Clapton CFC were outmuscled by Heybridge Swifts as the wait for a first win in the Essex Senior Football League goes on.
CCFC entered this game looking for swift revenge. Opponents Heybridge Swifts had knocked us out of the FA Vase the previous Saturday, winning 2-1 at their place.
There were some changes to the line-up, including Development Team striker Emmanuel Olasehinde playing in defence, a role he excelled at for Brimsdown last season. Dual signed Noah Adejokun also returned to the team after playing for Cannons Wood the night before.
The game started at a frenetic pace with both teams roaring into tackles in front of a decent crowd in the low seven hundreds. CCFC were the first to create something. Fred Taylor hung up a good cross from the left, finding Flavien Stierlen in the Swifts’ box. Stierlen beat his man and met the ball cleanly, but couldn’t generate enough power to really trouble the keeper.
Swifts responded quick enough. A bobbling shot from just outside the area threatened to squeeze into the bottom right corner, but Jack Francis got down well to tip it wide. The visitors would go even closer a few minutes later, a precise through ball found Swifts’ number 9 through on goal, only for Francis to react fastest and get down to smother from point blank range.
The next ten minutes passed without much incident, with the game settling into a period of ‘blood and thunder’ rather than quality. Although, credit must be given to Swifts’ centre-half pairing, who dealt with the not inconsiderable threat of Taylor, Cameron Gordon, and Adejokun all afternoon.
A rare lapse in the Swifts’ rearguard handed CCFC a chance on 34 minutes. Gordon found Adejokun wide on the left with an excellent ball. For once, the Swifts’ number 5 (who was quick as well as imposing) was nowhere in sight. With only the keeper to beat, Adejokun hesitated for just a millisecond and went for finesse over power. The keeper had just enough time to rush out and block Adejokun’s dinked effort.
Just two minutes later, CCFC were made to rue that missed opportunity. Some confusion at the back led to both Bailey Pryce and Junia Charlton both checking their runs to wait for an offside flag that never came. Instead, a cross from the left floated over both their heads for Swifts’ Henry Hart to nod calmly past Francis. 1-0 to Swifts, with the half-time whistle following shortly afterwards.
The second half began with CCFC once again indebted to Francis’ quick reactions, as Swifts began to show their promotion-chasing credentials. After a quiet first ten minutes of the second period, the CCFC stopper was down smartly to stop a point blank header from a corner on 53 minutes.
After an unfortunate yellow card for Stierlen for catching his man in an aerial duel, manager Geoff Ocran decided to ring the changes. Off came Gordon (who did well to last an hour after coming back from injury), replaced by Andre Odeku. Stierlen too had kicked his last ball of the afternoon; Ocran sent on Samba Badjana in his place.
The changes almost had an immediate impact too. Badjana fed Taylor, who cut the ball back perfectly for Adejokun. Most of the crowd were already unravelling their scarves ready to swing, but, unusually, Adejokun failed to connect cleanly, hitting it straight at the keeper rather than into the corner.
Francis came to CCFC’s rescue again a few minutes later, with the best save of the lot. A curling shot from just outside the area looked destined for the top left corner. However, Francis was equal to it, leaping acrobatically to push it wide.
Ocran made further changes, bringing on Lewis Owiredu, Korahn Gayle, and Dean Bouho for Taylor, Akuwudike, and Pryce, respectively. Still, the game drifted for much of the remaining twenty minutes but CCFC fashioned one last attempt. Owiredu swung in a good cross, but Okwute Izuchukwu couldn’t keep it down, heading over from around four yards out.
With that, the game drew to a close, but not before Robin Philpott on the CCFC bench received a yellow card for justified complaints about a Swifts’ elbow to Owiredu’s face. Unfortunately, this was upgraded to a red card after continuing the protests after the final whistle.
Tthe team have a chance to put things right quickly at home against Saffron Walden Town on Tuesday evening.
Rob Stafford
Photos
