Match Report: FC Walthamstow HOME

Stratford Athletic 2 - 2 FC Walthamstow

Sunday, 17 March 2013 - KO 11:00 - Mabley Green, Hackney

Squad (4-2-3-1): Deacon; Wachowski (Gallie), Wall, Hope, P. Stanley; Reynolds, Jones (Kelly); F. Stanley, Bishop, Greening; Bocking

Stratford Athletic pulled off a daring comeback from the brink of defeat to snatch a point at home to FC Walthamstow. A capacity crowd at Mabley Green looked on as the Reds overturned a two-goal deficit to walk away with an unlikely draw.

On a rainy day in the heart of East London, the away side started brightly. A sublime goal-line clearance from Elliot Greening was the biggest talking point of the opening exchanges. The referee had to turn to his imaginary linesmen to confirm that the ball had not crossed the line. Captain Josh Jones finally nothed his first shot on goal. He's still trailing Deacon in shots on target though.

Tom Wachowski was lost to injury after only 20 minutes, setting the stage for Mark Gallie to enter the fray. He got to work immediately, being as ginger as possible at right-back.

Chance after chance was dealt with by the Stratford back four until a lucky deflection set up their No.3 for an audacious overhead kick into the bottom corner. Deacon was wrong-footed, the defence were stunned and FCW had the lead.

At half time, the Reds didn't know how to respond. Manager Mike Earll knew he had to lift his players but they looked dejected in their sodden kits, unable to find the extra energy that could give them an advantage in the match.

Walthamstow were two goals ahead soon after the restart. A long ball into the box was nodded past the onrushing Deacon, who never saw the late runner coming.

From here it would have been easy for Athletic to give up. Any other team might throw in the towel, but not these lads. Something changed the momentum, a tackle or a shot - that is unclear - but something gave the Reds a boost. They charged onwards, finding a passion that had deserted them in the first half.

Deacon got up well to spectacularly tip a brilliant effort over the bar. The Stanley brothers patrolled each flank, centre-backs Wall and Hope were unbeatable, substitute Oliver Kelly provided a new dimension, and the others followed suit. Stratford were back.

A neat ball through from 'top boyfriend' Ryan Bishop released Fred Stanley and the rest was simple for the young striker. He tucked the ball into the corner and rallied his team back to the centre-spot.

Athletic's pressure was unrelenting. Chances were falling for every one. Greening might have slotted one in from the edge of the box. Kelly nodded one just north of the crossbar. Bocking tried to sneak one home from close range. And Fred Stanley brought a fine save from the keeper when he curled a close range free-kick over the opposition wall.

In the blink of an eye it all became too much for the away side. A free-kick from Bishop was whipped in from the left wing. A scramble of bodies broke out and somehow the ball ended up in the net. Replays revealed that Nathan Hope, converted to a striker in the last 15 minutes, had done enough to nudge an opponent out of sight for Greening to knock home the loose ball. It was 2-2. Job done. But the home side didn't relent.

A few moments of brave defending at the back stopped any hope of Walthamstow snatching a win, while things were heating up at the other end. Several big chances went begging before the ref called an end to proceedings.

Overall, a fine day in Stratford Athletic's short history was completed by a team who never stopped fighting. Staring defeat in the face, they showed true courage and spirit to bring themselves back into the match. It could have gone either way towards the end but the boys did well to earn a point that sees them go six points behind top spot in Division Three.

Injury Update: Winthrop & Greening

Playing for Stratford Athletic can be dangerous, just ask those on the injury list. We did exactly that when we caught up with Will Winthrop and Elliot Greening.

Will Winthrop:

"I've got a physiotherapy session booked for my birthday. I've had surgery, the bandages are off and now it's all about the rehab. I'm working hard to get back into the squad; Walthamstow Village is my target. All I will say is; revenge is a dish best served cold.

"I was pleased to make it to the Stratford night out, celebrating Matt's birthday. However, I feel that my injury hindered me and therefore caused me to fail in my role as Assistant Manager. Without my assistance, Gaffer was seen shouting controversial chants at tube passengers, guilty of indecent exposure in Piccadilly Circus and has been accused of sexual harassment and cyber bullying after making several drunken phone calls to an unnamed female.

"Although I failed in assisting the gaffer, I'd like to think that I fulfilled my obligation to the players by assisting Matthew Wall and Darryl Kirby into a taxi. I shared a joyful bus-ride home and a delightful apple and blackberry pie with Top Boyfriend Ryan Bishop. Job done. Management."

Elliot Greening:

"I am putting my faith in club physio Tim Reynolds, who has diagnosed the injury as strained ligaments boys. Usually it takes three weeks to recover but without this weekend I should be available for selection for the FC Walthamstow game."

