Felixstowe & Walton United FC

NEW SALAMIS  4 - 3  FELIXSTOWE & WALTON UNITED 

Seasiders return home empty handed, supporters return home hungry

Felixstowe & Walton United returned from London with no points after a dramatic match at New Salamis produced a sting in the tail at the death to give the home side a 4-3 victory. The hosts led by two in the first half before a Joe Whight penalty on the stoke of half time reduced the deficit. Salamis restored the two goal advantage straight from kick off in the second half but the Seasiders fought back strongly to level through debutant Andy Fennell and Sam Ford. Felixstowe looked the likely winners from there but a sucker punch on 89 minutes floored the away side.

Before I get on to the football, let me get something off my chest. This is not sour grapes and I mean no disrespect to New Salamis, they took their chances well, capitalised well on our errors and any side that score four goals against a top five team deserve the victory, however, running a football club is not only exhilarating, but is a bloody nightmare! Firstly, in any walk of life where humans are involved, there will be issues, be it personality clashes, lack of volunteers, financial issues, social media! And those making the rules. We work tirelessly to uphold standards, offer facilities that we can be proud of, fundraise endlessly to continuously stay ahead of the ever-increasing burden of rules and regulations that we as a club have to adhere to. We are not alone of course, everywhere we visit, our supporters are met with open arms, provided with the facilities and hospitality that the league insist upon and that clubs willingly offer. Ground grading is the same, we all have to follow certain (endless) standards and rules that allow a club to sustain a certain level of football, just ask Stowmarket what they had to do when promoted, with threat of relegation if deadlines were not met! So, my point is, how is it right that the home side are not, actually cannot, follow the rules? I won’t dwell on the ones such as no advertised programme, no turnstiles in use, just a guy in the car park collecting the tenners, no tannoy in use for emergencies or team announcements, etc etc. But I will make a strong point about food, the attendance was advertised before kick off! as 127, in reality there was approximately 53, that was about 37 from Felixstowe, a couple of neutrals I spoke to and just over a dozen home supporters, but after a long journey by coach and car, and no prior warning, there was no food available at the ground, at all, against the ground grading and league rules that state hot food must be available for purchase. Supporters travel a long way in this league and should be able to rely on food being available in there approx. 10-hour day trip. We thanked the hard-working people who were there, but they admitted they simply do not have anyone to fulfil these requirements. As a volunteer myself, I feel for them, but if you are not in a position to offer and maintain the basic needs of football at senior level then sorry, but you shouldn’t be allowed to remain in it. (My views, not those of Felixstowe & Walton United)

Back to the football! Felixstowe started with new signing Andy Fennell making his debut in a central forward position, Ollie Canfer was unavailable and George Clarke, Leon Ottley-Gooch and Stuart Ainsley remain out with injuries. New Salamis were missing 19 goal marksman Derek Asamoah.

Felixstowe started brightly on the 3G surface of Haringey Borough, but often found the final pass lacking when moving forward. New Salamis were playing on the break with Remi and Mandla looking particularly dangerous with their pace. Mandla headed tamely wide on 7 minutes before Noel Aitkens was denied at the near post with a challenge preventing his shot hitting the target. Callum Harrison curled a free kick round the wall and just past the post on 12 minutes, then one of the home sides quick breaks found a gap on the right to allow Remi to slam the ball in from close distance. Aitkens sent over a wonderful cross from deep on the right shortly after, it found Fennell in the box, he took the ball down well, turned and shot but was denied by a last gasp block. Despite all their possession and passing football, it was the home side who again stunned the away support on 25 minutes as they took a two-goal lead, Felixstowe again unable to defend a break on the right and Ryan Hervel slammed the ball home from 15 yards. The Seasiders went close twice on 30 minutes, firstly a cross heading for Fennell was headed backwards by a defender and missed the goal frame by inches, and then Billy Holland saw his header tipped over the bar from the resultant corner. Joe Whight headed narrowly wide on 42 minutes but he was soon on the scoresheet, the assistant referee flagging for a clear handball from a corner as the referee blew the half time whistle. Salamis protests went overboard, as had been the case all afternoon, but Joe Whight stepped up and halved the deficit.

The feeling amongst the supporters at half time was that Felixstowe would now come back and win, but that confidence was shattered immediately when straight from kick off, yet another fast break on the right allowed Remi to score his second, the ball spinning in to the net off Callum Robinson’s studs seemingly. Felixstowe were absolutely dominant (until the 89^th minute) from there and wave after wave of attacks led to increasingly better chances for the away side, helped further when Salamis were reduced to ten men following Hervel’s second yellow card. Callum Harrison’s overhead kick flew just over the bar, Charlie Warren saw his 20-yard low effort tipped around the bottom corner and Henry Barley shot across the face of goal and wide as Felixstowe pressed. Harrison saw a shot deflected wide on 66 minutes and from the corner, Fennell opened his Seasiders account. The corner was headed onto the bar by Charlie Warren, the ball was only cleared a yard or two to Fennell who made the finish look easy. Felixstowe were being roared on by their supporters and looked like scoring every time they went forward and on 81 minutes the equaliser came, Billy Holland’s curling effort from outside the box struck the post and fell to Sam Ford who finished into the empty net. With the win looking likely for Felixstowe, they fell to an absolute sucker punch on 89 minutes, an attack broke down, allowing Remi to burst forward and his shot was deflected just wide by Robinson, from the corner Robinson caught the ball but the assistant referee adjudged him to have carried the ball over the line, and the goal was awarded, much to the disbelief of both sides. Noel Aitkens dissent led to a straight red card and the Seasiders could not find another equaliser in the five minutes added time.

 Report by Stuart Daynes

Photos by Tom Bradford

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