Felixstowe & Walton United FC

Photos Available Here (by Stan Baston)

Tuesday night’s Velocity Trophy encounter with AFC Sudbury was the first of five home matches on the trot at The Goldstar Ground. With victory at home to Grays Athletic on the 29^thSeptember, we could find ourselves with six home games, one after another.

 This all gives Kevin O’Donnell and Ian Watson the opportunity to get the club back into winning ways following the recent 4-0 defeat at Bowers & Pitsea.

 Well, we did get off to a good start, coming out on top against Sudbury with a 4-3 win on penalties after the 90 minutes produced no goals. The Yellows, or The Suds as they are known, put out a young energetic side who worked hard and looked well organized, but it was Felixstowe who netted twice with both efforts ruled out by the referee and referee’s assistant.

 The Seasiders started with two up front, Joe Francis and Miles Powell, although Francis did receive his marching orders on 63 minutes with a second yellow. In truth, 0-0 at the end of full time was a fair reflection of things. Joint coach Kevin O’Donnell told us, ”A lot of players put a good shift in and Rhys Henry did a lot of good work in midfield too.”

 And so attention turns to Romford on Saturday for a Bostik North League encounter. The Boro are currently sitting in 5^thplace, having lost just one of their 5 starts so far. Last time out saw them impress with a 3-1 home win against AFC Sudbury.

 Speaking in the lead-up to Saturday’s game, Kevin O’Donnell said, “Romford will be up there this season; they’ve got some very physical players in there.”  When asked what The Seasiders need to do for the Romford game, he added, “ We’ve got to make sure our discipline’s there in terms of the shape and decision-making as well as getting better at ball retention.”

 Romford Boss Paul Martin has signed a number of new players this season, including Taylor Tombides from Canvey Island and West Ham, and the club looks to be in a stronger position this time round than it was in the last campaign when it finished second from bottom, avoiding relegation by just one point.

For line ups, cards and substitutions click here