Match Report: Regents Park HOME

Stratford Athletic 1 - 0 Regents Park Rovers

Sunday, 3 March 2013 - KO 10:30 - North Marsh, Hackney

Squad: Deacon; Wachowski, Wall, Hope, P. Stanley (Hauser); Kelly (Kirby), Reynolds, Jones (C), Venus; Bishop; Bocking

Stratford Athletic managed to steal all three points at home to Regents Park Rovers on Sunday, notching their second win in as many weeks.

Alex Bocking scored the only goal of a scrappy game on the marshes as he latched onto the end of a through ball from Ryan Bishop in the second half.

Chris Deacon kept Rovers at bay with two big saves in the first half while Tom Wachowski and club legend Pete Stanley (returning from injury) made crucial challenges on the wing to deny the away team any space.

Athletic showed off some of their best passing play throughout the opening period, creating space with short sharp passes in front of the Regents Park back four. Despite a few half-chances in the opening 45 minutes, nothing could break the deadlock and the teams went in level at half time.

The second half went the same way as the first, with both sides getting into a midfield battle that often ended in a long ball forward.

While Stratford continued to slowly build up their attacks, Rovers put the pressure on. They were halted by Matt Wall and Nathan Hope defending brilliantly down the middle.

The only goal of the game (that's right Stratford fans) was as 'route one' as they come. A goal-kick from Deacon was brought down by Bishop, who knocked the ball into Bocking's path and the striker finished clinically. He just got in ahead of the onrushing keeper and the ball rolled slowly over the line.

For the last 20 minutes Stratford went all-out defensive. The urgency completely went from those in red shirts and maintaining the lead was the only priority.

Twice the away team came close. First from a long ball forward which missed their striker's head by inches before Deacon collected the ball in mid-air. The second was their best chance. A cheeky chip over the back four sent the tall forward away and, despite the protests from the static Stratford defence, he found himself one-on-one with Deacon. This time the Stratford No.1 stood firm and blocked the ball with his left leg before the Reds cleared their lines.

Manager Mike Earll introduced Darryl Kirby as a set of fresh legs before handing a debut appearance to Asa Hauser. Hauser, who wore 'SMITH' on the back of his shirt for some unknown reason (perhaps it's a nickname) was proud of his display. Earll stuck with his youth policy by bringing the attacker to the club but clearly doesn't want to rush the lad into the squad. Management.

The final whistle brought relief to the thousands of fans who stayed long after the game to chant the gaffer's name. Assistant Manager Doddsy came to face the media and thanked the fans for their loyal support.

He chuckled: "It's great to hear the fans getting behind the club. We earned our first clean sheet and I'm sure they're just as proud as we are. I hope Deacon doesn't spend that clean sheet bonus all at once."

He also spoke at length about the referee's performance.

"He was alright," admitted Winthrop.

Match Report: Florist Arms AWAY

Florist Arms 1 - 3 Stratford Athletic

Sunday, 24 February 2013 - KO 10:30 - Victoria Park, Tower Hamlets

Squad: Deacon; Wachowski, Wall, Jones (C), Gallie (Giles); Kelly, Greening (Harris), Reynolds, Venus; Bishop; F. Stanley

Stratford Athletic picked up their sixth win of the season away to Florist Arms on Sunday; goals from Ryan Bishop, Fred Stanley and Oliver "Poacher O'Goals" Kelly were the difference.

A cagey start to the match presented each side with early half-chances but they offered up very little trouble to either keeper. Relieved Athletic No.1 Chris Deacon only just made kick-off after missing the team bus earlier that morning. He was thankful that Olly Kelly was alert when a close-range indirect free-kick clipped the sturdy winger on its way over the crossbar.

Stratford were a much more cohesive team from the start, making it easy for them to pass to one another with increased accuracy. The squad seemed to gel more effectively and soon enough had their first real opportunity. It fell to Elliot Greening, who darted in to connect with a corner, but the in-form striker headed the ball narrowly wide.

With their confidence building, and a solid foundation of passing from Connor Venus and Tim Reynolds in the middle, Stratford pushed on. And it wasn't long before Ryan Bishop had struck them into a first half lead. Captain Josh Jones knocked a long free-kick into the box, Greening headed it back across goal and there was Bishop to tuck home his fifth goal this season.

At half time manager Mike Earll was pleased to go in a goal ahead, with his lads fighting for every ball and courageously putting their bodies into tackles. Unfortunately he had to replace Greening, who picked up an ankle injury in the opening 45 minutes, with debutant Andrew Harris.

