I was at the Spotted Dog Ground on Tuesday evening for a potentially exciting encounter between Clapton & Sawbridgeworth Town in the Essex Senior League.
Both sides didn’t have the best of weekends, the hosts were beaten 5-2 at Cricklefield against Barkingside whilst the visitors were losing at home to Eton Manor when the game was abandoned after winger Joe Wright suffered a nasty injury to his ankle/shin, so no doubt both sides were looking for improvements from the weekend.
And it was The Tons who struck first as in the 7th minute a cross from the right saw Jay Knight find some space to nod a downward header into the far corner of the net and give the home fans something to cheer early on.
The visitors instantly tried to respond to the early setback when moments after the goal Clapton keeper Emmanuel Olajide had to make a smart save down to his left to keep out a long range effort and then shortly after Reece Cosson poked an effort over for the visitors as they continued to threaten.
On the quarter hour mark The Tons almost netted again as they got in down the right hand side through Jonny Ashman, but the ball whistled across goal and found no one coming in on the cross. And then the visitors thought they had levelled midway through the half when George Pullen rammed home from close range, but the referee had spotted an infringement so the goal was ruled out.
And on the half hour mark Ollie Cleaver saw his volley deflect inches wide of the Clapton goal, prior to this Jonny Ashman had gone on a superb run at the Robins goal until he was fouled on the edge of the area, but the free kick was blocked by the wall, and then eight minutes before half time the visitors should of levelled when a Cosson free kick found Jacob Cleaver right in front of goal but he somehow hit his effort straight at the keeper.
And in the 41st minute they were made to pay for not taking their chances as a woeful clearance out of defence found Ashman about twenty five yards out and the Tons winger fired home into an empty net with the keeper stranded after the poor clearance and the hosts went into the half time break with a two goal cushion.
Half Time Clapton 2 Sawbridgeworth Town 0
Four minutes into the second half the visitors had another opening when Toby Cleaver got in for the visitors but his shot across goal was saved and then a minute later the Tons went down the other end and made it three, showing their opponents how to do it, when great play from the brilliant Ashman saw his cross headed home by Ryan Reed and gave the visitors a mountain to climb.
Thereafter the next period of play saw the game get rather fractious as Sawbo sub Chris Ratambwa seemed to get involved in all the niggly confrontations although they weren’t all entirely his fault, but at least he was getting stuck in.
With twenty minutes to go Ashman looked to be in for the hosts until Sawbo full back Aidy Chives got across to makes a superb tackle to deny the winger, however just two minutes later a ball across found Ashman free inside the area and he duly netted the Tons fourth and his second of the game.
With nine minutes left Sawbo saw another effort go array as Ratambwa saw his close range effort blocked and trickle inches wide then from the corner his close range header was saved and then with two minutes left Ratambwa headed over again and it just wasn’t the visitors day or evening and the Tons were clinical when it mattered and took the points in this one.
Full Time Clapton 4 Sawbridgeworth Town 0
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