Boxted Lodgers FC

A top of the table clash came to Cage Lane with Boxted looking to avenge their league cup defeat to their visitors on the first game of the season.   Two changes were made to the starting eleven with  Kieron Francis being promoted to the first team after his great start to the reserve season.  The other change may have been due to all the fires in California meaning that Arnie was looking for blood, so the ‘Predator Trueman’ may have had to lye low? This gave another opportunity to Andy ‘Hitman’ Hart.
The games between the two clubs are always a tight affair and this game was not going to disappoint.  Boxted started nervously  and struggled to get a grip on the game.  Mersea started the better of the two sides and created several half chances, but didn’t really trouble the Boxted goal. 
The game changed on around the half hour mark, the ball finally got moved quickly to Hart on the wing who made a powerful run down the left, he delivered a deep cross which caught out the visitors keeper who could only touch the ball onto the bar and in to the net.  A slightly fortunate goal, but the home side would take it after their indifferent start.  This seemed to put Boxted into life and a few challenges started to be made ad the passing improved slightly.
Another good move and Hume seemed to break the offside trap, but a slightly questionable flag was raised, much to the disgust of the home faithful.
The rest of the half was quite tight and it looked like Boxted were going to go in with a slightly undeserved lead. Within the last few minutes a long Mersea free kick evaded both Gray and Ford with a nasty bounce and this was flicked in by the Mersea forward.  A shame for Boxted who had held up well to this point, but probably what the visitors had deserved.
If the first half was tight the second half was to be in the same vein.  Both sides pushing for a victory but staying tight at the same time.  Boxted actually played a lot better than the first half and started to impose themselves on the game more.  Francis should have maybe  done better after a cross from the left and a few more half chances were made.  Mersea thought they had scored from a corner but their striker went through Taff rather than a genuine attempt for the ball.
In the last minutes Mersea broker the offside trap but the substitute lost his bearings and headed into Taff’s hands.
So in the end a draw was probably a fair result, but Boxted were disappointed that they did not play at their True potential.  A good return to action from Francis and Hart to the team and Dowde also looked lively when he came on.  Boxted carry on unbeaten but need to raise the bar to push on for their promotion challenge.