Essex Senior League – Saturday 18th August Preview
Woodford Town are the early leaders after an opening start that has seen them score nine goals, conceding only once on route to posting two back-to-back wins. Both those wins were at home and on Saturday they make their first away trip to Sawbridgeworth Town. The Robins were dumped out of the FA Cup last Sunday but showed enough about them in that game to suggest they will be a match for anyone in the ESL this term and so the Woods might find a battle on their hands if they want to maintain their one hundred percent record.
It’s early days but the Takeley v Walthamstow encounter could end up having some baring on the final table as both teams are fancied to do well in the ESL this term. Takeley, now mimed by Marc Das are always one of the teams expected to be near the top end of the table, while the re-named Walthamstow seem to be strengthening on the pitch as well as behind it as manager Ryan Maxwell, who oversaw last season’s great escape, has put together a decent looking squad with James Peagram, a proven goal scorer in the ESL, now leading the attack. Both teams are unbeaten going into this one, with Takeley coming off the back of a great FA Cup win at Norwich United last weekend.
Stanway Rovers switched over from the Thurlow Nunn League and have not made a good start to their new ESL surrounding having lost both of their opening two fixtures. They meet Clapton on Saturday who have won one and lost one from their opening two. Leyton Athletic will be buoyed by their midweek FA Cup replay win over Barkingside and need to post their first win of the season as they won’t want to have a repeat of last season, where they finished in a relegation spot but were then reprieved late into pre-season meaning they could campaign in the Essex Senior League this season. They were known as Wadham Lodge last season, have taken on a new name this campaign and will want to have a fresh start with no repeats of last season’s woes. A win against Ilford would be most welcome, but the Foxes have brought in Martin Haywood this term and he has brought over a young capable squad to the Cricklefield outfit that won the Reserve Division title last season as Waltham Abbey Res.
Barkingside have yet to score in any of their first four competitive fixtures. Two goalless draws in the league may suggest that they have a solid defence. But two FA Cup games with Leyton Athletic also saw no goals scored and so Michael Walther now has a problem on his hands as his team need to find a way to find the back of the net. Enfield will be aware that the hosts have been gun-shy so far this term and may see this as a good opportunity to post their first win of the new campaign.
Saturday 18th August
Fixtures
Barkingside v Enfield
Hullbridge Sports v Stansted
Leyton Athletic v Ilford
Saffron Walden Town v Sporting Bengal United
Sawbridgeworth Town v Woodford Town
Southend Manor v Hoddesdon Town
Stanway Rovers v Clapton
Takeley v Walthamstow
Tower Hamlets v Redbridge
Redbridge v Stanway Rovers
