Felixstowe & Walton are brought crashing down as Saffron Walden hit them early

Felixstowes Scott Chaplin ina goalmouth tussle with Saffrons Neil OSullivan. Photo: STAN BASTON (Image: Archant)

Felixstowe & Walton had no complaints as they walked off the pitch a well beaten side at the end of this game, their winning start to the season ended abruptly by a hard working home side who were perhaps fortuitous with some of their goals, but on the day, deserved victors.

In a crazy game that saw 12 yellow cards, 1 red, three penalties and an own goal, it was the home side who adapted better to situations while the visitors let some erratic decisions get the better of them.

Tom Lakin opened the scoring in the fourth minute as he got between Danny Crump and Stuart Ainsley to get a touch on Murphy’s cross, and Walden doubled the tally in the ninth minute with player manager Stuart Wardley drilling home a penalty after Rhys Barber had been adjudged to have deliberately handled.

It looked a harsh decision against the visitors’ captain, who had his hands close to his sides, but the afternoon only got worse as Boardley put the ball into his own net from Lakin’s cross with just 22 minutes on the clock.

Felixstowe did start to get into the game but found O’Sullivan in the home goal in inspired form, making a superb double save to deny firstly Nick Ingram and then Joe Francis before producing a magnificent penalty save, low to his right, to deny Francis again before the break as the visitors began to feel this wasn’t to be their day.

O’Sullivan was again in action at the start of the second half, smothering the ball to deny Chaplin on the goal line as Felixstowe looked to get back into the game but it was not to be, and Wardley completed the visitors’ misery with the game’s third penalty, this time a more clear cut decision in the 73rd minute, when Barber brought down Lakin.

GOAL Tom Lakin (11) pouncs between Stuart Ainsley (30) and Danny Crump to open the scoring for Saffron Walden. Photo STAN BASTON (Image: Archant)

The visitors’ No11, who had been busy all afternoon, then got himself booked for a late challenge and in the final minute was the recipient of the game’s 12th yellow card for a late challenge on Barber, with the inevitable red following.