By Scott Hately
Reports from www.pitchero.com/aveley
AVELEY ended the season with a brilliantly entertaining 3-3 draw away at Soham Town Rangers and now look forward to Maldon in the play-off semi-final.
Alex Read – who had missed a hatful on Wednesday night – opened the scoring with Aveley’s first attack, getting on the end of a rebounded effort from Junior Dadson, but a well-worked goal from Robbie Mason levelled just before the hour mark.
On half time Andre Foster brought down James McCabe in the area and was possibly fortunate not to get sent off before seeing Buster Harradine score from the spot to send the home side in front at the break.
Second half was all Aveley and they got back on level terms quickly when Read got his second of the game from a lovely taken free kick after Petrit Elbi had been brought down and the Millers were back in front when Sheldon Sellears bookended a brilliant team goal curling in on 68 minutes.
The Millers were more than deserving of the three points that would have seen them leapfrog Witham into fourth with them drawing away at Potters Bar but in added on time Soham were awarded another penalty in controversial circumstances which was again converted by Harradine.
With Witham therefore matching Aveley’s result in meant the Millers finished 5th and will now played 2nd placed Maldon & Tiptree in Tuesday’s play-off semi-final.
With both side’s fates this season pretty much sealed all that could have been decided today was who Aveley were to face in the play-off semi-final. That was also dependent on the result between Potters Bar and Witham with Witham just needing to match Aveley’s result to secure 4th spot and a semi-final against Thamesmead.
Buster Harradine was the first to threaten for either side in opening exchanges of this match after being played in wide on the right the Soham number 11 dragged his shot narrowly wide of Andre Fosters goal.
On Wednesday night Aveley did everything but score as Waltham Abbey held firm and Aveley’s Alex Read would have more disappointed than most not to have gotten on the score-sheet after missing a string of chances. That wasn’t the case today as with the Millers first chance of the game he gave them the lead with a chance he couldn’t miss.
A free kick wide on the left, won by Jack Stevenson, was taken by the Aveley number eight before coming straight back to him. Stevenson brought the ball forward before crossing into the box towards Read. Read then played a neat little ball in between the defenders for the on-rushing Junior Dadson who struck at goal but his strike was brilliantly saved by Daniel Bircham. The save counted for nought, though, as the rebound fell kindly for Read who followed up to tap into an empty net to give the away side the lead after 14 minutes.
The home side responded well to the goal and created a half chance through Luke Stanley almost instantly which he dragged wide, just like Harradine had done earlier in the game.
Despite the scare Aveley continued to look threatening going forward, passing the ball around well on a difficult surface. Stevenson had a long distance strike on goal comfortably saved by Bircham and if Dadson’s first touch was a little better he could have had a one on one with the Soham goalie but the ball got away from him.
Other than the dragged shots Soham hadn’t look threatening, but with their first bit of quality they were level thanks to a well-crafted goal finished off by Robbie Mason.
The ball was played out from right to left when Harradine who was lurking unmarked. Paul Burnett had retreated to try and cover the danger but before he could get a challenge in Harradine half-volleyed a perfectly weighted cross into the centre onto the head of Mason whose simple header went past Foster to bring the teams level just before the half hour mark.
With scores still level in the Potters Bar vs Witham game it was a set-back for the Millers in their pursuit for 4th spot, but they almost came up with an immediate riposte but Bradley Thomas was unable to direct his header on target from a Burnett free kick.
Soham had their goalkeeper Bircham to thank for keeping the scores level after Read was played in. The Aveley goal-scorer struck his shot low and hard from the edge of the area but Bircham done well to get down quickly and smother the ball.
Soham’s main threat was coming down the left through Harradine, who it was that set up the equaliser, but it was down the right where their next chance came with good defending from Teddy Nesbitt keeping the home side at bay.
James McCabe was laid the ball off by Stanley with McCabe trying to return the favour playing it back across goal, but it was cut out for a corner by Nesbitt. From the resulting set piece the ball came out to Joe Assemisi at the far post and the left back struck a vicious shot towards goal which game off the outside of the post and back where it came from.
