Report
Waltham Forest went down to a solitary second half goal after a battling first half performance and having had to make wholesale team changes due to injury and suspension. This left the midfield with two changes and the front line without three recognised strikers. In came new boy Robbie Rix, Luke Majid started the game up front with Kim Karlsen and Yusuf Cicek returned to the midfield.
Forest could have looked to pack their defence and try to sit out the whole match in search of a point but three points were the goal. Both sides were tentative from the outset ; Forest adapting to the changes and Wealdstone looking remarkably out of sorts from what Forest would normally expect.
It took twelve minutes for the home team to have their first crack at goal but Forest ‘keeper Darren Placid was able to make an excellent save, diving to his left, form the ‘Stones front man Jolly.
The next shot of any note came from Luke Majid who’d made himself space in the inside left position to receive an excellent long ball from Cicek from inside his own half. Majid’s volley from fully forty yards had ‘keeper Andy Carter well beaten but the ball skimmed the cross bar for a goal kick.
The visitors had the goal in their sights now and realised that the home defence was not so solid and the ‘keeper was not the safest at handling or kicking. Within e few minutes Hugues Guei chased down left back James Fisher and won the ball from him in the corner flag quadrant. He put in a low cross for Kim Karlsen to come in on. Karlsen stabbed the ball home from close range only to see Carter scramble the ball back from over the line. What seemed a certain goal was not even given the time of day by the poorly placed officials. Aftera second scramble the ball was cleared away for a goal kick.
After 35 minutes the home defence to sleep again and allowed Simon Tickner to come in on the blind side but he found himself on millimetres away from a headed goal as he just missed the cross at the back post.
The first half ended with Forest having done an excellent job under the circumstances but the second half was to be a different affair with the referee becoming less and less able to see when he was being conned or not having the trust in his own ability which would have allowed him to be swayed less by a baying home crowd.
Wealdstone decided they would act like the home team and came out looking for the winner. They began to force Forest back and had the more of the play without really looking dangerous.
The main threat came from Dave Ryan and Gary Burrell but their shots were not good enough to beat an in form Darren Placid. At the other end Forest had their moments but things began to go very wrong on 72 minutes when, after a spell of pressure, Wealdstone went ahead from a neatly headed goal from Richard Jolly who was waiting, unmarked at the far post for the pinpoint cross from the left winger Matt Tidson.
Forest mounted the attack but soon Simon Tickner was cautioned after home ‘keeper Andy Carter won a belated BAFTA after going down when feeling the wind as Tickner passed him. Inexplicably, Tickner was to receive a second yellow for a foul which left Cicek pole-axed on the floor after an attack by a Wealdstone player. The referee seeming to be swayed by the crowd.
It was not long before the visitors were down to nine men with Guei also receiving a second caution. The game petered out with Wayne Brown on up front to try to inject some power into the attack.
A draw would have been the fairer result but for Forest points at Wealdstone have always been hard to come by.