Essex Senior League
Great Wakering Rovers moved back to the top of the table in midweek after they secured a 2-0 victory at Tower Hamlets. They now have a difficult away day at Burnham Ramblers as the hosts find themselves scrapping for points at the other end of the table. Ramblers were victorious last weekend, with the 3-1 win over Woodford Town finally putting to bed a dismal run of form that saw only one draw from their previous nine outings. Great Wakering had a minor blip at Southend Manor recently which knocked them off top spot. It is hard to see Iain O’Connell’s men being dislodged now they re-captured the leadership. A mere point separates them from Redbridge, so if they fail to take anything less than the full quota of points on offer at Leslie Field then they could find themselves dislodged.
Redbridge failed in their midweek trip to Clapton, who despite finishing the game with only ten-men still managed to knock a slight dent in the Motormen’s title challenge. Redbridge are still a point behind Great Wakering and so could return to the top if Great Wakering slip up, but they have to take on a Waltham Forest side that will be raring to go after hurting the promotion hopes of Basildon United on Tuesday. A first half blitzkrieg alongside a defensive brick wall meant that Waltham Forest picked up a valuable 3-0 win that moved them out of the bottom four. Having outfought another promotion rival means that Waltham Forest go into the game full of confidence and are capable of pulling of another shock win. The hosts will be without leading scorer Brian Moses who is suspended, but they do have the ability to score goals, particularly late on and so this works out to be another interesting match-up between two teams in need for points for very differing reasons.
Basildon United missed a glorious opportunity to catch up on the top two after Tuesday’s defeat at the hands of Waltham Forest. Marc Harrison’s side have to put that game behind them quickly as next up is FC Romania. The visitors sit 3rd, one place above the hosts, and will be buoyed by the fact they they landed the Gordon Brasted Memorial Trophy on Monday. That first taste of Essex Senior League silverware might well keep their fires burning and the Wolves are still very much in the promotion mix. Should Basildon United lose this one then it could possibly damage their promotion hopes. An FC Romania loss would also derail their promotion charge. It’s a genuine fifty-fifty pick-em’ with the added relish of being a game that will have a major bearing on the promotion issue.
And down at the bottom Hackney Wick host an Ilford team that comes into the game on the back of three defeats on the bounce. The Wickers recorded a great win over Southend Manor in midweek but they remain firmly rooted to the foot of the table and they need to carry on winning if they hope to beat the drop.
Wadham Lodge need to beat Clapton; while Stansted entertain a Sporting Bengal United team that are not too far away from the relegation issue. A Stansted win pulls Sporting Bengal right into it; but an away win pulls Sporting Bengal closer to safety whilst landing the Airportmen in dangerous relegation waters.
Saturday 7th April
Essex Senior League
Basildon United v FC Romania
Burnham Ramblers v Great Wakering Rovers
Enfield 1893 v Hullbridge Sports
Hackney Wick v Ilford
Redbridge v Waltham Forest
Southend Manor v Woodford Town 2017
Sporting Bengal United v Stansted
Wadham Lodge v Clapton
West Essex v Takeley