However, right on at the time half time interval the home side did take the lead for the first time from the penalty spot after Foster brought down McCabe in the area.
After getting the wrong side of the Aveley defence McCabe rounded Foster with ease before hitting the deck. It was a simple decision to give for the referee and Foster will feel lucky to have only gotten a yellow card for his troubles. Harradine stepped up to send the goalkeeper the wrong way, sending his side into the break with a lead.
The second half saw the introduction of Petrit Elbi for Marcus Rose in midfield and he made in immediate impact drawing a foul from Martin Bromwich in a central position. After some patching up work on the Aveley number 12 to stop his nose from bleeding Read stepped up to take the resulting free kick.
The strike curled around the wall perfectly and went past Bircham before he could change direction and the Millers were back on level terms within ten minutes of the second half.
It was a cracking start from the Millers who were trying to avoid successive defeats and they almost turned it right round when Dadson, with his back to goal, spun well and struck the foot of the post just three minutes after Read had equalised.
Aveley were really turning the screw and Elbi was once again involved as a back heel from him found Dadson in the area. The Aveley winger opened his body up to strike across goal but it took a deflection taking it away for a corner.
Bircham was being kept extremely busy by the Millers, first being forced into tipping over from a Sheldon Sellears wayward cross which was on target before kicking a Gbenga Sonuga chance off the line form the resulting corner, when a better connection surely would have meant Aveley back in front.
It looked to be only a matter of time before the Millers retook the lead and a perfectly worked team goal was finished off by Sellears with 68 minutes on the clock to final take home all that pressure they had been building.
Dadson started the move, doing brilliantly well to skip past two challenges on the left hand touchline.
After bringing the ball in-field the number 11 found Read on the edge of the area who laid the ball across to Burnett who in turn laid the ball back to Sellears who had come up to support him. The move got the finish it deserved as the right back struck the ball first time, across goal and curling away from Bircham, nestling into the bottom corner.
As we headed into the final ten minutes Aveley were sitting in 4th position with Witham now losing at Potters Bar, but their immediate concern was getting a four goal which would have secured the points.
Of the two sides they were by far the most threatening, but after Sellears goal they hadn’t made Bircham make a save and – like Waltham Abbey on Wednesday night – all it took was one chance to bring Soham back level again.
It would have been cruel luck if a Soham equaliser had come from a wicked deflected effort from John-Paul Duncliffe, but his effort looped up and just over the bar and from the resulting set piece Harradine chanced his arm from distance but that also went over.
With Witham finding an equaliser it meant that a late goal for Soham would have dropped Aveley back into fifth place.
Strangely, three minutes into added on time the referee indicated there would be two minutes of additional time, but in the fifth of those two (or maybe it was three plus two) the referee awarded a penalty when Mason hit the deck after minimal contact from Marcus Rose. The referee bought it, without hesitation giving the home side a second penalty.
Harradine once more stepped up and although Foster went the right way the power took it past the goalkeeper and into the corner to tie up this thoroughly entertaining game of football with the last kick of the game.
After the match Justin Gardner said “I’ve said to the ref if that decision cost us a play-off place what would you say and he said “I’m not bothered”, that’s the kind of referee’s we’ve got to put up with – no respect and appreciation for what we’re trying to do.”
He continued by saying “at the same time it’s probably worked out best for us because Thamesmead are a bit of bogey team for us this season so if you were to ask me who I would prefer to face out of Thamesmead or Maldon it would be Maldon.”
Regarding the rest of the match Gardner said “going forward I thought we were back to our best today, defensively I don’t (think we were at our best) but we’ve changed the defensive today, rested Jay Leader…end of the day it’s the last game of the season and we’ve not lost”.
“We go into the play-offs with a bit of confidence because we’ve played well going forward” concluded Gardner.
Aveley: Andre Foster, Sheldon Sellears (Danny Hopkins 86’), Teddy Nesbitt, Gbenga Sonuga (c), Bradley Thomas (Petrit Elbi 46’), Marcus Rose, Ade Cole (Junior Appiah 78’), Jack Stevenson, Alex Read, Paul Burnett, Junior Dadson
