Wednesday 30th July, 2025 | Buckhurst Hill 2-2 Soul Tower Hamlets | Attendance : 125 | Essex Senior League Premier
By Harry Biggs
The Stags and Soul Tower Hamlets produced one of the games of the season, with two late goals keeping spectators on the edge of their seats under the lights at Roding Lane.
Manager Mark Williams made three changes to the starting eleven that beat Ilford on the opening day. Josh Banfield returned to the Buckhurst Hill starting lineup for the first time since rejoining from Woodford Town, while Tony Martin and new goalkeeper Christian North made their competitive debuts. Reece Lee Simpson and Youcef Tacine dropped to the bench, joined by Archie Hammond, who was available after missing the Ilford win.
First Half
The visitors started brightly but couldn’t convert their chances, firing multiple efforts over the bar. Buckhurst Hill nearly took the lead after 15 minutes when George Edwards drilled a ball across goal toward Martin, but the striker couldn’t turn it home and the chance went wide.
Soul Tower Hamlets came even closer just before the half-hour mark. A ball across the face of goal found Artmeladze with an open net, but he somehow put the effort wide. That miss sparked a response from The Stags, and just five minutes later they took the lead. A slick attacking move saw Callum Maltese drive into the box and force a strong save from Haidara. From the resulting corner, Edwards picked out captain Ollie Williams at the back post, who controlled the ball with his chest before volleying home – a superb finish that stunned the visitors.
The first half ended with Tower Hamlets picking up both a sin bin and a yellow card as tensions began to rise.
Second Half
Tower Hamlets came out strong after the break and nearly equalised, but Ethan Daniels produced a crucial block to deny them. With half an hour left, Buckhurst Hill made their first change – Youcef Tacine replacing Billy Titley – in an attempt to keep hold of the lead.
However, the advantage didn’t last. Daniels picked up a yellow card for halting a promising attack, and from the resulting free kick, Steven Carvell’s shot deflected heavily off the wall, wrong-footing North and levelling the game.
More substitutions followed: Fenton Kehinde came on for Nicolaou, and shortly after, Daniels, Martin, and Maltese made way for Hammond, Humphreys, and Reece Lee Simpson.
With four minutes to play, Christian North produced a brilliant double save to keep Buckhurst Hill in the game. The home side surged forward with the crowd behind them. Kehinde had a golden chance in stoppage time but fired narrowly wide from close range. Just a minute later, Simpson whipped a ball into the box that again found Kehinde, but he couldn’t get a clean connection.
It looked like the game would end in heartbreak for The Stags when a mistake in possession and a slip from Humphreys gifted Artmeladze a one-on-one. The Tower Hamlets striker calmly slotted into the bottom corner to make it 2–1 in the dying moments.
But The Stags weren’t done. Straight from the restart, Buckhurst Hill won a free kick in the opposition half. Banfield swung the ball into the area, and although it was initially cleared, it fell to George Edwards on the edge of the box. The youngster volleyed first-time into the far corner to equalise in the 10th minute of stoppage time, sending Roding Lane into raptures.
Final Score: Buckhurst Hill 2–2 Soul Tower Hamlets
A dramatic finish to a thrilling contest – surely one of the standout games of the 2025/26 Essex Senior League season.
WATCH THE HIGHLIGHTS HERE > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MSHqd1KLM4
TEAM :
North (GK), Harris, Edwards ⚽, Williams © ⚽, Ambrosisine, Daniels 🟨, Maltese, Banfield, Martin, Titley, Nicolaou
SUBS :
Hammond (77’ – Daniels), Humphreys 🟨 (77’ – Maltese), Tacine (55’ – Titley), Simpson 🟨 (77’ – Martin), Kehinde (63’ – Nicolaou)
