Jammers get comfortable home win

Maldon and Tiptree FC v Dereham Town FC Bostik League One North Saturday 2 March 2019.

Jammers boss Wayne Brown was forced into one change from the previous weeks starting eleven with Sammie Mcleod not available he recalled Kojo Awotwi.

Maldon and Tiptree forced the pace from the referee's first whistle with Jorome Slew getting on the end of a long clearance wide on the left from where his low shot across goal went narrowly wide beyond the far post then Liam Hope and Kojo Awotwi combined well down the right before Awotwi's floated cross was misjudged by visiting keeper Jake Cox but the loose ball was just cleared. The home side missed a glorious chance to take the lead after just 7 minutes when Awotwi beat his defender before getting over a fine cross to the far post where Stephane Ngamvoulou seemed certain to head the ball home from close range but he got his angles all wrong and put the ball behind. Awotwi was getting plenty of the ball down the right and he soon fashioned another chance, this time for Laste Dombaxe, but he screwed his shot wide before the Jammers took the lead after 25 minutes when good interpassing took the ball down to the left hand corner of the visitors penalty area from where Matthew Briggs (pictured) picked the loose ball up before firing a rocket of a shot into the far top corner of the net. Keeping the pressure up the home side continued to have much the better of the play as Ngamvoulou put a speculative effort from 25 metres over the bar before Slew turned well before running into the penalty area before seeing his shot saved by Cox then Slew again got into the visitors goal area but both he and Liam Hope saw goal bound shots blocked. Slew was then denied a goal by the woodwork when he again outpaced the visitors defence with a fine run from the half way line before getting a low cross shot away that smacked against the post before rebounding out and clear then Briggs and Awotwi combined before Briggs put over a fine low cross that a visiting defender diverted into Cox's face before the ball was desperately cleared. For all of the first half dominance Maldon and Tiptree had to be thankful to keeper Ben McNamara for keeping out almost the only Dereham direct strike on goal in the first half when,on 44 minutes, Adam Hipperson fired in a cracking drive from the penalty area edge that the home keeper just tipped over the bar with an acrobatic flying save.

Half Time Maldon and Tiptree FC 1 Dereham Town FC 0

The second half was just 3 minutes old when the home side increased their lead with Briggs again featuring strongly when his fine run past a couple of defenders ended with a great low cross that found Liam Hope at the near post to force the ball home to open his goal account for the Jammers. After this the home forwards continued to batter the Dereham goal but they found Cox in inspired form as he somehow got something on everything that the home forwards could hit at him. Dombaxe and Hope both saw close range shots blocked before Briggs went on a great run past three defenders before seeing his shot just pushed away by Cox's foot then Dombaxe saw his shot curl just wide. Cox's legs again came to his rescue as Slew burst through again before seeing his shot blocked then the rebound deflected off a visiting defender to roll just wide. Dombaxe then saw his goal bound shot put over by Cox before a bizarre passage of play saw home substitute Eddie-Louis Dsane go through on goal but Cox blocked his shot out to Hope who again saw his shot turned away then Tobi Coker's follow up effort suffered the same fate before Dombaxe's shot from the rebound was saved again by Cox's legs. Dereham substitute Jamie Forshaw then saw a rare effort on the home goal go wide from 10 metres before back came the home side for the woodwork to again come to Dereham's rescue when Hope set Billy Roast up to try an acrobatic shot that thudded against the post before going out. After Dsane, Coker and Dombaxe had all seen fierce goal bound efforts somehow blocked Cox pulled out another excellent save when he just managed to turn aside Dombaxe's fine shot from 20 metres. The home side did finally achieve a further breakthrough after 84 minutes when Slew was bought down on the edge of the visitors penalty area and Jack Cawley stepped up to hammer a fine spot kick into the top corner. The home side were still looking for further goals and Dombaxe was unlucky when his 25 metre shot found the base of the post before rebounding clear before Cox's legs again made a vital stop after Slew had again fought his way clear of the visitors defence. Just as at the end of the first half it was in the final minute of the second half that Dereham put together their best effort on goal when a good passing move across the home penalty area ended with David Hinton looking certain to score as he went clear of the home defence but McNamara showed excellent reflexes to dash forward and make a brave diving save.

Final score Maldon and Tiptree FC 3 Dereham Town FC 0

Maldon and Tiptree's next two games are both away. On Tuesday 5 March we are at AFC Sudbury for a 7.45 kick off and Saturday 9 March sees us at Tilbury FC for a 3pm Kick off. Our next home game is against Coggeshall Town on 16 March with a 3pm Kick off