Samuel Gardiner - Sports Journalism

  Crows continue indifferent form with point                         Royston Town's Harvey Beckett celebrates his last-gasp equaliser. A last-gasp equaliser from Harvey Beckett rescued a draw for Royston Town against Stamford at Garden Walk, in a match where the visitors would have come away massively disappointed to have not picked up all three points. A header from Ashton Offler had put the visitors in front ten minutes into the second half and a dramatic conclusion to the match saw Stamford’s Jack Duffy receive a second yellow card, before Beckett struck, albeit fortuitously as a defensive clearance struck his leg before finding the back of the net. The two teams came into the encounter on very similar runs of form, both with two wins in their last six. On paper, a draw seemed inevitable, but the manner in which a draw occurred seemed impossible after Stamford’s near dominance throughout. Graham Drury’s Dannies ...

  Preview: Can depleted Bloods defeat hungry Boro?                     Current Saffron Walden Town player/assistant manager Sam Deering was signed from Romford. It has been a whirlwind 12 months for Romford FC. Finally a stadium to call their own, Rookery Hill in Corringham, one of the most exciting Step 5 squads in recent memory, 3-0 victory in the FA Vase final in May 2024, it seemed as though Boro could do no wrong. Fast-forward to February 2025, influential manager Dan Spinks left for Saffron Walden mere weeks after Wembley glory, and took no fewer than nine players and assistant John Hughes with him, The Boro are back sharing with Barking at Mayesbrook Park after it transpired that there were critical issues with the lease at Rookery Hill, and their attempt to retain the Vase was foiled in the earliest possible round by Takeley. Saffron Walden Town, on the other hand, had just lost long-serving manager Jason Maher for a...

  Green sends persistent Bloods up to 4 th Kaleel Green was the match-winner on his home debut as Saffron Walden Town defeated fellow promotion contenders Barking FC to move up to 4 th place in the Essex Senior League. It was the perfect response to an abject midweek defeat at Little Oakley for John Hughes’ side, who deserved their victory against a somewhat disappointing Barking. Walden came flying out of the blocks and with barely two minutes on the clock, Solomon Ofori picked up the ball on the left-hand side. His teasing cross was diverted off the leg of Barking’s Teddy Stacey and, despite the efforts of goalkeeper Akan George, the ball found the back of the net to give the hosts a dream start. The first ten minutes was all Walden and merely five minutes after the goal, a cross found the head of Ofori who knocked it down for Green to score, but referee Lee Jarvis had already correctly disallowed the goal for a foul on George. After the flurry of chances in the first ...

  Bloods move for Essex Senior League winner Saffron Walden Town have announced the signing of attacker Jeffrey Cobblah, after his exit from Witham Town was confirmed. The 29-year-old comes to the Bloods with very good Essex Senior League pedigree, having previously won the title with Enfield in 2022-23 alongside current Catons Lane favourite Solomon Ofori, making 29 appearances in the process. Cobblah is no stranger to fans of non-league football in and around Essex and London, and he can list sides such as Clapton and Ilford as some of his previous clubs. Bloods chairman Jamie Sharp said, “It’s a massive signing for the club which we’re pleased to get over the line. He won the league with Enfield, so we know what he’s about. Welcome Jeff.” Cobblah could be in line to make his debut when Saffron Walden travel to the Memorial Ground to face Little Oakley on Tuesday evening.  

  Bloods prevail in scrappy affair Jean-Baptiste Fischer’s near-post header, on his debut, secured a vital 1-0 victory for Saffron Walden Town away to Ilford, in a match which saw both sides reduced to ten players. The midfielder, signed from Sittingbourne, met youngster Conor Hoskins’ corner midway through the first half, which was enough to see Walden over the line eventually. Saffron Walden came into the match off the back of a hugely disappointing 3-1 home defeat to White Ensign the previous weekend, and it was confirmed during the week that midfielders Sam Deering and Eman Okunja would both face spells on the sidelines due to injury, although assistant manager Deering was named on the bench for the match. Because of this, three new players were in the matchday squad: Fischer, striker Jason Chalk and Godson Mongwele, who started the match on the bench. After a cagey start to the match on a poor pitch at Cricklefields, Hoskins’ left-footed corner on 25 minutes, at the ...