Essex & Suffolk Border League

Division 3

Saturday 24th October 2020

Kick Off 15.00 Actual 14.57

Langham Lodgers 0 Wormingford Wanderers 4, attendance 38

1’ 0-1

29’ 0-2

54’ 0-3

75’ 0-4 (pen)

@ Langham Recreation Ground

School Road

Langham

CO4 5PA

No Admission or Programme.

Before today I had never seen a club with Lodgers in their name. Now I would be seeing two in the same day. Even better, the two clubs were just six minutes apart by car, so a perfect double.

This was two levels lower than the earlier match, with this seeing 11th host 7th in Division 3. The league positions suggested an even contest, but it certainly didn’t turn out that way. The visitors opened the scoring within 30 seconds of the start, firing low into the corner from just inside the 18 yard box. Their second goal came after half an hour. A weak effort from the penalty spot was easily saved, but the follow in was safely tucked away, before an angled shot, aided by a slight deflection, saw Liam Whittaker complete his hat trick nine minutes into the second half. A second penalty, fifteen minutes from time, saw him make no mistake this time, bagging his fourth goal of the day to round off an emphatic 0-4 win for the visitors. Langham had plenty of chances of their own, but never really looked like making a game of it.

Essex & Suffolk Border League

Division 1

Saturday 24th October 2020

Kick Off 12.45 Actual 12.44

Boxted Lodgers 1 Belle Vue Social Club 2, attendance 34

8’ 0-1

18’ 1-1

39’ 1-2

@ King George’s Playing Field

Cage Lane

Boxted Cross

CO4 5RE

No Admission or Programme.

Another Saturday double in the Essex & Suffolk Border League for me today, starting off with a Division 1 fixture. Boxted Lodgers began the day in sixteenth place in the league table (second from bottom) having taken just three points from their opening six matches. Belle Vue, on the other hand, were not surprisingly sitting top of the table, having won their opening six matches and conceding just three goals in the process.

When Belle Vue opened the scoring early on it looked like the game was going to form. However, Boxted were level within ten minutes, courtesy of an own goal, when a cross from the left put past his own ‘keeper by a defender attempting to clear the ball. Chances went begging at both ends before the visitors netted a second goal to lead 1-2 at the break. The second half saw more of the same. We even had a melee in the centre of the pitch, involving players and ‘hangers on’ from both sides, resulting in just a yellow card for each team, but Boxted then had a player sin binned for something he said before the game restarted.

No further goals meant Belle Vue stretched their 100% winning start to the season to seven games. Their lead at the top of the table is five points, although third placed Tiptree Jobserve could cut that to just two, if they win their game in hand.