When the second half started both sides immediately knew which way the game was headed. A string of physical challenges went in from both teams, piling pressure on the referee. He took action by awarding several yellow cards as the match went on, clearly afraid to man manage the game too much.

It was the away team who took advantage of the ref's sudden strictness, earning a stonewall penalty when Fred Stanley was tackled as he went to shoot inside the area. Despite the nature of the call, the referee still consulted with his assistants before finally pointing to the spot. Full credit must go to Stanley for stepping up to convert the penalty; after a run of bad form it takes bravery to volunteer from 12 yards. He coolly slotted it into the bottom left corner for 2-0.

Then it was the home team's turn from the spot. After an unlucky hand-ball decision went against Stratford it was Deacon's turn to impress the Reds' travelling fans. He dropped to his left to palm the spot-kick wide. He wasn't done there though; moments later he tipped a wild high cross-turned-shot over the crossbar and punched the resulting corner away to safety.

However, barely five minutes passed before the referee was pointing to the spot again. This time Tom Wachowski was adjudged to have brought down the opposition's frontman. The Polish defender was booked for dissent following the decision. The same taker stepped up for the second kick. Deacon guessed correctly once again and flung himself to his right, but the ball dipped wildly and he didn't get enough of a touch on it to keep it out. He was furious at himself for conceding a penalty that he nearly reached.

With their goal, Florist Arms picked up their game but so did Stratford, and the intensity of the match had tempers flaring all over the park. Brilliantly, Matt Wall and Josh Jones remained calm throughout; dealing with everything they had thrown at them with ease.

There were one or two scares but both goalkeeper and defenders protected the lead solidly. This set the stage for an unlikely winner from the poacher of goals himself; Olly Kelly. After some neat play on the edge of the box the ball found its way into Kelly and he smashed home from a few yards out.

It was a deserved win for a team that have had a reasonable start to 2013. Solid defensive work from every member of the back four, a cohesive midfield and a reliable attack made the difference this week.

Speaking after the game, gaffer Mike Earll said: "That was a great win, we held our heads high right to the end and deserved the points. I think everyone did their jobs out there. We can all be proud of that display.

"I was pleased with the two new boys; Gilesy and Harrisy. They came on and added something to the game, which I'm really happy about."

Next for Athletic is Regents Park Rovers, who picked up a 2-2 draw on their own turf at the start of the season. They arrive on the South Marshes on the back of a 1-1 draw with the Fire Penguins, and sit seven points behind Stratford in Division Three.

Maynell Reaction and Florist Preview

Last weekend's fixture with Maynell brought with it a lot of negatives. Tempers flared, player communication broke down and Veno scored another goal. But from the ashes of defeat Stratford always seem to rise with the flaming energy of a phoenix. This weekend the team travel to Victoria Park to take on Florist Arms; a team they could only draw with at home earlier this season.

This is a preview from the players' point-of-view:

Connor Venus scored his second goal in as many games with a cheeky lob over the keeper in the second half. Just as the team stumbles, Venus has hit a hot streak.

"It was a great honour to score my second goal for Stratford. At the time I thought it might have given us the momentum to turn the game around, even if it was a bit lucky.

"Overall, I don't think we had much luck in front of goal. I think the passing wasn't really cohesive and as a team we didn't take charge out on the pitch. We gave them too much time and that let us down. There was a lack of communication between the back four and the front six, so overall it was quite poor.

"We need to stop going into games with the wrong mentality. We think the football will be too easy and that's what lets us down. We only ever seem to wake up when we go a goal down and that needs to change."

Elliot Greening uncharacteristically missed a penalty that could have sustained the Stratford momentum after Connor's goal. For someone who relies on consistency it was clearly a blow to his confidence.

"I didn't feel confident about taking the penalty, and I felt like I'd let everyone down when I missed it.

"A lot of things went wrong last weekend. In general, we aren't really clinical enough and don't execute when we need to. If we want to win games we need to start each game with as much energy as possible, not wait to get into it halfway through.

"We need a reaction this week. I think we just need to put in as much effort in as we can. If the technical side isn't there then at least give us some effort. The spine of the team will be crucial in making the difference."

Josh Jones redeemed his armband for the game but couldn't prevent four goals going in. Given that he is highly critical of himself anyway, the last loss was just another learning experience for the Athletic captain.

"I think the first half was really awful. We picked it up a bit in the second period but no one played well in the first. It was lucky that we were only three down when the whistle went.

"We didn't play our best last time against Florist but nicked a late goal. We need to be a lot better next time. I'm not sure that their league position does them justice, considering how they played against us.

"I expect us to play a lot better. I fancy us to take all three points. We're very inconsistent but always manage to bounce back after a run of bad form."