Waltham Forest 2-3 Burnham Ramblers

Waltham Forest were left shocked and dejected after conceding two late goals in a 3-2 defeat to Burnham Ramblers.

In tricky conditions, it was Forest who made the better opening, with Chris Taylor going close from a L’Hereaux Menga cross.

However, it was the away side who broke the deadlock. Neil Richmond was first to react after Forest failed to deal with an acrobatic effort from Pleasance.

Forest levelled the scores 18 minute later thanks to a combination of Menga and Leon Fisher who were both unplayable all night. Menga’s surging run to the bye-line resulted in a deflected cross into the path of the waiting Fisher whose half volley bounced past everyone and in.

Emmanuel Bella went close for Forest before Leon Scott gave the home side a well-deserved lead on the stroke of half time. A perfect through pass found the Burnham defence flat-footed, enabling Scott to round Louis Godwin-Green and fire home from the tightest of angles.

Forest dominated the first half, but had to soak up a great deal of pressure early in the second.

However, they did enjoy a spell of attacking pressure mid-way through the half. Menga went closest, forcing a good one-on-one save from Godwin-Green, though with Scott and Taylor waiting for the square pass, he perhaps made the wrong decision.

Forest were punished for their wastefulness on 78, as Mark Gorbell unleashed an unstoppable volley after Forest failed to clear a corner.

And five minutes later Forest’s fate was sealed, Neil Richmond finishing at the back post after some slack marking from a Burnham throw-in. Forest were down to ten men at the time with Stephen Ikumelo receiving treatment on the side-lines, but they should have done better to stop the initial cross.

In the end, the game petered out with neither side troubling the score-line again.