Friendly

Thursday 2nd July 2026

Kick Off 19.15 Actual 19.16

Witham Town 2 Brantham Athletic 2, attendance 101

37’ 0-1

54’ 1-1

68’ 2-1

84’ 2-2

@ Lift New Rickstones, 3G Pitch

Conrad Road

Witham

CM8 2SD

No Admission or Programme.

So, another season is underway, with a pre-season friendly where Isthmian League Division 1 North (Step 4) hosted Eastern Counties League Premier Division (Step 5), played at the neutral venue of Lift New Rickstones, in the north of Witham, where there’s a standard 3G cage set up, with a spectator area along three quarters of one side. It was a game popular with ‘hoppers as they made up a quarter of the crowd.

Witham hit the post early on, but it was Brantham who took the lead after thirty seven minutes, breaking quickly down the left before crossing for an easy finish at the near post. In the dying seconds of the first half, a flare up near the centre circle saw both teams have a man sent off, but the second half started with both teams back at full strength, with the two red card recipients having been replaced. Witham equalised nine minutes into the second half, when a corner was partially cleared but played back in for a tap in at the far post. Witham had a goal disallowed for offside four minutes later, before going ahead with twenty two minutes left, cutting in from the right before beating the ‘keeper low inside the near post. Brantham made it 2-2 six minutes from the end, breaking from defending their own box and finishing with a low angled shot into the far corner from just inside the 18 yard box.

Despite it being a new season, some things never change, especially here in the Southeast. The 70 mile drive to Essex took just shy of two and a half hours, not helped by a ten mile queue approaching the Dartford Crossing, meaning SatNav diverted me off the M25 and via the back lanes instead. No hold ups whatsoever coming back.