Originally Posted by deadwood dan:
“Woking in unbelieveable form right now. Playoffs now a real possibility.
I was at the Ebbsfleet game at Chelmsford last saturday, which was declared ON too late for some uncertain away supporters to travel to reasonably short journey. Lee Harding the Braintree chairman turned up, and he got a right gobful from the home fans! Chelmsford absolutely ran the show first half, even after Ebbsfleet scored a wonder free kick to make it 2-1. Second half it was a total opposite, but the stupid penalty conceded and justified red card saw Fleet turn it around and win 3-2. Bad loss for City, and that for me was the title gone.
Monday I was at the big mid Essex derby between Chelmsford and Braintree. Over 1,700 people saw an absolute borefest of a 0-0, terrible game. Braintree fans throwing stuff on the pitch towards Chelmsford players at full time as well.
Safe to say after Wokings win tuesday, I think Braintree have got one hand on the title already. Only tough looking games for them are Farnborough away, the double with Havant and Welling at home.”
Since then...
Tuesday 1st - Ridgeons Eastern Counties League Div 1 (step 6) Halstead 1-1 Whitton. Remember Reul Fox at Spurs Sicknote? He's chairman at Whitton now (they're an Ipswich club and going for promotion). Attendance 40ish
Wednesday 2nd - Big groundshare derby in Ryman Div 1 Nth between Grays v East Thurrock, ending 3-1 to ETU. ETU and Needham Market neck and neck for the title (ETU three points clear from two games more, with Needham going to ETU in four weeks!), Some superb goals. Found out Julian Dicks didn't get the West Ham job (Lomas did) so is staying put to push Grays bid for the playoffs. Attendance nearly 300!
Thursday 3rd - Essex Senior League. Was at Wadham Lodge Walthamstow (East London by A406) to see Maurtius Sports up against unbeaten champions Stansted, who won in the end scrappily 2-0. Stansted still the only unbeaten team in league action in the top nine levels of the game nationally, with 22 games gone and 10 left, though needed a 95th minute equaliser at third placed Bethnal Green last weekend to keep that intact - their main obstacles to invincibility appear to be fourth placed Witham away next week, then April 16th the biggie at joint leaders Enfield 1893 (Stansted have two games in hand). Less than 50 that night.
Saturday 5th - Ryman Div 1 Nth local West Essex derby between Waltham Abbey and Harlow, with both sides still with an outside chance of the playoffs. Harlow won 1-0, with their fans letting off an air raid siren when they scored, in a dire game. Crowd of 170ish, half from Harlow it seemed.
Tuesday 8th - Eastern Counties (Ridgeons) Prem. Went to Wivenhoes ground in North Essex for their game with Suffolk side Hadleigh Utd. Finished 2-2, with Wivenhoe now having won just one of their last 16 games, and very close to the relegation zone. Sad to see this once big proud Ryman/Southern league club a few years back struggling to survive on and off the pitch. Crowd count of 50ish, not the official 91???
Wednesday 9th - Ryman Div 1 Nth Grays v Enfield Town, with both sides battling to get to playoffs (Grays far back but with many games in hand, whilst an Enfield win would have taken them above Maldon & Tiptree into fifth). Grays won 2-0 to stay in touch and dent Enfields hopes. Only 173 there that night, including the Ilford boss.
Thursday 10th - lowest I've ever covered - step 9!! At the Essex Olympian League div 2 game between Stansted Reserves and Herongate Athletic (a little village south of Brentwood).
Apart from April and May, its very rare to have games from step 7 and below in the evenings, as most clubs play on railed off park pitches with no floodlights. Only a select few do - e.g. reserves side (obviously due to the senior first team), reforming club still in their old ground, nearby higher league grounds for home sides used as alternative venues (e.g. sides near step 6 Cornard Utd played the odd evening game at Cornards ground). However most games are played from the second week of April onwards (6:15KO around here before the evening light goes). About 20 of us watched, including home officials and the first team manager, as mostly outplayed Herongate came from behind to win 3-1 (and an amazing third goal) to go top of their division.