Felixstowe & Walton United FC

 We knew this was never going to be easy. Aveley came to The Goldstar Ground with two impressive league wins under their belt and a goal difference of plus eight. Speaking before the game, more than a few home fans said they’d be happy with a point. What they witnessed was more than a little drama with a magnificent defensive display, a saved penalty, a red card and a 2-0 win against a side Joint Manager Ian Watson described as, “One of the best sides in the league.”

 The day ended with Felixstowe & Walton United sitting in a lofty 2^ndplace in The Bostik North Division One after four games. But let’s not get carried away. It’s early days and next up is another tough one away at Bowers & Pitsea.

 From the start it was clear that Aveley were going to be a tough nut to crack and it was obvious we were going to have to work hard get anything from the game. It took a while but as half time approached The Seasiders did start to look just that little bit more comfortable.

 With 10 minutes left on the clock until the break, an effort from Sam Ford resulted in keeper David Hughes failing to hold the ball. And there was the ever- impressive Jordy Matthews who kept his head and netted to give Felixstowe a valuable one-goal lead, which they took with them at half-time.

 After the break, the visitors again piled on the pressure but, in the words of Watty, “Our defence was superb. We defended as a team.”  Matthews was tireless in midfield as was Jamal Wiggins and Stuart Boardley, all helping an under pressure back four, all tracking back time after time, contributing to what really was an admirable team effort in defence.

 It looked like Aveley were finally going to get back in the game when they were awarded a penalty with just 10 minutes left on the clock. Now it was time for keeper Jack Spurling, who had already been working very hard bringing off more than a few very decent saves, to keep the dream of three points alive. To the delight of the home faithful, Jack delivered. In his own words, he said, ”I kept my eyes on the ball, Thomas Richardson approached, hesitated, I stood my ground and I came out on top.” What remained was 10 minutes of just a few frayed nerves and there was plenty of drama still to come.

 Felixstowe’s Ben Clarke received his marching orders with a straight red on 90 minutes for something that was allegedly said to the referee. Even with just a few minutes remaining, there were no doubt more than a few home fans still just that little bit twitchy waiting for the final whistle.

 But there was no need to worry. Some tricky footwork from Sam Ford on the left surrounded by three blue shirts led to the Aveley keeper failing to keep out Ford’s winner, which put the game to bed. Cue wild celebrations from Felixstowe by the opposition corner flag. Those celebrations were the result of knowing they’d wrapped things up.

 Aveley coach, George Young, told us after the game that on another day, ”We could have come away with a convincing win. But today it just wasn’t to be.”

 But let’s just be sure about one thing. Yes, Aveley impressed and, yes, they came close to scoring on a number of occasions, but Felixstowe worked hard for a full 90 minutes. The home side was tireless throughout and showed that whilst there may be no easy games in The Bostik North, neither will Felixstowe & Walton be pushovers for anyone. Not if we play like we did against Aveley.

 It’s two weeks now until Felixstowe’s next match away at another strong side, Bowers & Pitsea. The Seasiders will certainly approach that match in confident,  but no doubt, cautious mood.

Click here for line ups, yellow cards, substitutions etc.  Some photos here