Clapton CFC secured a dramatic three points thanks to in-form Andre Odeku’s strike deep into stoppage time.
In front of a hardcore 317 who braved the strong winds and rain, both sides looked to play football from the off but chances were at a premium.
Goalkeeper/captain Jack Francis was called into action early on, when Benfleet striker Andrew Adegbite won the ball and tried his luck from distance. Francis just managed to backpedal and palm away the shot which was heading for the top corner.
At the other end, Adam Sidky headed over the bar from a corner delivered by Fred Taylor. Meanwhile Clapton’s best chance of the half came from a cross by Andre Odeku to the back post, where Korahn Gayle couldn’t get the touch needed to roll it past the keeper.
Benfleet should also have taken the lead before half-time when striker Tommy Sykes beat the offside trap but put his shot wide as Francis closed him down.
The visitors started the second period on the front foot and had the ball in the back of the net, only to be ruled out for offside.
Minutes later, a Benfleet midfielder tried his luck from fully 30 yards out, which Francis needed to tip on the crossbar.
Into added time and it looked increasingly like the game would finish in a hard-fought goalless stalemate – a result manager and players alike would probably have taken after three defeats in a row.
However, deep into the 95th minute, the Old Spotted Dog Ground erupted. Emmanuel Olasehinde drove forward down the left flank and pulled off a pinpoint cutback into the danger area. Odeku, showing ice cold composure, met the ball and slotted it home to spark wild celebrations.
Benfleet’s frustration at going home empty-handed boiled over at the final whistle with a red card being shown to one of their coaching staff.
Clapton can now chalk this up as a third win in four games at home and will look to continue that streak when Ilford visit the OSD next weekend.
Post-match reaction
Speaking after the match, manager Geoff Ocran reflected on the importance of returning to winning ways.
“I was starting to sound a bit like a broken record in terms of previous interviews… just giving gifts in a lot of games where there was nothing in the sides.
“We did the work on Thursday just working on really the fundamentals of set pieces… VEO gives you the beauty of seeing who’s tracking and who’s not.
“We got to half-time with a clean sheet, which is always a hand because we tend to concede early on. I said to the boys, worst case scenario it’s a nil-nil, we stop the rot, but we know we’re capable of producing a bit of quality here to win this game.”
Ocran also expressed immense gratitude to the ground staff for getting the fixture on and to the fans for their unwavering support:
“The fans today were outstanding… we’re just happy people turned up to cheer us on and we gave them something to go home with. It’s a confidence booster. It stops the rot, and we just need more of this as we go into next week’s game at home against Ilford.”
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