Essex & Suffolk Border League

Division 1

Saturday 6th May 2023

Kick Off 13.00 On Time!

Cavendish 1 Silver End United 3, attendance 16

43’ 0-1

48’ 0-2

81’ 1-2

90’ + 1, 1-3

@ Cavendish Sports Club

Lower Street

Cavendish

CO10 8AD

No Admission or Programme.

This game was the perfect choice today. The early kick off (the Reserves were at home at 4 o’clock) meant there would be ample time to head elsewhere if the game was called off late, especially as we are now at the time of the season where many teams can’t be bothered to “raise a team”. It also helped that Silver End could clinch the title today, as they trailed league leaders Brightlingsea Town, who have completed their fixtures, by two points and this was the first of their three games in hand to try and pick up a win that would see them leapfrog them at the top. Despite being eighth, Cavendish could still manage a fourth placed finish, if they took maximum points from their final three games.

Silver End were certainly looking to get the job done at the first time of asking and pushed hard for the opening goal. They saw a header come back off the post early on. Midway through the half a defender scuffed a clearance which also hit the post and shortly afterwards the home ‘keeper finger tipped a long range effort onto the crossbar. They finally broke the deadlock two minutes before halftime, finishing a right wing cross with a side foot from 6 yards. It was 0-2 within minutes of the restart, when a long range shot beat the ‘keeper despite him getting a hand to it. Cavendish made it a nervy finish for the visitors, when a shot was curled in off the far post to make it 1-2 with nine minutes left, but a one on one finish saw Silver End make the game safe, when Dan Cage completed his hattrick in stoppage time to make it 1-3 and wrap up the title with two games to spare.

It was a horrible day, with rain falling throughout the match. The cricket pavilion provides cover, but the view is across the cricket square. An unusual feature was the couple of corrugated iron dugouts set into the hedge on the far side.