Non-League and Academy football writer

Brimsdown returned to league action on Wednesday night, when they hosted Coggeshall Town at Wormley Rovers FC in a Thurlow Nunn League First Division South fixture. Brimsdown started this league match in fifth place in the league table, after 11 league matches played. Coggeshall Town started this game in 11th place in the league table, after nine league matches played. This step 6 match would finish 1-1.

Coggeshall would get off to a great start in this game, taking the lead after three minutes. After a Coggeshall player had turned slightly with the ball close to the edge of the Brimsdown box, he would play the ball towards the run of Joshua Ambrose. The Coggeshall forward would run in behind of the Brimsdown defence, and one versus one with their goalkeeper inside of the penalty area, his composed resulting finish would find the bottom right-hand corner of the goal, 0-1. In a first half of not very many goalscoring chances, Brimsdown would soon start to grow into the game, as it proved to be a more even contest, after that great start from the visiting team.

Not long before half-time, Brimsdown would draw level in the game. They had been working hard as a team, but they had to be patient to create good chances. Some excellent skill from Theo Higson-Farrell (he had now switched flanks, moving on to the left flank), would see the Brimsdown player pick the ball up on the left flank. Higson-Farrell would drive forwards with the ball at pace, and with great close ball control. After slaloming past several Coggeshall players, he was challenged inside the centre of the away team’s penalty area. However, Matas Machovas was alert to the ball, as he slotted it into the goal in clinical fashion, 1-1.

During the early stages of the second half Coggeshall forward Joshua Ambrose’s free-kick effort (from the edge of the Brimsdown box) over the Brimsdown wall, was gathered by the Brimsdown goalkeeper, Kris Ozols. And then around five minutes later, the Brimsdown goalkeeper would make a fine save to stop Todd Hollocks’ curling free-kick effort from out on the right-hand side of the pitch, from heading into the top left-hand corner of his goal, by tipping the ball over. This continued to be a well contested game, in which Coggeshall were continuing to be the more creative of the two sides, with Brimsdown defending well.

Following a good, skilful run into the Brimsdown box by Todd Hollocks, the Coggeshall captain was challenged inside of the penalty area, with Coggeshall player Abiola Makanjuola then curling an effort just over Kris Ozols’ crossbar. In what was proving to be a good spell in this game for the away side, Joshua Ambrose would hit an effort over the Brimsdown goal from close range but under pressure from some Brimsdown defenders, after meeting Joe Borein’s bouncing cross at the Brimsdown goalkeeper’s near post. Late on in this contest, and following a Brimsdown corner-kick, a Brimsdown player would receive a short pass to the left-hand side of the Coggeshall box, as his curling resulting effort went wide of the goal. 

This was a really well contested game of football. Coggeshall Town started this game really well, but Brimsdown would grow into the first half as it went on and they would score a really well worked equalising goal before half-time. Coggeshall Town were the more creative side overall in this game, but Brimsdown were very well organised defensively, and they managed the game well to get a good point, as they continue their fine unbeaten run in the league. For Coggeshall, I thought that their influential captain Todd Hollocks was their player of the match, and in what was a good team performance from them, Joshua Ambrose and Travis Richards also impressed me.

For Brimsdown, the very skilful Theo Higson-Farrell (he worked really hard, showing his quality out wide and on the ball), Matas Machovas, and Brimsdown’s captain and central-defender, Duwane Thomas, were some of their players who impressed me. My player of the match on Wednesday was Brimsdown’s left-back – Marquez Cadette, who I thought had a really fine game defensively.