Saffron Walden Town weekly roundup: FA Vase drama, heroics at both ends and looking forward to next week

 

                                                       Penalty shootout heroes Sam Deering and George Coton

 

Welcome to Part 3 of my weekly informal roundup showcasing the goings-on at Saffron Walden Town Football Club. I’ll be honest I thought I’d forget about this series by now but it seems to be going down well so we’re still going strong!

This article will focus on our dramatic FA Vase win on penalties after a 2-2 draw against Brimsdown, who must be absolutely kicking themselves over how they didn’t progress yesterday.

In terms of personnel available, we made just one change from our excellent away win against Hackney Wick last week. Jack Clark made his return after picking up an ankle injury in the match against Sporting Bengal a fortnight ago, but was substituted at half time, probably still feeling the effects of his knock. Salim Nassor was unavailable for this one.

Having used just 21 players in all competitions so far this season, with 17 of those players still very much involved in first-team action for us, credit must go to John and the rest of the staff for putting together a settled matchday squad pretty much every week.

In terms of the match itself, I think most of the squad and staff would agree that we can play much better, and the first 25 minutes or so were a good indication of this fact.

We quickly learned that Brimsdown were a team who liked to play good football along the deck and work hard for each other while being pretty solid at the back.

Their constant high press was a problem for our defence and it paid off after 12 minutes when we were dispossessed at the back, Brimsdown’s number 17, Theo Higson-Farrell, who was a threat all game, carried it into the box and the ball eventually fell to Taylan Kilinc, who finished kilincally/clinically (I’m here all week) into the corner past George Coton.

Misplaced passes and no real attacking threat was the story of our match, but we managed to win a penalty in the 32^nd minute as the ball struck a hand in the box. Whether it was a clear penalty or not, I have no idea, being up the other end of the pitch to the incident, but Kaleel Green just about managed to squeeze his penalty under the dive of the keeper and into the back of the net for 1-1, which is how it stayed at the break.

Kaleel squeezes his penalty under the keeper

 

We introduced Rgee Manyewe for Clarky at the break, Rgee being a more attack-minded full-back gave us an excuse to come forward more in the second half but Brimsdown held firm at the back. We were restricted to shooting from range, which Kaleel did well in the 67^th minute but the keeper held on well.

Two minutes later, the visitors got a penalty of their own when Robbie Allen, just on as a sub, executed a mistimed tackle on the winger, and Matas Machovas stepped up to put Brimsdown 2-1 ahead and on for a shock, but well-deserved, Vase victory.

And it looked as though it would not be our day at all when Fahad Nazor was brilliantly denied by the goalkeeper’s foot with 10 minutes to go following a Jordan Gent flick-on.

But that man again Jordy, not for the first time this season, bailed us out with a gem of a header. It was the last roll of the dice, to be honest I forgot who put the ball into the box, but our towering number 5 rose highest to plant a wonderful header past the goalkeeper and into the back of the net to make it 2-2 and send us to penalties, with literally the last touch of the match – the referee blowing for kick-off and full-time in the same breath.

Jordy scores a dramatic late header… again

 

Kaleel stepped up first for Walden. Our talisman has missed a couple of penalties lately, and he almost missed his penalty earlier in the game, and he saw his effort rattle the crossbar.

Brimsdown, rocked by that late goal, also missed their first penalty, with their own number 9, substitute Raymond Cathline (great name by the way), skying his over the bar.

Toheeb Elegushi was next up, and although the keeper guessed right the penalty was too powerful and we went 1-0 up in the shootout.

Abdul Khamis of Brimsdown sent his penalty down the middle, but George, diving to his left, saved brilliantly with his legs to give us the advantage.

George denies Khamis from the spot

 

And Fahad capitalised on the advantage with a cooly converted penalty, sending the keeper the wrong way.

Kwasi Amoah did find the bottom corner for the visitors with their next penalty, with arguably the best penalty of the shootout, to make it 2-1.

Substitute Rgee was next up for us but he put his wide.

Marquez Cadette stepped up in an attempt to effectively send the shootout to sudden death, but George denied him brilliantly again, and all of a sudden it was score-to-win in our favour.

And super Sammy Deering duly obliged – it wasn’t the best penalty, as the Brimsdown goalkeeper Kris Ozols, who had a good game to be fair, got his hand to the kick, but it still found the net, which is all that matters.

Sammy puts us into the next round (just)

 

The players were jubilant after Sam scored the decisive penalty, and we witnessed a mini pitch invasion from some of the Young Bloods, there as mascots for the day, and the majority of the 261 inside Catons Lane went home happy.

I was fortunate enough to speak to George and Jordy at full time, without whom we would not be in the hat for the second round.

“We weren’t at the races, to be honest”, said Jordy, and to be honest, I have to agree. “We were slow all over the park and we played far from our best, but our spirit sums up how we’ve been the last few weeks, never giving up and keeping this run going. Lucky really, but we got through in the end.”

“It was a great feeling [to save two penalties in the shootout]”, George added. “The lads came through at the end, but let’s be honest, we weren’t at the races today, we snuck through against a very good Brimsdown team.”

A tough week awaits for Walden, though we have the excitement of the FA Vase draw around Monday lunchtime.

We travel to SOUL Tower Hamlets, unbeaten in the league so far this season (let’s hope that the game isn’t postponed for a third time…) on Wednesday night before hosting top of the table – at the time of writing – Barking on Saturday. I would be content with two draws from this week’s fixtures but a win in either would be absolutely vital for our season.

As always, Up the Bloods.

 

What it means!

 

Photos in this report used with thanks to @andythephoto on X.