Bostik North Aveley 3 Felixstowe & Walton United 2 It was always going to be a tall order for the Seasiders to come away from Parkside with three points, writes Barry Grossmith.
Unbeaten at home this season, Aveley did claim the honours but had to work hard for their 3-2 win in a competitive encounter with five early bookings shared out from an enthusiastic official against a lively and improving Felixstowe & Walton.
Thomas Richardson opened the scoring for the home side on 12 minutes, but the Seasiders forced their way back into affairs, equalising 10 minutes later after Jack Ainsley, playing up front, held the ball up in the box, allowing Rhys Henry to finish coming in from the left.
Just six minutes later, Ainsley put himself on the scoresheet after a bit of trickery in the box following an assist from Miles Powell on the right.
The Seasiders went into the break ahead, fully aware they would need to battle hard in the second period to come away with anything. And so it proved.
A penalty five minutes after the break converted by Firmin Ngandu leveled affairs and Andrew Freeman’s 10th goal of the season on 75 minutes meant Aveley maintained their unbeaten home record after all.
Seasiders’ assistant boss Danny Bloomfield said after the game: “I thought we deserved something out of it. What was pleasing was their keeper having to waste time with 15 minutes still left on the clock.
“To come away from Aveley feeling disappointed is actually really good.”
He also made mention that his club have scored 10 goals in their last four matches, much down to a hardworking midfield.
Manager Ian Watson was also disappointed and reiterated Bloomfield’s point saying: “It shows how far we’ve come in the last month (to feel upset about not getting anything from Aveley away)…
“I felt we could nick one and get a point out of the game. There’s a better mentality and better attitude and the players are all putting in a shift.”
Next up is Bury away, where the Seasiders are looking to complete a season double over their Suffolk rivals. There’s no doubt Felixstowe will approach that game buzzing with self-belief.
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