Felixstowe & Walton United FC

FELIXSTOWE & WALTON UNITED  1 - 1  COGGESHALL TOWN 

Below-par Seasiders scrape a point

Callum Robinson produced a man of the match performance to secure a point in a match that a below-par Seasiders could and should have lost. Despite leading at half time through a Charlie Warren goal, Felixstowe can count themselves fortunate that a combination of poor finishing and some fine goalkeeping denied the visitors what would have been their first league victory of the season.

New Coggeshall Manager Jason Maher had brought in five new players in the past fortnight and the former Grays striker Josh Osude transformed the basement clubs attacking threat throughout the game, creating numerous golden opportunities, including five one on one chances that he could not convert. Charlie Warren placed his 33^rd minute shot into the bottom corner after good build up play from Zak Brown to give Felixstowe a half time lead, with Ryan Dear heading high into the roof of the net from a pinpoint cross in the 47^th minute to equalise for the away side. Felixstowe failed to turn some decent possession into goal attempts and it was the visitors who time and time again were denied by Callum Robinson, the woodwork, some poor finishing and a goal line clearance that the away bench were convinced had struck the hand of a defender. Zak Brown was upended in the box for what looked like a clear penalty as the game progressed and Coggeshall got increasingly frustrated at the officials and their wasted opportunities. This frustration got out of hand in the 82^nd minute with a Coggeshall player launching the ball from close range into the Felixstowe dugout and striking a coach’s lower half, this led to a mass brawl that saw two red cards produced for Coggeshall and one for a so far undetermined member of the home bench. With Coggeshall down to nine men and several minutes on the clock, the home crowd sensed an opportunity to snatch the points but again it was Osude who had the best chance to win the game, and again he was denied by Robinson when a goal looked a certainty.

Stuart Boardley spoke after the match. “We were disappointing today, we were lethargic, we looked like we’d had a good Christmas! And that was a hard watch as we just didn’t have any tempo to our play, didn’t have any positivity or forward-thinking, it was just very very flat. You could argue that before the game that would be considered as two points dropped but at the end it’s probably one point gained as I thought Coggeshall were the better side. Their goal was disappointing to concede but Callum has gone on to save us so many times at point blank range to keep us in the game. We just huffed and puffed and it really was a poor showing, three weeks without a game is just not conducive to keeping yourself going, but no excuses, we weren’t at the races today and they were, and they’ve come here and got a point. If we had of performed anywhere near to our best we would have won comfortably here today, no disrespect intended to Coggeshall, but of course I’m disappointed to only take a point home as on paper and before the game it should really have been three points for us”.

Report by Stuart Daynes

Photos by Stefan Peck

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