Friday 27th December, 2024 | Woodford Town 2-2 Buckhurst Hill | Essex Senior Premier League | Attendance :192
By Harry Biggs
A Massive Point from Derby Day
What a brilliant way to end 2024 for The Stags, with points shared in Friday night’s Roding Valley Derby against Woodford Town. Buckhurst Hill staged a tremendous comeback away from home at Ashtons Playing Field.
Mark Williams made only one change to the lineup from our 3-0 win against Romford last time out. Muhammed Otuyo retained his spot in goal for the third game running. The defence ahead of Otuyo also stayed the same, with young defender Chama Torsiello continuing in the backline. The midfield trio of Captain Ollie Williams, Oliseh Okuguni, and Archie Hammond remained unchanged. The only alteration saw George Thompson replaced by Alfie Padington, joining Suley Zuhdu and Tyreece Robertson up front.
First Half Action
The Stags started the game brightly and created chances almost immediately. Within the first few minutes, Tyreece Robertson had a shot narrowly miss the post. Shortly after, Suley Zuhdu made a brilliant run through the hosts’ defense, firing a shot from outside the box that clipped the outside of the post.
Another big opportunity came within the first 10 minutes when Robertson drove at the Woodford defence but hesitated to shoot and was ultimately shoved off the ball by a defender.
The Stags dominated the early exchanges, with set-piece specialist Archie Hammond forcing a save from Woodford goalkeeper Manny Agboola, who proved difficult to beat on a foggy night. The Woods responded with a counterattack, culminating in their first shot of the game, which blazed over the bar.
As the half progressed, Woodford grew into the game, surprising the Stags’ fans after a strong opening 20 minutes from their side. Around the 30-minute mark, Muhammed Otuyo produced an incredible double save to deny what seemed like a certain goal. The Stags tried to counter, with Zuhdu breaking through on goal, but Kirwan-Meade made a brilliant last-ditch tackle to thwart the attack.
Just before halftime, disaster struck for The Stags. A perfectly weighted pass over the Buckhurst Hill defence found Woodford’s winger, Gokou, who finished clinically to give the hosts a 1-0 lead at the break.
Second Half Drama
The final 45 minutes of 2024 promised to be pivotal. Early in the half, another dangerous set piece from Hammond just missed being converted by Okuguni.
Things went from bad to worse seven minutes after the restart when Jude Carolan accidentally deflected the ball into his own net, doubling Woodford’s lead to 2-0.
Mark Williams responded by making two substitutions, introducing Moncur and Obama-Nvumba for Okuguni and Padington. These changes proved decisive. In the 65th minute, a pass from skipper Ollie Williams found Obama-Nvumba, who played a neat ball to Robertson. Robertson fired a low shot into the bottom corner to make it 2-1 with 25 minutes left.
The Stags were energized and nearly equalized moments later. Obama-Nvumba’s effort was goal-bound but was brilliantly saved by Agboola. Williams made additional changes, bringing on Bradley Ismaili and familiar face Frankie Licheri, who made his first appearance of the season.
With nine minutes remaining, The Stags pushed hard for the equalizer. Tim Moncur’s powerful shot from the edge of the box skimmed the crossbar, leaving fans on the edge of their seats.
Finally, with just three minutes left, Buckhurst Hill found the equalizer. A throw-in from Licheri was headed to the back post, where Robertson, under pressure, laid the ball off to Obama-Nvumba. The substitute returned the pass to Robertson, who flicked the ball into the bottom corner, completing a stunning comeback.
Woodford had one final chance after Jimi Feeley was booked for stopping a dangerous attack. However, Otuyo made a crucial save from the resulting free kick to secure the draw for The Stags.
Post-Match Reactions
After the match, I spoke with both Tyreece Robertson and Mark Williams.
Double goal-scorer Tyreece said:
“It was a difficult game at first, but I thought in the second half we grew into it and deserved the draw after the two goals we got back.”
On his time at Buckhurst Hill so far, he added:
“It’s going very well at the moment. At the start of the season, we were working out how each other played with the new signings, but now we have that team spirit to push on for wins. We’re on a very good run right now.”
Mark Williams reflected on the game, saying:
“In the first half, we sat off too much, but I thought we could go forward and get something out of this game. Jaime and Tyreece up top gave us something different. Jaime made some good runs and had a great effort saved. When those two are on form, they cause real problems.”
Looking Ahead
What a year 2024 has been for The Stags! From thrilling highs, such as the Colchester United cup tie, to the lows of tough games against Canvey Island, we’ve seen it all. It’s been a pleasure bringing you coverage over the past six months. With 2025 ahead, it’s set to be another exciting year for Buckhurst Hill FC.
Happy New Year, Stags fans!
TEAM :
Otuyo 🧤 🟨, Foster, Carolan, Okuguni, Harris, Torsiello, Hammond, Williams ©️, Padington, Zudhu, Robertson ⚽ ⚽
SUBS :
Licheri (77’ – Carolan), Ismaili (77’ – Hammond), Obama – Nvumba (60’ – Padington), Moncur (60’ – Okuguni), Feeley 🟨 (89’ – Williams)
UPCOMING GAMES:
Saturday 4th January, 2025 – Benfleet (H) – Myrak Park – Essex Senior Premier League
Wednesday 8th January, 2025 – Athletic Newham (H) – Myrak Park – Essex Senior Premier League
Saturday 18th January, 2025 – West Essex (H) – Myrak Park – Essex Senior Premier League
