Waltham Forest 2-2 Waltham Abbey

After 10 games and just the one win you would think that the Waltham Forest players would have their heads down for the visit of local rivals Waltham Abbey, a team on the edge of the playoffs with a 60% win-rate… no such thing as the slight breeze ruffled the corner flags the game took a while to really hit its stride.

However it was the home side who showed their teeth first with a slick through ball L’Hereaux Menga who had a decent one on one chance with the keeper, however Harry Palmer managed to get enough on the shot to deflect it away from the area.

Waltham Abbey started to exert pressure through their wing play and forced a number of corners. These resulted in a scramble clearance and a looping header, but neither seemed to have the venom for a clear goal chance.

Waltham Forest struck back with a fierce drive from Oyewale looking for the top corner only to be denied by another great save from the Abbey keeper.

Forest almost scored with a cross-come-shot that struck the bar. As the half wore on tempers got frayed and Jack Daveney was booked for the visitors. Abbey continued to press forcing a number of free kicks around the area and despite some good delivery Forests defence withstood the attacks with some ease and so the half closed nil-nil as the crowd looked forward to a goal in the second half.

Like the first half this took a little while to warm up. And on the hour mark we had our first talking point as the Abbey broke forward the striker was brilliantly tackled on the edge of the box by Emmanuel Bella, from this pressure the goal was forthcoming.

A cross from the right saw a looped header from Parelle Russell spin and kick off the post into the back of the Forest net.

Once more the boys would have to fight back and so they did scoring two magnificent goals to snatch the lead back.

Oyewale took full advantage of Palmer’s poor clearance to chip over him into the net, this was followed by a second for Forest as Richard Worrell latched on to a long ball forward to place the ball into the bottom corner.

But still Abbey would not lie down and so with minutes remaining they got an equaliser with a lucky chip into the roof of the net, the Forest keeper made a magnificent save right before the final whistle to leave the result a draw.

Report by Peter Willoughby