Essex Olympian League
Premier Division
Wednesday 7th May 2025
Kick Off 18.45 Actual 18.49
A.C.D. United 4 Hashtag United Development 5, attendance 33
26’ 0-1
41’ 1-1
45’ + 1, 1-2
49’ 2-2
55’ 3-2 (pen)
63’ 3-3
65’ 4-3
75’ 4-4
77’ 4-5
@ Forest Glade Sports Club
Barleylands Road
Noak Bridge
CM11 2UD
No Admission or Programme.
With their Seymour Field ground in Ingatestone being unavailable, A.C.D. played this game at the home of Hashtag United Development instead. It’s a large sports field with numerous pitches of varying sizes, with this played on the main pitch, which is Pitch 5. It is nearest the car park and clubhouse and is railed off behind one goal and along one side and as far as the dugouts on the side backing on to the car park. With kids training sessions also taking place, the tea bar was open throughout the game.
The match was 12th versus 8th (out of 14), with both safe from relegation. Hashtag broke the deadlock when a break down the left was finished at the far post. ACD drew level four minutes before halftime, when a free kick from inside the centre circle was pumped into the box and headed back across the face of goal and poked in from close range. A minute into stoppage time Hashtag went back in front, latching onto a through ball and beating the ‘keeper at the near post.
Four minutes into the second half ACD were level at 2-2, when the Linesman (there were three officials appointed for this) flagged to signal a shot had crossed the line before being cleared and six minutes later the same Linesman flagged again, this time for a handball and they scored from the resulting penalty. If we’d had a club linesman, I doubt either decision would have been awarded. Just after the hour mark Hashtag made it 3-3, when a ball pulled back from the right was bundled in from close range. Two minutes later it was 4-3, when ACD scored after a corner wasn’t cleared from the box. Hashtag made it 4-4 with fifteen minutes left, heading in unmarked from a corner and two minutes later they grabbed the winner,when a long diagonal free kick from near the centre circle was met with a stooping header at the far post.
The journey here was a nightmare, taking just over two hours, with 90 minutes of that to do the mere 32 miles to Dartford Crossing. Return journey was a much more reasonable 55 minutes.
