Non-League and Academy football writer

In an Essex Senior League fixture on Tuesday night, West Essex faced Ilford, at Wadham Lodge. West Essex started this match in 19th place in the league table, after 19 league matches played. Play-off contenders Ilford, started this match in seventh place in the Essex Senior League standings, after 18 league matches played. This step 5 match was won 2-0 by Ilford.

West Essex would start this game well. And it was the home side who went on to create the first real goalscoring chance of the game. From the right-hand side of the pitch, Alfie Gilbey would play the ball across to West Essex’s centre-forward, Fred Agyemang, inside the Ilford penalty area. Fred Agyemang was closed down initially by the Ilford defence, and from close range on the follow-up, his low effort was well blocked by an Ilford defender. Fast forward to the 22nd minute of the game, and following a decent spell in the game from the visitors, Ilford found themselves 1-0 up. 

For the opening goal of the game, Ilford player Emmanuel Wazola would do well to anticipate a short pass out from defence, by a West Essex defender. After stepping to the ball, and from around 25 yards out from goal, Emmanuel Wazola would take the ball forward to the edge of the West Essex penalty area, before curling a good effort into the bottom right-hand corner of the goal, 0-1.

West Essex did go on to create the next chance of the game, and it came courtesy of a good move from the home side. Ethan Earnshaw would receive the ball out on the right-hand side of the pitch, before going forward with it and then delivering a low cross into the Ilford box. Khadean Campbell’s resulting low effort from the left-hand side of the penalty area was met by Fred Agyemang, whose effort went wide of Wilkinson Boateng’s goal.

Not long before half-time and following a cross into the West Essex penalty area, the ball was flicked on by Ilford’s captain, Joel Appiah, to Maksym Trush on the left-hand side of the box. Maksym Trush’s powerful low first time effort across goal, would go just wide of goalkeeper Charlie Mann’s goal.

During the openings stages of the second half, Fred Agyemang would head an effort over the Ilford goal, after meeting Alfie Gilbey’s free-kick delivery into the Ilford box. Around ten minutes later, Ilford came very close to doubling their advantage in this game. As Ilford substitute David Grau had hit a good and powerful low effort from the edge of the home side’s box, following a decent Ilford move, which resulted in West Essex goalkeeper Charlie Mann making an excellent outstretched save. 

It continued to be a competitive contest, with Ilford establishing a two goal lead in the 71st minute of the game. For their second goal of the game, Ilford player David Grau would do well to just take the ball off a West Essex defender down the left flank and close to the edge of the West Essex box. David Grau would then take the ball into the penalty area before playing it across to the onrushing Joel Appiah, who from the centre of the box would finish beyond Charlie Mann, and into the bottom right-hand corner of his goal, 0-2.

Soon after play had resumed, following Ilford’s second goal of the game, they came close to making it 3-0. Maksym Trush showed some really good skill and trickery with the ball down the left flank, before entering the West Essex box, where his powerful effort on goal was well parried behind by Charlie Mann, at his near post. West Essex, who had worked really hard as a team, did go close to getting a goal back, soon after. With Oliseh Okuguni hitting a powerful low first time effort (from the edge of the Ilford penalty area) which went just wide of Wilkinson Boateng’s goal.

Very late on in this game, and with Ilford having really frustrated West Essex in their final third with a good defensive performance, West Essex came close to scoring a late goal. Oliseh Okuguni’s curling effort on the Ilford goal (from close to the edge of their box) was tipped over well by Wilkinson Boateng, as Ilford went on to keep a clean-sheet. This was a very close game, in a game of not very many goalscoring chances. However, Ilford were the more clinical team in front of goal, and they were good defensively against West Essex, as they picked up a very important three points in their quest for a play-off spot.

For West Essex I thought that Ethan Earnshaw, Arthur Jeans, and Oliver Plunkett were three of their best players on Tuesday. For my player of the match award, I thought that Ilford midfielder Emmanuel Wazola had a fine game in midfield (he also scored the opening goal of the game), but my player of the match award goes to Ilford defender Michael Okafor, who had a fine game on the right-hand side of the central-defence for Ilford, alongside Louis Hiobi.