Essex Olympian League

Premier Division

Wednesday 8th February 2023

Kick Off 20.15 Actual 20.21

Old Southendian 1 Catholic United 2, attendance 108

11’ 0-1

14’ 0-2

77’ 1-2

@ Garon Park, 3G Pitch

Eastern Avenue

Southend-on-Sea

SS2 4FA

No Admission or Programme.

I had visited Old Southendian back on 26th October 2019, when they beat Canning Town 2-1 in an Essex Olympian League Premier Division match in front of 27 spectators. That game was played on a grass pitch that runs parallel to the 3G cage (it was partly constructed during that visit, so I knew that there would definitely be no overlap) which they now use for their home games.

It is a standard cage set up, with spectator access along two thirds of one side. The match was 2nd (P16 Pts 25) v 3rd (P11 Pts 24) in the league table, both some way behind unbeaten leaders Hutton, who already have 40 points (Won 13 Drawn 1) and attracted an excellent crowd.

The visitors were two goals up inside fifteen minutes. They opened the scoring after scrambling in from close range following a corner from the right, before a cracking 25 yarder doubled their lead just three minutes later. Old Southendian never really looked like getting back in it, but they did pull one back with thirteen minutes left, which made for an interesting finish to the game, but the visitors were deserving winners. They now move up to second in the table, still 13 points adrift of the leaders, but they do have two games in hand.