MATCH REPORT
24 March 2007
Essex Olympian League
Senior Division One
Epping
3 Roydon 1
Epping were looking to get some much needed points on the board in order to push
them up the league table in this local derby with low lying Roydon. Matters
weren't helped in the build up to the match with severe traffic problems around
the Epping/Harlow area due to an accident on the M25. This resulted in several
players arriving late, in addition to one of the linesmen who only got to the
game 5 minutes before the delayed kick-off. However, these distractions didn't
seem to affect the home side who were two goals to the good inside the first 10
minutes. The first goal came after 5 minutes when a perfectly delivered
free-kick from the right fell at the feet of Ashley Conlan who finished first
time. Adam Connolly scored Epping's second minutes later lobbing over the Roydon
keeper. Complacency then seemed to set in and Epping sat back and allowed Roydon
to come out and play. The home side then conceded a needless penalty when keeper
Jonathan Thomas made a rash challenge in the penalty area. Pat Smith duly
despatched the kick past Thomas for Roydon to pull a goal back. Epping continued
to go through the motions for the remainder of the half and it was the visitors
who looked the more hungrier. Manager Neil Whitbread and coaches Mark Wells and
John Delaney had some valid harsh words to say at half-time but their words
seemed to fall on deaf ears as the general malaise continued in the second
half. Whitbread decided to make changes with 25 minutes gone in the second half,
sending on Phil Bulled for the ineffective Adam Connolly, and pushing Tommy
Brinkman up into left midfield from full-back. Epping began at last to look a
little more progressive with their play and with the introduction of Leon Rolle
for the injured Jim Ellice, they started to at last take the game to Roydon.
Danny Hopkins got Epping's third goal to make the three points safe with 10
minutes to go and the home side should have scored further goals when both
Richard Hilson and Ashley Conlan went around the keeper in a matter of minutes
only to see their shots saved and cleared. Credit must go to Roydon who refused
to throw in the towel and continued to work and battle for each other from start
to finish, a lesson that Epping would be well-advised to learn from if they want
to maintain aspirations of a top-four finish! The gaffer had this to say
"My only fear going into this game was that of possible complacency and I
think that was most definitely the case after we had gone into an early 2-0
lead. Some players took their foot off the gas and thought they could take an
extra touch and try and beat people when all they had to do was stick to the
basics. Sometimes it's hard to raise your game against what may appear to
be inferior opposition but if you want to be a good team you have to put the
opposition away in clinical fashion and I don't think we did that today. The
only periods that I felt we played well in were the first 15 minutes and the
last 15 minutes, but, it's 3 more points on the board and at least hopefully I
don't think I have to worry about any relegation issues for this season!
However, if we want to push and aim for the top-four finish which we have set as
our target, performances will have to be better in the coming weeks and I think
that the players know that!"
Man of the match: Daryl Godden, worked tirelessly for the team and never shirked
any responsibility!
Team: Thomas, Godwin, Saunders (c), Hopkins, Brinkman, Taaffe, Godden, Ellice,
Connolly, Conlan, Hilson. Subs: Bulled, Rolle, Costello (nu)
Scorers: Conlan, Connolly, Hopkins
EPPING FOOTBALL CLUB, STONARDS HILL, TIDYS LANE, EPPING