ROVERS HAVE SIX APPEAL

Great Wakering Rovers had an early opportunity to erase the disappointment of Saturday’s defeat at Sawbridgeworth when they entertained much-improved Hullbridge Sports in the League Cup.

The visitors, sporting bright pink shirts, had made a similar start to the campaign as Rovers, and despite the seemingly one-sided score line they played their part in what transpired into an entertaining evening.
Rovers made a bright start, taking the lead after four minutes through a Luca Frankis thunderbolt, which had Lawrence Priddle in the Hullbridge goal clutching thin air.

Minutes later Priddle made a smart save with his feet to deny Dan Williams as the home side threatened to kill the game off inside the opening ten minutes.

It took almost quarter of an hour for Hullbridge to have an attempt on goal, Jimmy Cox fired well wide, but their seemed to be a little more belief in the visitors play.

A well-worked corner routine saw Lewis Newman’s strike headed clear by Stuart Hepburn, and then Louis Godwin-Green reacted quickly to turn over a deflection off Hepburn as Hullbridge turned the screw.

The Rovers goal was living a charmed life. Godwin-Green made a great save from Luke Purcell’s free kick with Michael Edgar incredibly firing the rebound over when it seemed easier to score.

However, Hullbridge were on level terms just before the half hour mark when Lewis Newman found himself with the freedom of the Rovers penalty area before rounding Godwin-Green to score.

Hullbridge were now firmly in control of the game, Newman continued to cause problems for the Rovers rearguard as the visitors looked to forge ahead.

Nevertheless, as the half drew to a close the game took a massive twist, which I’m sure, had the Hullbridge management, players and supporters scratching their heads in bewilderment.
After forty-three minutes, Sammy Knott raced clear before lobbing Priddle and then sending the ball dangerously close to the goal. It was difficult to see if the midfielders’ effort had registered, but hawkeyed assistant Mark Bradshaw waved his flag vigorously to signal a goal for the Rovers.

Bradshaw was soon involved again. The flagsman spotted a push in the Hullbridge area and waved to inform referee Rhys Battye who in turn awarded a spot kick. Great Wakering player-boss Dan Trenkel dispatched the penalty to give the home side a 3-1 lead they scantly deserved.
To everyone’s amazement, that wasn’t the end of the first half drama. Trenkel hit the bewildered visitors with a fourth goal. His rasping strike was yet another candidate for goal of the season.

Hullbridge might have gone in at the break somewhat shell-shocked, but they re emerged with a renewed vigour, biting into tackles and creating the first opening of the half when Tom Peck forced Godwin-Green into an excellent one-handed save.

However, after fifty-six minutes, any chance of a comeback disappeared when Priddle raced from his goal to deny Williams, but was in no-man’s-land as Frankis delightfully lifted the ball over the stranded custodian for the Rovers fifth.

In their credit, Hullbridge refused to throw the towel in. Jimmy Cox tested Godwin-Green with a long-range free kick, and then with eighty-two minutes on the clock he responded first to beat the Rovers keeper with an exquisite chip after all those around him stopped expecting the referee to whistle for a Rovers free kick.

In the final minutes, Luca Frankis was inches away from completing a hat trick when his shot cannoned back off an upright. However, the Rovers striker was not to be denied the match ball. Hullbridge substitute James Braithwaite was penalised for handball, which resulted in his dismissal. Frankis smashed home the resulting penalty to finish off the evenings goal feast.

Yet again early this season, Burroughs Park had witnessed a thoroughly good game, the only slight disappointment being the crowd of just 70, Rovers lowest of the season.

Man of the Match: Luca Frankis
By Brian Jeeves