End of Season Review – Part 3

Maldon & Tiptree: A slow start to the season meant Maldon & Tiptree were no higher than 19th after 20 games played. However, their fortunes turned around and formed picked up, and only three defeats from the final 15 matches of the season  saw them eventually finish 11th. The season started with hopes of a play-off place, but by November, Brad King had resigned. Mike Flanagan was brought into the club to take temporary charge of the team, and with the introduction of several new players, including Flanagan’s son Adam as captain, team spirit soon returned and the Essex club became very hard to beat. Sos Yao ended the season with 12 goals, helped by 8 from Ross Wall, but a lack of threat in front of goal was no doubt one of the team’s main issues this season. Yao was their only player to get into double figures, despite 11 of the squad featuring in over 20 matches each.

Potters Bar Town: Adam Lee’s side were one of the surprise packages in the division, despite eventually finishing 12th, the highest position in the club’s history. At one point, the Scholars peaked as high as fifth in the table, and their attractive, free-flow attacking football destroyed Forest as they romped to a 4-1 victory in March. The youthfulness of the squad was highlighted on the last day of the season, as a Bar side with an average age of 21 went down 6-0 away to Leiston. James Gershfield top scored with 21 goals, and earned the Most Improved Player at the club’s end of season awards. The loss of Tom Pett to Wealdstone was no doubt a big loss, and it was only a dip in form towards the end of the season that took the Scholars away from a potential play-off place.

Romford: Romford were about as average as you got in Division 1 North last season. From 42 games, Romford won 15 and lost 15, drawing 12 along the way. In the club’s two matches with Waltham Forest, the points were shared in an exhilerating 4-4 draw at Cricklefields, while Romford took all three by virtue of a 2-0 win in what was possibly one of the most boring matches of all time at Mill Field. Some impressive victories were recorded over Grays, AFC Sudbury and Chatham, but on the whole, Romford picked up their points beating some of the poorer teams in the division. Kurt Smith was voted as the supporters’ player of the year, knocking in 20 goals in 33 starts.

Waltham Abbey: With next to no budget, Abbey were always looking for a season of consolidation, and that is firmly what they got. After a few games, they peaked at 4th in the table, but a leaky defence saw them finish 14. The Abbotts had no trouble in the scoring department, banging in 79 goals, nine more than Harlow Town who finished 7th, and 14 more then AFC Sudbury who finished 8th. A 7-0 victory was recorded over Great Wakering Rovers, their highest victory of the season, and five goals were put past Maldon & Tiptree in a 5-2 win, but Abbey also lost 4-0 to Needham Market and Grays Athletic. Such has been the stability at Abbey in recent years that most Division 1 North observers could probably name at least five or six Abbey players before even seeing a starting line-up. Far from a great footballing side, Abbey’s teamwork and commitment got them to their final league position.

Chatham Town: The Kent side would have no doubt been expecting to finish higher than 15th in the table after the appointment of Manager Kevin Watson. When they visited Cricklefields in September, they had already been top of the table for a short period of time, and were sitting comfortably in fourth. Forest came from behind to win 3-1, in a match that was voted as the supporters’ favourite match of the season. The defeat did not sit well with Watson, who did not hide his displeasure at his team’s defeat, placing the blame firmly on the Cricklefield pitch. This defeat signalled the beginning of the end of Chatham’s promotion form, and despite picking up a bit of form at the start of Spring, only three wins in the final ten matches were a clear indication that Chatham were not as good as their manager liked to think.

All pictures taken by Rod Lewis, with the exception of Potters Bar Town, which was taken by hounddog7.