MATCH REPORT
16 September 2006
Essex Olympian Football League
Senior Division One
Epping 3 v Bishops Stortford Swifts 0
Epping took their first 3 points of the season at the expense of previously unbeaten Bishops Stortford Swifts on Saturday. The home side went into the game themselves unbeaten, although they had failed to take wins from their opening two matches. With players available again after suspension and absence, manager Neil Whitbread juggled his line-up to accomodate Kelvin Taafe, Jim Ellice and Ash Conlan. Leon Rolle was also included for his full debut at the expense of John Tama who dropped down to the subs bench. Epping started the better with Jim Ellice being influential from the start and spraying the ball wide to Ash Conlan and Adam Connolly. Swifts struggled to cope with this tactic and it was such a move that saw Conlan receive the ball on the right and play in to the Swifts box for Connolly to tap home to put Epping one up. The home side doubled their lead within 20 minutes when persistance from Connolly saw him put through Rolle, who having beaten the Swifts offside trap, coolly lobbed Swifts keeper Alan More to open his account in Epping colours. The visitors, fielding a youthful line-up, were then reduced to 10 men when Alex Tonei was sent off for foul and abusive language towards the assistant referee. The second half saw Swifts come at Epping for the first ten minutes, despite being one player down, but the Epping back line of Phil Bulled, captain Billy Saunders, Dave Costello and Kelvin Taaffe, remained solid and resolute throughout, and Epping keeper Jon Thomas was hardly troubled. Epping got their third when Dave Costello played a superb diagonal ball from the back to John Tama on the left wing. He in turn played the ball into Leon Rolle who held it up before rolling it into the path of Dave Annobil who coolly placed the ball past the despairing dive of keeper Moore into the Swifts net. Epping continued to pressurise Swifts and keep them on the back foot, with Tama, Rolle and Conlan causing them problems right up to the final whistle which sent the large crowd home happy. This was Epping's best performance so far under new manager Whitbread and they were good value for their win. Whitbread said "We weren't panicking after the first two games but we felt we should have got the wins. I told the players before the game that this was a bit of an acid test for us in that we needed to get that first victory under our belts. I was delighted with the players response and I think that we dictated the play from the start. I know that losing a player will always have an impact on a game, but to be fair, we were 2-0 up at that point and in the driving seat and I believe we were the better side and would have won the game even if they had stayed at 11 players. I thought we looked assured and secure at the back, and Dave Costello and Kelvin Taaffe were outstanding, as was Jim Ellice in the middle and Leon Rolle up top who ran his socks off for the cause."
Team: Thomas, Bulled, Saunders, Hopkins, Costello, Taaffe, Connolly, Annobil, Rolle, Ellice, Conlan. Subs: Osborne, Tama, Geraghty.
EPPING FOOTBALL CLUB, STONARDS HILL, TIDYS LANE, EPPING