Friday night and a local derby in the Ryman One North at The Village Glass Stadium, known to many as Spa Road, for Witham Town Vs Heybridge Swifts.
It was especially poinent for me as this is the ground my late father Nigel took me to for my first ever footie game 27 years ago and he even had a spell as programme editor for six years in the 2000s until he had to give it up to ill heath and his eventual passing away to cancer in 2008.
I therefore went and stood over in the spot me and my dad used to occupy for many years as regulars at the ground and it certainly felt like he was there with me. It was certainly an emotional moment for me although I was also anticipating an exciting game between the two local rivals.
Witham were having an up and down season it’s fair to say, explaining their 14th place position in the league. At times they could be world beaters or at other times terrible so which one would show up against a Swifts side who needed the points as they look nervously over their shoulders at the teams in relegation.
The first ten minutes were average to say the least as both sides looked to feel each other out in a game neither side wanted to lose. In the 12th minute the first real moment of goalmouth action saw a dangerous ball across goal from the hosts which was tipped out by keeper Danny Sambridge but three minutes later the hosts went one better when Ryan Charles flicked home to put the hosts ahead.
However the visitors should of levelled the match up immediately but spurned a great opportunity, slicing wide with the just the keeper to beat, before the hosts then produced a great move but this ended with Tim Monsheji volleying just wide of the near post.
Midway through the half more great build up play from hosts saw an effort well saved by keeper Sambridge before the rebound was eventually mishit wide however in the 32nd minute the hosts made it two as Tim Monsheju pounced on a knock down from Damien Green to finish past Sambridge and saw the hosts well in control of this match.
And with seven minutes of the half remaining came a wonderful piece of individual brilliance from Town’s Nathan Koranteng who cut inside and unleashed a wonderful left footed effort from twenty five yards beyond Sambridge into the top corner of the net and give the hosts a three goal cushion.
The visitors were in danger of loosing this game before half time however two minutes after the hosts third goal came a way back into the contest when Reece Grant nipped in to put the lose ball away and showed the hosts were not out of this game just yet although the Town still held at two goal lead at the half.
Half Time Witham Town 3 Heybridge Swifts 1
Swifts knew they would need the next goal in this contest in order to really apply pressure to the hosts however with barely a minute of the half elapsed the hosts had a fourth whenDamien Green headed home via a deflection on the line and then six minutes later made it five with another cracking left footed strike, this time a curling free kick from Charles which went in off the post for his second of the game, as things were quickly getting messy for the visitors.
Swifts almost got a goal back just past the hour mark when a looping header came back off the bar before the follow up was somehow forced wide for a corner whilst up the other end three minutes later Koranteng saw a super effort at the visitors goal go straight at keeper Sambridge.
With twenty minutes of the contest remaining a visitors cross into the dangerzone was just cleared over his own goal by a defender and then saw the game enter a scrappy period, much like the first ten minutes in fact, as the sides started to pick up needless yellow cards with the visitors cutting a frustrated look, who also saw manager Jody Brown get a stern talking to by referee after he had a pop at the linesman.
The game looked to be drifting towards it’s conclusion but the visitors then got a second goal with three minutes left when George Cole volleyed home a loose ball, immediately almost conceded again when the hosts broke through Scott Kemp but his effort went way over, and then netted a third on 90 minutes when Adam Yusuff side footed home a cross and you thought they couldn’t could they?
After some nerve racking stoppage time minutes the hosts eventually got over the line and took the three points it what had turned out to be a rather entertaining eight goal thriller. It meant Witham Town nestled into mid table security whilst the visitors continue to look over their shoulders knowing they need to pick up points soon.
And lastly, this one was for you Dad, hope you enjoyed that one as much as I did…..RIP
Full Time Witham Town 5 Heybridge Swifts 3
No comments:
Post a Comment