Eastern Counties League Premier Division
Brantham Leisure Centre, Brantham
Admission: £7.00
Programme: None
Attendance: 70 (estimate)
Match Rating: 3
After a relatively miserable and very disappointing Easter weekend, plagued by rain, mass postponements and "touch and go" pitch inspections, it was a relief that dry conditions were forecast for today, and I was determined to have a more enjoyable day out. With that in mind, I pencilled in delving into the Wessex League or Eastern Counties League, both fairly reliable sources for pleasant and friendly venues. In the end I went for the one with a more straightforward journey.
The Brantham Leisure Centre is about a twenty minute walk from Manningtree train station, crossing over the county border from Essex into Suffolk en route. Spectators enter the ground through a wooden turnstile hut, and then find themselves on a paved terrace in front of the clubhouse, which is spacious inside and contains a bar as well as a tea bar window. Spectators then pass across the players' entrance, before turning towards the pitch behind one of the goals. Towards the corner is a tall but quite narrow stand with a white tarpaulin style roof and six rows of blue seats. Straddling the half way line on one side there is an intimate stand with three rows of wood top to sit on. Behind the remaining goal there is just hard standing. Spectators are seemingly not really intended to access the remaining length, where there are just temporary metal fences positioned on grass. This is because the ground is shared with a cricket club, and during the winter season, a second football pitch is positioned alongside the main one. There is a nice friendly feel to the place, and while there is little to get excited about, it is pleasant enough with an air of tranquillity and not a modern metallic stand in sight. Being notoriously inconsistent issuers of programmes, it came as little surprise that none was produced today, and at least the man on the gate was honest enough to say they hadn’t been produced and that the issuing of programmes “has been more miss than hit” lately, rather than churn out the tired familiar line about printers letting them down or “they’re on their way”.
There is not too much left for either club to play for this season. Brantham came into this game in fifth place, following 20 wins and seven draws from their 40 league games, but they have played more games than all clubs above and immediately below them. A top six finish looks a virtual certainty though. Ely were in 13th place, following 16 wins and nine draws from their 39 league games. When the two teams met in mid November, Ely won 2-1.
A remarkable contrast from last weekend, the weather this afternoon was relatively warm, and the sun even put in an occasional appearance. Unfortunately the first half was not the most entertaining, not helped by a hard pitch, as both teams struggled to create chances and the game was an even midfield battle.
Thankfully, the second half was more entertaining, starting at a better tempo and it helped that the visitors took a not undeserved lead on 52 minutes. The ball looped up high to the back post, the keeper couldn’t claim the ball and Oliver Brookes headed the ball goalwards and a desperate attempt by the defender to clear could only see the ball smashed high into the roof of the net. Brantham got back on level terms on 70 minutes when a corner was headed home by Jack Sibbons. The home side completed the turnaround on 85 minutes when the ball found its way into the danger area following a long throw-in, and after a couple of efforts to tap the ball home, Jack Smith did manage to strike the ball low inside the post. Ely never looked like grabbing a late equaliser as Brantham saw the game out comfortably, indeed, they could have extended their lead.
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