An Athletic victory

It was clouding over in East London as Walthamstow and Grays Athletic emerged into the deepening Wadham Lodge dusk, with both sides hoping to create a little sunshine of their own.

It hadn’t been the greatest of starts to the season for the hosts. Stow had played five competitive matches so far, three in the league- all defeats- and two in the FA Cup, only a Preliminary Round victory over Saffron Walden Town bringing them any joy. The only other positive to be taken from those results was that each defeat came against either a promotion favourite- Brentwood Town, Waltham Abbey- or against a side who had started the campaign by beating everyone lined up in front of them (Gorleston, who had won six matches already, two of them against tonight’s hosts). Walthamstow also started the campaign listed amongst the promotion favourites, but so far hadn’t looked at all comfortable with that label. Perhaps tonight’s Velocity Cup tie was a chance for them to create some momentum; certainly their squad had enough talent to suggest that they shouldn’t be in the bottom four for long. 

The visitors, whilst hardly setting the world on fire, at least had four league points to their name. They came in a narrow victory over Sporting Bengal United on August 24th and an opening day draw at Mildenhall, but they had lost their last two matches and departed the FA Cup, too. They also needed something of a reset, and perhaps to banish bad memories of the last time the sides had met, a four-nil win for Stow at Chadfields in February. 

Both sides fielded strong teams. You don’t always know what you’re going to get at this stage of the competition, with young players regularly ‘blooded,’ but the only thing that was much too young was The Specials, part of a pre-match eighties music fest. Stow fielded eight of the side who started in Cup defeat at Gorleston on Saturday, whilst Athletic similarly started eight of those defeated by Redbridge last Friday night. 

After the obligatory pre-match huddle Athletic, in yellow, got us underway. Stow were in Blue, and their fans did an immediate impression of a Spandau Ballet tribute act, only minus the sharp suits. The first shot arrived quickly, Louie Remi posing an early test for home keeper Lewis Greene, and the same player made Greene work even harder in the fifth minute as the visitors dominated the opening stages. Another shot, this one from Elliot Sartorius, brought a third save of the match from the Stow keeper just a minute later, and it was no surprise when Athletic took an early lead, Luke Hirst looping a header into the top corner.

Goal: Walthamstow 0 Grays Athletic 1, Luke Hirst, 7 minutes

On eleven minutes Hirst nearly had another, Greene saving superbly, but he was helpless as the rebound was steered goalwards by Aron Gordon. Luckily for Stow, the ball crept wide of the post. Another minute, another shot from Gordon wide- after a barnstorming run- and it was all one way traffic. As if to prove that statement incorrect, Kymani Thomas charged up the other end and his cross-shot bounced off the bar. “Blue Army,” sang the home faithful, as their side finally got to grips with the match.

The match was being played at a frantic pace. Athletic looked dynamic down the left, Gordon and full back Matas Skarna combining well, whilst another left winger, Thomas, was posing a continual threat at the other end, as the hosts began their own period of domination- albeit with Grays posing a threat on the break. The difference between the sides was that when Stow attacked there tended not to be an end product, whilst Athletic gave Greene cause to worry on a regular basis. On thirty eight minutes Jayden Peglar had to save from Te Wihongi, and that was the first time he’d really been troubled.

We approached the break. Into added time, and Shermandin Artmeladze dipped a shoulder, charged into the box, and…fired well over the bar. It summed up Stow’s first half- impressive attacking endeavour without a cutting edge. Athletic deserved their lead.

Half time: Walthamstow 0 Grays Athletic 1

Athletic made a change, at the break, Albert Perry on for Gordon, and Stow followed suit, Hayes Thomas on for  Johnville Renee. And off we went, at ninety miles an hour, with an immediate chance for the hosts, Ali Njie’s header easy for Peglar. At the other end a shot from Sartorius was both high and wide. 

Another Stow effort saw Peglar save at full stretch from Thomas, and the hosts two best chances of the match so far had arrived within four minutes of the second half commencing. 
 

On fifty eight minutes Peglar was at full stretch once more, saving from Jared Small, and the visitors were forced into a change, Alex Moss hobbling off as Stow waited to take their corner. Jack Humphrey slotted into his place as the hosts piled on the pressure and the Tony Hadley impersonators behind the goal continued to massacre ‘Gold’- although, to give them credit, they were still better than that washing powder ad that does the same. 
 

Into the last twenty five minutes, and Brian Moses was introduced for Walthamstow. It began to rain, and undoubtedly Brian knew that before the rest of us. The game had slowed down, mainly due to a succession of injuries, but the hosts were dominant, although, of course, still behind. The attacking verve shown by Athletic in the first half was conspicuous by its absence, and the pressure at the other end constant. Into the last fifteen minutes, could the visitors hold out? Michael Finneran came on to help. 

Five minutes to go, and the discussion on the touchline turned to added time, whilst the hosts continued to press and the visitors to dig in. The answer? An unsurprising eight minutes, although as one visiting player went down, quickly followed by another, that number looked like being increased yet further. And then, with ninety seven minutes almost up, an equaliser, Njie keeping cool to turn and fire home.

Goal: Walthamstow 1 Grays Athletic 1, Ali Njie, 90+7. 

And then, after a final- and rare for the second half- Athletic attack, we were off to penalties, to be taken, rather inexplicably, at the end with no fans- which meant that all the fans simply changed ends.

Athletic up first- keeper went the right way, but the ball got there before he did. 1-0 Grays.

Stow- a fine penalty, keeper the wrong way, 1-1.

Athletic- saved, too close to the keeper, still 1-1.

Stow- Peglar full stretch to his right, saved! 1-1

Athletic- keeper went the right way, but not this time, 2-1 Grays.

Stow- sent the keeper the wrong way, 2-2.

Athletic- down the middle, 3-2.

Stow- saved! 

Athletic- to win the match- bottom corner, 4-2, Grays victorious!

Looking at the match as a whole, the visitors probably deserved the victory, but only just. For the neutral, the spectacle had much to offer- it was thoroughly entertaining from start to finish- but of course that’s likely to be little consolation to the losing side. What is certainly true, however, is that on the basis of what we saw tonight, both of these clubs should soon be inhabiting the top half of the table rather than the bottom half.