(Photo by Neil Hunwicks @ABridgeTooFar16)
Essex Senior League
Hullbridge Sports 6 Enfield 1
Ilford 0 Hoddesdon Town 0
Redbridge 1 Woodford Town 3
Sawbridgeworth Town 1 Clapton 1
Stansted 4 Sporting Bengal United 1
Stanway Rovers 4 Barkingside 1
Takeley 3 St Margaretsbury 2
Tower Hamlets 1 Southend Manor 0
Walthamstow 2 Leyton Athletic 2
BBC Essex Senior Cup 2nd Round
Saffron Walden Town 4 West Essex 1
Hullbridge Sports hit Enfield for six on Saturday as they continued their good start to the season. Dan Okah fired the hosts into a 20th minute lead but Jayden Hocking-Rising levelled up eight minutes later. However Hullbridge scored twice in the closing stages of the first half, as Michael Salako and Perry Dunn notched goals to put Hullbridge firmly in the driving seat. Further goals by Tony Martin, who scored twice and then a final minute goal from Dunn made sure that Hullbridge not only remain top of the table but also continue their unbeaten start to the campaign. Stansted turned over Sporting Bengal United with a 4-1 score line that sees them end the day second in the table. Callum Ibe notched a hat-trick, with Connor Hammond providing the other goal. The visitors went in level at the break as Jay Knight was able to find a response to Ibe’s opener in the 25th minute; but the second half saw the Airportmen get into their groove and their visitors had no answers as they slipped to a defeat which sees them slip down to eighteenth.
Takeley returned to winning ways but fell behind to a Charncey Dash goal inside the opening two minutes. But St Margaretsbury then gifted their hosts an equaliser before being struck down by Stuart Zanone and a Charlie Cole penalty before half time. Tom Cowell pulled one back for the visitors twenty minute from full time, but Takeley held on and end the day third as a result of winning this encounter. Tower Hamlets move off the bottom of the table after a Silo Joao goal was enough to provide Hamlets with their first win of the season, and move them up one place to nineteenth. Barkingside drop to the foot of the table after a 4-1 reverse at Stanway Rovers who move out of the bottom two after this success. Marley Andrews, Marley Okosi, Toby Blanche and Danny Nesbit were the Stanway marksmen, while Barkingside, still winless so far this season, replied via a Jacob Dingli strike. The Walthamstow derby ended in a 2-2 draw as Gebrai Samrai and Craig Pope both notched for Walthamstow but Leyton Athletic were able to find equalisers. Mario Gnijaj levelled up in the 48th minute and then gained a point when Francesco Cicconi did likewise in the final minute of the game.
Clapton also shared appoint after they too found a late equaliser at Sawbridgeworth Town. The Robins had been handed the lead in the 66th minute as Lewis Deamer found the target, but Dylan Gordon-Broadley drew the Tons level in the 89th minute. There was to be no last minute goals at Cricklefield – in fact there were no goals at all as Ilford and Hoddesdon Town played out a goalless draw. Woodford Town started the weekend off with a Friday night win over at Oakside. Samir Ali and Tkudwza Mashingaidze struck inside three first half minutes to put the Woods in control. The Motormen were not able to rally and fell further behind when Temi Babalola put his name on the score sheet in the 78th minute, but four minutes later the Motormen were able to reduce arrears as Brian Kyungu hit a wonderful strike from 25-yards that crashed into the top right hand corner. It was too little too late of course and Redbridge’s slow start to the season continues and they now sit in twelfth place while Woodford Town sit three places higher. There was one BBC Essex Senior Cup game played as Saffron Walden Town finally completed their 2nd Round tie with West Essex. Charlie Portway opened the scoring with a 5th minute penalty, then a brace from Ryan Fleming and a goal from Tom Lakin added to the tally. Tom Woodbridge scored the West Essex reply, with the 4-1 win for Saffron Walden now moving them onto an all ESL-tie with Redbridge in the 3rd Round.
