Tuesday 28th April, 2026 | Great Wakering Rovers 1(1)-(3)1 Buckhurst Hill | Essex Senior League Premier Play-Off Semi Final | Attendance : 375
Buckhurst Hill FC continue to make history and are now through to the Essex Senior League Play-Off Final at the first time of asking after a dramatic penalty shootout victory over play-off favourites Great Wakering Rovers.
Mark Williams made two changes to the side that beat Barking on the final day of the league season. There was a huge boost at the back for The Stags as Harvey Brown returned to the starting line-up after overcoming the injury scare he suffered against Athletic Newham in April. The other change saw Joe Re come into the side in place of Marko Protic, who started on the bench.
Onto the action, and it was the hosts who took the lead after 19 minutes when Thomas Barton netted the opening goal of the evening, leaving The Stags needing to regroup and search for an equaliser.
The next notable moment saw Ollie Fernandez shown a yellow card for simulation after attempting to win The Stags a penalty just minutes after the opener. Unfortunately for him, the referee was unconvinced.
Buckhurst began to grow into the game and, just before the half-hour mark, George Edwards had the visitors’ best chance so far. His effort from the edge of the area flew inches wide of the post.
Another opportunity came shortly afterwards as The Stags started to take control. Harry Lusher was played through on goal and looked certain to score, but somehow his chipped effort over Wakering goalkeeper Ghag drifted wide of the post, leaving the striker wondering how he hadn’t levelled the scores.
A moment of magic arrived five minutes before half-time as The Stags finally found their equaliser. Nathan Sollosi was the architect, gliding across the Wakering penalty area before delicately lifting the ball over the defence into the path of Harry Lusher. The striker brought it down superbly before firing past Ghag to level the match just before the interval.
The first half almost ended with another twist as Wakering came close from an injury-time set piece, but the effort drifted wide, ensuring the sides went into the break level.
As expected, Great Wakering came out strongly after the restart. Ten minutes into the second half, prolific forward Max Gnandi struck the post from close range before Luke Hirst’s follow-up effort was heroically cleared off the line by Ollie Fernandez, who threw himself into the challenge and produced a moment that left everyone inside Burroughs Park speechless.
The next major chance fell to Tyler Dolan after being played through by Harry Lusher. The ball was eventually turned into the net by Wakering defender Harrison Topliss, and it appeared The Stags had taken the lead. However, celebrations were cut short by the assistant referee’s flag for offside.
With every passing minute, the tension increased as both sides searched for a winner. Buckhurst came close again shortly afterwards when both Harry Lusher and Joe Re had opportunities, but neither could find the decisive finish.
Mark Williams made his first substitution with 12 minutes remaining, introducing Dimitri Nicolaou in place of Joe Re.
Wakering then had a glorious chance of their own when Max Gnandi fired over the bar from close range, with the contest looking increasingly destined for penalties. Sensing the need for fresh legs, Williams made another change, bringing on Marko Protic for Harry Lusher.
Added time brought even more drama. The Stags had three excellent opportunities to snatch victory through Banfield, Protic and Sollosi, but none of the efforts could beat the Wakering goalkeeper.
The final chance of the game fell to Great Wakering. A corner found Harrison Topliss at the back post and his powerful header looked destined for the net, but Christian North somehow produced a stunning save to tip the ball over the crossbar and send the tie to penalties.
The shootout was every bit as dramatic as the match itself.
Both sides missed their opening penalties before Dimitri Nicolaou converted Buckhurst’s second to put The Stags ahead. Harry Talbot immediately levelled matters for Wakering, squeezing his effort under the arm of Christian North.
The third round of penalties saw both teams miss again, with North producing another excellent save to keep the scores level. Marko Protic then stepped up for Buckhurst’s fourth penalty and calmly sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to restore the advantage.
Wakering’s fourth spot kick ended differently. Jack Dickinson saw his penalty saved, giving The Stags the opportunity to secure their place in the final.
As Tyler Dolan stepped forward, the entire stadium held its breath. Buckhurst’s Mr Reliable from the spot showed nerves of steel, smashing his penalty straight down the middle and sending The Stags into the Essex Senior League Play-Off Final.
The celebrations continued long into the night as Buckhurst Hill FC secured another historic milestone. Thanks to Christian North’s heroics, a determined team performance and Tyler Dolan’s decisive penalty, The Stags booked a final showdown with Barking and moved to within just one game of Step 4 football.
TEAM :
North 🧤, Nyahunda, Edwards, Williams ©, Fernandez 🟨, Sollosi, Banfield, Lusher ⚽, Re, Dolan, Brown
SUBSTITUTES :
Hammond, Foster, Mengou, Nicolaou (78’ – Re), Protic (83’ – Lusher)