Essex Olympian League
Division 2
Saturday 13th December 2025
Kick Off 14.00 On Time!
Rawreth Lane 2 Galleywood 2, attendance 15
7’ 1-0
61’ 1-1 (pen)
75’ 1-2
85’ 2-2
@ Ford Sports & Social Club (Basildon), North Pitches
Gardiners Close
Basildon
SS14 3AN
No Admission or Programme.
With this being my 4,000th ground I’ve seen a game on in England, I wanted to avoid doing a 3G cage if at all possible and was pleased to see a text message to the home club being replied to with the news that the game was going ahead okay. I’d read somewhere recently that the Ford Sports & Social Club in Basildon was/is closed and under threat of housing development. That is partly true. As you turn off Gardiners Lane South, into Gardiners Close, the social club is on your left, where there are also two pitches. This is the bit that is now fenced off and inaccessible, whilst on the other side of the road are another four or five pitches, where there’s a good sized car park and separate brick built changing room building, which backs on to a bowling green. Today’s game was on the middle of three pitches at the far end of the complex (Basildon Post Office Ground is the other side of the hedge) and was roped off on all four sides.
The match was 2nd versus 9th (out of 11) and was in the balance right up to the final whistle. Rawreth Lane took a seventh minute lead, when a corner was only partially cleared and played back into the box where it was met with a glancing header that went in off the post. Galleywood’s best chance of the first half saw the ‘keeper tip the ball onto the crossbar as he backpedaled as a looping shot went over his head. The visitors drew level with a penalty just after the hour mark and edged in front with fifteen minutes left with a long range effort. With five minutes left the hosts grabbed a deserved equaliser, when a long throw in was headed clear of the box, but returned with a first time shot into the bottom corner.
My trip to Essex was hindered by a problem at the M25/M26 intersection, which meant diverting cross country from J6, meaning it took 1 hour 10 minutes to drive the 32 miles to Dartford Crossing. No problems on the return and back home for 16.30.
