points from 26 matches), Enfield (5th – 43 points from 22 matches) and Saffron Walden Town (6th – 43 points from 23 matches) who are all striving to find themselves in the play-off mix at the end of the campaign, where the victors will face-off against a struggling side from a local Step 4 division, as I understand it.

At the foot of the table, there are debatably five sides who are most wary of avoiding relegation. Sporting Bengal remain at the bottom after one win all season to date (4 points from 23 matches). Steve Clark’s side also need to help their goal difference though Southend Manor are only seven points better off (11 points from 23 matches) and recently appointed former Hullbridge assistant boss James Wakeling as their new boss. Both teams will need more goals in their armoury to catch up to Sawbridgeworth Town who sit 19th, on 16 points and St Margaretsbury are just above them on goal difference. Clapton also will be mindful of securing points as they are 17th, with 18 points from their 23 matches to date.

End

S2020-21 Round-up’s: Essex Senior (Tues/Wed 15/16 Sept) [ESL 20/21 16.9.20]

Written by Scott W {Twitter: @ScottMHC14]

Hello and welcome to run-down of the mid-week action from the Essex Senior, which saw some thirty-seven goals scored in the following matches, which included some surprise results too. Thanks for reading.

Essex Senior Results – Tuesday 15th September

Cockfosters 8 – 1 Clapton | Moved to Chalk Lane

Moving directly onto the midweek action now and in the Essex Senior, Cockfosters thumped the Tons as they emerged with an 8 – 1 win. The hosts were 5-1 up at the break through a treble from player-boss Ryan Wade and one each for Marcus Crowther [15’] and Reece Mosanya six minutes after that goal. Daniel Emovon netted for Clapton but the momentum continued for Wade’s side as Kaidyn Michael made it six 20 minutes from time and Ned Clarke also netted a late brace in this huge win.

Hoddesdon Town 1 – 3 West Essex | Lowfield

West Essex continued their strong league start with a 3 – 1 win at Hoddesdon. Michael MIgnot, skippering the Stags side here, put the visitors ahead on the stroke of half-time, before Callum Bloss’ free-kick made it two six minutes after the restart. Town pulled one back from 12 yards thanks to Jack Gibbs with about 20 minutes left but a unfortunate OG compounded the frustrations for Simon Riddle’s side late on as West got a fine win.

Redbridge 2 – 3 Sporting Bengal Utd | Oakside

Sporting Bengal got a late, late victory over managerless Redbridge at Oakside. James Barlow and substitute Terry Amoafo’s goals put Redbridge in command but Joel Ramos’ first of the evening gave Imrul Gazi’s side hope. The Motormen utterly stalled in added time though as Ramos got through to add another double to complete his treble and also grab the three points for Bengal, their first win this term.

Saffron Walden Town 5 – 0 St Margaretsbury | Catons Lane

No such drama at Catons Lane as Walden comprehensively defeated St Mags 5 – 0. Craig Calver opened his account after just two minutes and went on to grab a hat-trick with further goals on 17 and 49 minutes. The Bloods added further gloss to the score-sheet and secured their first win of the league season through goals from Alfie Hilton and Dimitri Hatzimouratis in the dying moments of the match.

Sawbridgeworth Town 3 – 2 Woodford Town | Crofters

Sawbridgeworth pulled off another good result, winning 3 – 2 again Woodford at Crofters. Cabham Clarke put Sawbo ahead after just six minutes, but Woodford levelled ten minutes later through Jeremiah Luwero. Kieran Amos’ speculative shot put the hosts back in front moments later. Conor Clarke’s spot-kick made it three for Sawbo six minutes before the break. Marcus Painter reduced the deficit to one with a calm finish on 52 minutes but Town finished the match with nine men as Sawbo held on to claim the win.

Takeley 1 – 3 Hashtag Utd | Station Road

Hashtag secured their third straight league win after a hard-fought 3 – 1 triumph at Station Road. Tom Jelliman gave the hosts a good start with the opening goal just before the half-hour. The Tags responded strongly after the break though as Joshua Osude was brought down in the area and the resulting spot-kick was taken by George Smith and he made no mistake on 64 minutes to level it up at 1 – 1. Osude capped a terrific solo performance to add a brace [89’ & 90’+4] to seal another important three points for Jay Devereux’s team.

Walthamstow 2 – 3 Southend Manor | Wadham Lodge | Att: 109

Tuesday’s action left us with one more surprise as Manor emerged with a fine 3 – 2 victory over Walthamstow at Wadham Lodge. A see-saw encounter ended up with Darnell Bromfield getting the winner for Manor from the penalty spot midway through the second-half. Jon Clements and James Hammond got the goals for ‘Stow.

Wednesday – Enfield 0 – 1 Stansted | Woodside

In the only Wednesday match this week, Stansted won 1 – 0 at Enfield, courtesy of a Ryan Ramsay goal on 23 minutes, being in the right place at the right time to slot home after a goalkeeping error. The Airportmen remain unbeaten in three league matches, while the E’s have yet to pick up a win.