Felixstowe & Walton United FC

FELIXSTOWE & WALTON UTD 1 - 2 ROMFORD

Seasiders fall to home defeat

 Felixstowe & Walton United were left ruing missed chances as they succumbed to a home defeat to revitalised Romford.

The Seasiders made just one change to the starting line-up from last weekend against Dereham, Stuart Ainsley taking the place of Henry Barley. New signing from Brighlingsea, Joseph Yaxley, was watching alongside the excellent crowd of 359. Romford again saw several changes to their ever-evolving squad, with plenty of football league and conference experience amongst the new faces.

The game was a fairly scrappy affair for the first fifteen minutes, neither side gaining control or creating much of an opportunity on goal. It was the visitors who gradually started working their way into promising positions and they took the lead on 23 minutes, Dominic McHale finding himself all alone from a throw in, bursting into the box unchallenged, before calmly rolling the ball past Danny Crump in the home goal, the shot hitting the far post before bobbling into the net.

The goal sparked the game into life and both sides could have added to the score line. Crump twice saving Felixstowe, tipping over a goal bound cross and getting sown sharply to block a snapshot. Felixstowe saw three excellent chances to equalise, Armani Schaar firing inches wide, Sam Nunn seeing his stooped header scrambled away at the post by the goalkeeper and George Clarke shooting just wide when one on one with the ‘Keeper. It was Schaar who did bring the home side level on 41 minutes, rising highest to power his header into the centre of the goal.

The lead was short lived however as Romford scored just before half time to restore their advantage, Adam Morgan scoring a stunning goal, a back heel volley from close range that looped over Crump.

Romford were clearly happy to soak up pressure in the second half and to frustrate Felixstowe, eight of the away side were booked for various fouls and timewasting tactics. The Seasiders dominated the half, created several chances which Schaar, Ollie Canfer and Jordan Matthews could not convert. “Parking the bus” worked for Romford as they held out to record their second win of the season.

Seasiders boss Stuart Boardley spoke after the game. “I guess I am left with an overwhelming feeling of frustration, I thought we dominated the game and I thought we were the better team first half, albeit a close first half, and then second half there was only one team in it. Danny Crump did not have a save to make throughout the second half and rarely touched the ball except his feet delivering balls forward, but the frustration is because we simply could not find that goal towards the end. We are just falling a bit in both boxes, a really poor two goals to concede today and not being able to find that goal the other end, so to come away with a defeat against a side that we dominated is really hard to take.”

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