Felixstowe & Walton United 2-1 Walthamstow

Walthamstow fell to defeat on Saturday afternoon after a 2-1 loss at the hands of Felixstowe & Walton United.

Stow put in another great performance which deserved at minimum a point, but they just fell short against one of the title favourites.

It was a very even first half, with both sides creating plenty of chances to take the lead. Joden Trickett’s effort in the eighth minute took a deflection and rattled the crossbar and was cleared to safety.

The hosts thought they had taken the lead when Jose Santa De La Paz’s shot was saved by Luke Mewitt but fell for Ethan Garcia who tapped the ball home, but the linesman had his flag up for offside against the goalscorer. Felixstowe came close again when Josh Hitter’s effort from outside the box flew narrowly wide of the post.

The opening goal did arrive for the hosts just three minutes later. Stow thought they had won a foul after Joden Trickett had gone down but there was no whistle from the referee. This lead to Jose Santa De La Paz being played through on goal and finding the top corner to give Felixstowe the lead.

Stow looked for an equaliser and came agonisingly close when Faith Mustafa’s audacious effort from the centre circle crashed against the crossbar. Felixstowe nearly doubled their lead after they hit the frame of the goal too from Tom Warren’s shot on the edge of the box.

Eventually, Stow found the goal they had worked for. Tristan Goodridge found Mustafa who turned one defender and found the bottom corner to send both teams into half time level.

The second half started like the first, with both sides looking to take the lead. Luke Mewitt was called to action early on when he pushed Zak Brown’s volley over the crossbar, and Stow’s new signing Denim Nnamudi forced a great save from Felixstowe goalkeeper Harry Wright.

In the 66th minute, Felixstowe were awarded a penalty after Mark Chidi had judged to have pushed Ethan Garcia in the back, giving referee Stuart Jessop no choice but to point to the spot. Captain Joe Whight stepped up and placed the ball into the bottom right corner, despite goalkeeper Mewitt getting a hand to it.

From then on, it was smooth sailing for the hosts who controlled the game and hung onto the three points.

Walthamstow make the trip to Chadfields on Wednesday evening as they take on Grays Athletic.