JC MSFL Division One
Oakwood 3 Chigwell Athletic 1
Strikes from Jonny Beilin, Eddie Manson and Brad Wine steered the Oaks to maximum points in their opener against one of their title rivals.
Game of the day in Division One saw two of the title favourites go head to head when Oakwood entertained Chigwell at Parmiters.
Chigwell were without the influential midfielder and club captain Dan Castle but gave debuts to their star signings Jamie Fox, Alex Norman, Benjy Dymant and Lee Hyams.
Oakwood were without joint-manager Rik Blank who was in Mallorca, so Alex Schock took sole charge and fancied their chances of upsetting the title favourites.
The game started at a fast pace and it was Chigwell who made an encouraging start when good work from the pacy Fox, who was linking up well with Glenn Michaels, saw the former RJC striker shot from range but couldn’t test the home goalkeeper.
It took Oakwood quarter of an hour to settle, but once they did they never looked back. Daniel Abrams was the first to test Chigwell keeper Rob Shepherdson but his shot went high and wide.
Chigwell thought they should have had a penalty on 20 minutes when Dymant was pushed in the back but the referee turned down the protest.
The first goal came on 22 minutes and it was the visitors who took the lead against the run of play. Dymant played an exquisite ball through to Michaels who shrugged off his markers and he neatly slotted home from 15 yards out.
Back came Oakwood and they were next to feel aggrieved on the half hour mark when they felt they should have had a stone wall penalty. Veteran Chigwell defender Glenn Davis looked to have pulled back Oakwood striker Antony Kintish after he was through on goal. Referee Martin Lavender waved play on to Chigwell and Davis’s relief as he would have had to go for an early bath as he was the last man.
Although aggravated, Oakwood never let their heads down and with literally the last kick of the half got back into the game when Jonny Beilin poked home from close range after Kintish flicked back his header into the feet of Beilin.
Into the second half and Oakwood continued where they left off in the first half with constant pressure and were forcing early corners. The first great chance came when Dan Rose cross fell to the feet of Dan Ash but he couldn’t beat the impressive Shepherdson.
Kintish then could have given Oakwood the lead when he turned Jon Swead and Norman for pace only for his poor shot to go wide of the post.
Oakwood took the lead on 70 minutes when an Kintish corner held up in the wind and at the far post was Manson who was unmarked and headed home from two yards out.
Chigs boss Richard Slater made significant changes midway into the second half with Russell Yershon, Russell Becker and Adam Goodman taking the places of Slater, Paul Lenchner and Davis but they never seemed to recover from the second goal and if anyone was going to score the next goal it looked like being the hosts
Kintish should have made sure of the points 10 minutes from time when he rounded Shepherdson but could not keep his composure to find the net.
Oakwood wrapped up their victory two minutes from time when substitute Wine found space in the midfield and let leash a rocket from 20 yards out giving the Chigwell keeper no chance.
Oakwood joint manager Alex Schock told JC Sport “This is a superb result. All 14 players made a difference today. We knew it would be tough and we were unlucky to go a goal down but we replied at a vital time.
"We had tough games last year against Chigwell but made our dominance pay in the second half.
"We have big hopes for promotion and if the players keep playing like this it will be hard for myself and Rik to pick the team which is a nice problem to have.”
Chigwell chairman Richard Slater commented: “This is a disappointing result. To have any chance we need to win the second ball and today we didn’t. They will probably be our hardest opponents.
We definitely missed Daniel Castle and it didn’t help losing a goal on the stroke of half-time as our heads were down. Oakwood deserved the win”
Oakwood: Krotosky, Beilin, Lewis, Isaccs, Manson, Ash (sub: Wine), Rose, D. Geey, Librae (sub: Hymanson), Abrams (sub: M. Geey), Kintish
Chigwell: Shepherdson, Lenchner (sub: Yershon), Hyams, Swead, Norman, Pearl, Davis (sub: Becker), Dymant, Michaels, Fox, Slater (sub: Goodman)
