Bloods prevail in six-goal thriller

Saffron Walden Town consolidated their playoff position with an impressive 4-2 win away to Frenford on a bitterly cold January afternoon in East London, in John Hughes’ first game in permanent charge of the Bloods.

A spectacular opener from Walden’s Solomon Ofori was cancelled out by a deflected effort from Josh Darby, who then gave the hosts the lead with a simple tap-in. Sam Deering headed the visitors level just before the break, and with five minutes to go Ofori looked to have won it with a header from a corner. The victory was sealed by Olly Sotoyinbo from the penalty spot in stoppage time.

The game at The Drive was one of only two matches in the Essex Senior League scheduled to be played on Saturday which had survived the weather, being on an artificial surface, and 54 people braved the freezing conditions, including around ten away supporters.

The pre-match build-up was dominated by the fact that Saffron Walden announced the departure of their manager, Dan Spinks, during the week after a period away from the team, and that assistant manager Hughes, who had stepped in on numerous occasions in Spinks’ absence, would take permanent charge.

Walden knew that a victory would move them onto 45 points, just a point behind fourth-placed Great Wakering Rovers, with the sides due to meet at Catons Lane the following weekend.

The Bloods started the better and tested the Frenford defence immediately after kick-off as Correy Davidson found Ofori who forced the first save from Frenford stopper Kasey Clark. Multiple further chances were missed from Walden by Ofori and Davidson before the influential winger broke the deadlock on 28 minutes.

Following a corner, the ball pinged around the Frenford penalty area before Ofori took matters into his own hands, launching himself in the air and connecting with an overhead kick which found the bottom corner, possibly thanks to a slight deflection off a Frenford defender. Thanks to the numerous chances the Bloods had had, it seemed only a matter of time before they got their second.

However, the opposite happened. The ball fell to Darby on the edge of the box, whose first-time effort deflected off the leg of a sliding Walden defender and past debutant goalkeeper James Askew who was rooted to the spot.

And after Darby had hit the crossbar following a promising counter-attack, he was at it again as a cross to the back post found him completely unmarked to finish past Askew.

On the stroke of half-time, however, Saffron Walden found themselves level. With the last chance of the first half, Davidson burst down the left wing and put in a beautiful cross which was headed into the net by Sam Deering – arguably the smallest player on the pitch, and just days after he was named assistant manager to Hughes in the new managerial set-up at Catons Lane.

The second half, in stark contrast to the first, saw few chances, with lots of fouls and fruitless build-up play, until around the 80^th minute. Just after Askew had denied Darby his hat trick with a good save down to his left hand side, Ofori was tripped in the box by Frenford keeper Clark, who had rushed off his goal line and slipped, but the referee waved away any appeals.

Askew then denied Darby again with an outstanding save onto the crossbar with his feet, though the flag was up anyway. And just after Frenford had a chance to win the match, Saffron Walden did just that – a Davidson corner was met by the head of Ofori who powered it past Clark and sent the travelling supporters into raptures. Ofori’s goal made it five goals in his last two trips to Frenford, as he bagged a hat-trick in a 3-3 draw in the same fixture the previous season.

And it would get even better for the Bloods in stoppage time, as substitute Jordan Elongo was taken out by Clark in the box, leaving the referee with no choice but to award a spot-kick. Striker Sotoyinbo, on his return from injury, rolled his penalty into the bottom corner to make the final score 4-2, register his first goal for the club and no doubt leave new boss Hughes delighted as he claimed his first three points in permanent charge. A low point, however, came when it transpired the knock that Elongo picked up while winning a penalty looked more serious than first imagined and he had to be substituted off minutes after entering the pitch.

Next up for The Bloods is that massive 5^th vs 4^th clash with Great Wakering Rovers on Saturday 18^th January at Catons Lane, while Frenford entertain Benfleet at The Drive on the same day.

 

Frenford: Clark, Porter, Tandon, Reynolds, Troubridge, Barlow (C), Hewlett (Tettey, 70’), Karby, Kayembe, Fleary, Darby. Subs not used: Uzoegbu, Jackson, Soloman, Shobowale. Goals: Darby (2). Bookings: Troubridge, Karby.

 

Saffron Walden Town: Askew, J Hursit (Eyong, 77’), Modeste, L Hursit (Da Moura, 77’), Skelton, Turner, Ofori, Okunja (C), Sotoyinbo, Deering, Davidson (Elongo, 90+1’, replaced by Hunt, 90+5’). Sub not used: Miller. Goals: Ofori (2), Deering, Sotoyinbo. Bookings: L Hursit, Okunja.