Bostik Blog: A sting in the tail

It was a clear, crisp New Year’s Day afternoon as the teams took the field at Witham Town’s Village Glass stadium in the heart of Essex. The occasion was a local derby as the home side faced Maldon & Tiptree to compete for three league points and local bragging rights.

I had expected to be doing something else with my afternoon. Two days previously a number of local fixtures were postponed due to sustained heavy rainfall but the pitch was in surprisingly good condition.

Both sides would have considered this a tough fixture. Maldon had won 7 of their last 11 games and scored 28 goals. Their attack was led by Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe, the leading scorer in the entire Bostik League this season, with 24 league goals to his credit. Witham were not doing too badly either. They made a faltering start to the season and only managed two league wins by the end of October. After changes in personnel and approach, their engine suddenly turbocharged in November, with four victories including wins against Hornchurch and Dereham. They went into this game in confident mood on the back of three successive victories.

The clubs of Witham, Maldon and Tiptree have been protagonists for decades, long before the latter two merged. There was a convivial atmosphere in the bar and boardroom as senior camp followers recognised familiar faces and talked over old times. A crowd of 140 assembled, which was only one short of the highest home attendance at Witham this season.

One very unusual omission was that of super-fan James Beardwell, who had been struck down by a flu attack. James and Witham Town are virtually inseparable. For more than a decade he has been a familiar face (or more relevantly, a voice) at grounds from north Norfolk to the south coast. He consistently manages to maintain a deafeningly high level of verbal support over 90, or occasionally 120 minutes. Only a Witham fan can fully understand the symbiosis between James and Witham Town. They share a common DNA. Without him there is a void for both parties and the club seems incomplete. Witham are Witham with him.

As the game kicked off, the temperature seemed to drop significantly. I for one regretted not wearing an extra layer. The game began in a cagey fashion, like two boxers circling the ring as they tried to probe their opponents’ weaknesses. As the first half progressed, the orange-clad Maldon looked increasingly assertive. Their attacks put the home defence under a lot of pressure. Ogedi-Uzokwe was a constant threat and in the 20th minute his header was cleared off the line by Alex Anderson. Thirteen minutes later, another Maldon attack saw Ogedi-Uzokwe in the box, where he was brought down by a lunge from Witham defender Lance Akins. The resultant penalty was converted by Ogedi-Uzokwe. This astonishingly proved to be his 10th goal from the penalty spot this season.

Maldon deserved to go in ahead at half-time but the second half was a different story, particularly after the introduction of Witham substitutes Tommy Robinson and Moulaye Aidara. You can’t buy experience and if the veteran Robinson lacks the raw exuberance of a youngster, he compensates with his football intelligence and he reading of the game. Frenchman Aidara is a very recent arrival in the UK. He is adapting to the game in England but has made an impressive start. As the game entered the final quarter, Aidara put in an excellent cross from the right to the lively Shamido Pedulu. It looked like the equaliser but Pedulu’s touch deserted him and the chance was lost.

Witham piled on the pressure and it seemed inevitable that they would equalise. It finally happened in the 84th minute when Lance Akins levelled the score with a header from a corner.
That seemed to be that, but there was a sting in the tail with virtually the last kick of the match. In the final Maldon attack, the ubiquitous Ogedi-Uzokwe shot for goal; his shot took a deflection and went in off the post.

From a Witham point of view a 1-2 reverse seemed scant reward for the second-half performance on a day when a draw would have seemed a fair result. That however is football. Maldon had shown their quality and it is no surprise that they are riding high. Teams at the top seem to find a way to win.

Both sides have good reason to be optimistic about 2018. For Maldon the future could be orange. In recent times they have been the bridesmaid but will be hoping for an “altar-ation” this season to allow them to go one better and achieve promotion. Witham are in a mid-table position and their form over the last couple of months makes them believe that they are a match for any side in the division. Consistent results could put them in contention for the play-offs, which would have seemed out of the question in October.

The return fixture at Maldon will be played in April. It will be very interesting to see how both clubs fare between now and then.

Headline image- Witham Town score an equaliser!