Non-League and Academy football writer

West Essex FC have started the 2023/24 season really well in the Essex Senior League. They faced a Great Wakering Rovers side on Wednesday evening in the league, who were relegated to the Essex Senior League last season, at Wadham Lodge, a ground that West Essex ground-share with Walthamstow FC. This was my second visit to Wadham Lodge, and my first to watch West Essex FC, as they took on Great Wakering Rovers, in what was a thrilling game of football, particularly in the second half of the match. Great Wakering Rovers won this Essex Senior League encounter 3-2, but with 20 minutes of the game remaining and West Essex leading the match 2-1, it didn’t seem a very likely scoreline to occur. This win for Great Wakering Rovers moves them up to eighth place in the Essex Senior League, with West Essex remaining in second place in the league standings. The early stages of the game were fairly even, with Great Wakering Rovers goalkeeper Luis Shamshoum making an early decent save for the away team. He would make another fine stop not too long after making his first save of the game. The game continued to be an evenly contested contest, with both sides defending well during the early stages of the game.

The first real chance of the game came the way of Great Wakering’s inform forward Callum Boylan, after a bit of fortune saw him receive the ball through on goal, towards the West Essex penalty area. He continued forward with the ball into the penalty area, before lifting an effort over goalkeeper Michael Corderoy, as the ball clipped the crossbar on its way over the goal. Becoming a lot more involved in the game, and impressing with his movement off the ball, Boylan hit an effort wide of the West Essex goal shortly after his initial chance. As the first half progressed, Great Wakering Rovers were getting better and better in the game. A really good headed chance for Great Wakering went wide, before some good play which saw Harry Talbot find Shemarie Perkins-Palmer on the right side of the West Essex penalty area, resulted in the Great Wakering winger finding the far corner of goalkeeper Michael Corderoy’s goal to give the visitors the lead. However, there were shouts of a possible handball in the buildup to the goal. The second half started well for West Essex. Ike Olaiya had a good chance to score an equaliser inside the visitors’ penalty area. Great Wakering Rovers’ goalkeeper Luis Shamshoum continued to impress, but after saving well from Ruben Bartlett Antwi’s  effort from close range, he could do nothing to stop West Essex’s eventual equaliser.

After West Essex had won a free-kick on the edge of the Great Wakering box, up stepped Ike Olaiya, to find the top corner of the goal with a really impressive effort, to level the scores. West Essex were now the better team in the game, and they would soon take the lead through Tamas Amgbaduba, who met a good free-kick deliver into the Great Wakering penalty area, to slot the ball home well, from close range. Great Wakering were now chasing the game, with more chances arriving for West Essex. However, the away side showed great determination to get back into the game. The very influential Callum Boylan started a good move for Great Wakering, which resulted in him receiving a pass on the edge of the West Essex box. His ball control was really good as he shifted the ball onto his left foot as he went into the penalty area, before powerfully finding the top right corner of the goal with an unstoppable effort to make it 2-2. The game was now an end to end one, as it approached its end. Callum Boylan turned provider, as he went forward with the ball, before slipping a pass into the feet of Harry Talbot, who found the bottom left corner of the West Essex goal, from the right side of their penalty area, to get the winning goal of the game.

Ben Search was sent off for Great Wakering (West Essex had a player sent to the sin bin late on in the second half), and West Essex had what they thought should have been a dramatic equalising goal late on in the game, but Mitch Arthur’s headed goal from a free-kick delivery was ruled offside, much to the disbelief of the West Essex players. The game did finish 3-2 to the visitors, and I thought that it was a really good and very competitive game of football on Wednesday evening. Callum Boylan was for me the most influential player on the pitch, continuing his great goalscoring form this season for Great Wakering, and also providing the winning assist. The 21 year old has good pace and skill on the ball, and his movement and running off it was also impressive. I enjoyed my second visit to Wadham Lodge, with it being a very good game of football in the Essex Senior League. I wish both sides all the very best for the remainder of the season.