After a three week, layoff due to the weather and Christmas the Town returned to the action against sixth placed Great Waking Rovers. With the Town lying seventh, the statistics pointed towards a very tight game. Manager Graeme Smith made two changes from the side that played in the last game on 7th December. Marc Gorbell returned to play against his old club and new signing Sewa Marah started up front. Sewa has been signed to boost our goal scoring after drawing five of the last six matches.

Town started the match kicking down the slope but Wakering created the first chance after three minutes. Town immediately went on the attack on the right wing and Eion Mckeown fired just wide of the far post. On seven minutes, Sewa Marah received a great ball from Joe Claridge and after turning his marker in the box; he forced the Wakering keeper to make a smart save at the foot of the post. Coggeshall were now looking the better side, assured at the back and winning most of the mid-field battles. Sewa shot just wide on eleven minutes and Eion after a good run down the Town’s left forced the keeper to make another good save off his legs at the near post on twenty-three minutes. From the resulting corner, Jayden Gipson had the ball in the net, but the referee disallowed the goal for a foul on the keeper by Marc Gorbell. The match photos side with the Referee decision.

Three minutes later, from another attack down the Towns right Eion laid another ball across the box, which just eluded Ross Wall at the far post. George Cocklin was next to shoot, with his shoot from 35yds going wide. Although Town were in control of the game Great Wakering were allways looking to break forward with pace but the defence combined well to restrict their chances with Ashlee Jones being rarely troubled.

HALF TIME: Great Wakering Rovers 0 – 0 Coggeshall Town                                                                                     

The second half started with Coggeshall carrying on where they left off, Sewa making a good run down the right forced the keeper to save at the near post. A few moments later, a Wakering defender conceded a corner with a diving header to cut out a Jayden Gipson cross. From the corner Josh Pollard out jumped the Wakering defenders to hit the bar with a powerful header. Two more corners followed in quick succession. For the next 15minutes play swapped, from end to end, as Wakering had their best spell of the match, but again the Town defence stood firm and rarely looked like conceding.                                                                             

With 15 minutes, remaining Town stepped up the pace. Eion won a corner with a fierce shot that was blocked by a Wakering defender who needed some treatment. Town now had two corners in succession with Eion shooting just wide from the second. Next Jack Simmons was brought down as he attacked down the right wing. From the free kick, the Wakering defence struggled to clear the ball any distance and Josh Pollard latched onto it and fired a powerful shot just over the bar. It was all action now and one minute later Joe Claridge had a strong shout for a Penalty turned down as the Referee, to his surprise chose to book him for diving. The match was now drawing to a close, Town battling hard to find the winner, Jack Simmons fired over the bar from 12yds out. As Town attacked, Wakering intercepted a ball and broke quickly, Ashlee Jones who had not had much to do for most of the game made a great double save that kept the clean sheet intact and the point. There was still time for Coggeshall to win the game and Town came very close, when Robert Harvey was brought down on the edge of the box. Joe Claridge took the free kick, which he fired over the wall and against the post. In the last minute Town won two more corners with Josh Pollard heading wide of the post. 

As the Referee ended to the game with the final whistle, you could not help but feel it had not been our day. Despite controlling the game for long periods, creating seventeen good chances and winning nineteen corners Town had to settle for a 0 – 0 draw for the second time in consecutive matches. A point to note is that checking the records this is the first time this has happened in five and a half seasons.

FULL TIME: Great Wakering Rovers 0 – 0 Coggeshall Town