Needham Market v ETFC

[seemgee]

1-0 Needham 30 mins

[seemgee]

2-0 down 35 mins

[seemgee]

Half time 2-0

[seemgee]

2-1 Wallace 72

 

 

then 3-1 75 mins

[seemgee]

3-2 Lockie 80 mins

[seemgee]

Final score 3-2

[littlehampton]

Bad luck guys. That is a very close call against the league leaders and it inspires a lot of hope and confidence for the rest of the season.

 

NM still have to come to Goldsdown Road so that should be a very interesting encounter for everyone!

[andyetfc]

My reporter at the game said it was an excellent performance and we deserved a draw at least.

[OldTowner]

My reporter at the game said it was an excellent performance and we deserved a draw at least.

 

Fantastic performance, full of energy, endevour, good tackles, passing, running off the ball, 2 good goals and loads of passion.

Unfortunately,

that was just the second half, which followed one of the worst first halves I have seen. No passion, unable to tackle, pass or do almost anything but "gift" Needham 2 goals.

 

So, a true game of 2 halves.

Oh,

if only Town had shown the same approach in the first half as they did in the second we would have won let alone drawn !!

 

I am afraid the first half reminded me of the Thurrock away game when we gave the opposition far too much respect and played one up front and sod all anywhere else. First half tactics were poor.

 

Second half and a couple of substitutions, change of game plan and a change of attitude and for long spells we had Needham on the run, nay, even panick.

 

Oh,

what could have been.

 

PLEASE Steve, stay with the attacking option, we do not have the players with the mind set for defending or sitting back.

 

Back to winning ways at Wakering.

 

ps - thought Needham were a good side going forward and they played the ball out from the back very well, but.............they did not like pressure on their back line once Town got going.

Needham had 5 or 6 goal attempts and scored 3.

Town had.........loads in the second half, scored 2 but failed to hit the target many times. We still need that goal scoring forward !!

 

It will be interesting to read the Needham report of the game.

[scoopydoo]

Needham Market (2) 3 Parker 30, 32, Newson 75

 

Enfield Town (0) 2 Wallace 72, Lockie 80

 

Attendance 207

 

Enfield Town came up against a strong performance from Needham Market and struggled to keep in touch in the first half. Rob Blackburne kept Needham at bay early on with a cracking acrobatic save, but not for long. As Town struggled to keep up with the pace and movement off the ball of their hosts they went behind when Parker struck after 30 minutes. A second goal within three minutes left them rocking as the hosts grabbed a two goal cushion that Town would have to improve to threaten.

 

Half time saw Stuart Blackburne and Dan Forward pitched into the fray and the changes paid off as Town gave it their all. Forward came close early on, putting a free header wide, then with 66 minutes gone Wallace struck sweeping the ball home after Stuart Blackburne had retrieved a lost cause. The goal put Town in with a chance of something from the game but it was not long before Needham regained their two goal cushion when Newson got them a third. Lockie then stunned everyone when he cut inside to cut the deficit again with a cracking left foot strike. As the fog descended the Town front three continued the high work rate lacking in the first spell, but despite a lengthy injury time, the equaliser just would not come.

 

 

 

Enfield Town: Rob Blackburne, Jordan Lockie, Jey Siva, Craig McKay, Mark Kirby, Jon Stevenson, Richard Morton, Andy Jones, Liam Hope, Adam Wallace, Leon Osei.

 

Subs Not Used: Dave Kendall, Bryan Hammatt

 

Booked: S.Blackburne

 

 

[Steph]

A brilliant tactical switch at half time and, as far as I recall, (Over to you FJ) the first time Stewart has made substitutions at half time.

 

We had 3 midfield players - Stevenson, Morton and Jones in the first half who were not getting forward enough. Needham were playing it out of defence with impunity and we were under the hammer.

 

Half time Forward came on for Jones and played behind the forward line and added Stuart (for Morton) who will chase and harry the back line until the end. And it was clear Needham did not like it. As OT says we showed Needham too much respect in the first half. I look forward to the game at Brimsdown as I feel we would have learnt something from that game. Needham did not impress as much as recently promoted clubs such as Dartford or even Aveley. East Thurrock impressed me more. So how did they beat ETU 3-0?

[Father Jack]

Don't think it's the first time he's made half time substitutions Steph, but certainly the first time it's worked so well.

 

I agree with you about our first half performance - it was horrible, although credit must be given to Needham Market for their well-organised, passing game that actually forced a high number of errors from Town's midfield. The strange thing was, we used the same formation that demolished Sudbury, Ware and Redbridge, and the absence of Jon Moore was clearly felt more than we would care to admit.

 

Also find it odd that Needham beat East Thurrock 3-0 - not much in it, but I make ETU the better of the two sides.

[townerboy]

bit out of it at the moment, any updat on where PC, Rudi and any of the rest of our massive squad are at the moment?

[Father Jack]

Not selected basically.

[Tom S]

Some photos now loaded on Flickr via the usual link from the ETFC website.

 

Not as many as usual becaiuse:

 

A. In the first half I was in my usual point behind the opposition goal line so our forwards hardly ever got into range

 

B. As a result of A I decided to concentrate on our defence in the second half (so I got some good shots of Rob and Gio for a change) so naturally the forwards did a lot more. As a result, of course, I only got very long shots of our goals. I still missed their winner because another Needham attacker was stood right in front of me blocking the whole view.

 

C. The fog, which gave some rather odd backgroud effects and eventually caused me to give up by condensing on the front of the lens.

 

Still they're (just) better than nothing.

[Mr Happy]

Bloody excuses!!!