I’m often asked how I put a match report together…well a couple of people have asked anyway!

Believe it or not, there is a process. The easy bit is when you attend a game. You’ve seen the action and as long as you can recall it in enough detail the next day or the day after, you can write the report. The second option is also used in conjunction with the first. The club Veocam records all the necessary details, so I can watch it in leisure at home and pick out the key points, rewinding as many times as I wish. After that, it gets a bit more complex!

If you trawl the internet, you can find footage of the game, sometimes the whole game recorded by the opposition, sometimes a few snippets, or even just the goals. This all means that you can still describe the action in detail. If none of this is available you are relying on the written word…X feeds, blogs, opposition match reports, etc.

Finally, you can get some eyewitness information if you can talk to someone who was there and is willing to share!

The less detail available, the more summary-level the report becomes but it is usually possible to put something together and, I believe, something on the website is better than nothing. In an ideal world, you would be at every game, but this is non-league volunteering and it’s just not like that!

What has this got to do with the BBC Essex Senior Cup match between West Essex and The Bridge I hear you ask…OK, I can't hear you, but I know you are thinking it! Well, Dear Reader, as I wasn’t at this match, and it wasn’t captured by Veocam we’re in the realms of the relatively unknown. So, why did The Bridge end up on the wrong end of a 6-0 thrashing?

I guess we can start with the line-ups but that doesn’t explain it all. West Essex's starting 11 was fairly strong if you look at the number of appearances so far this season, although they were missing regular goal getters, Nathan Brathwaite and Yemi Adelani. They also had ex-Bridge men George Forrest and Palvy Manduakila in the side, both solid experienced players. As for The Bridge, young Matt Setters started in goal and Jack Leech and Callum Knowlden were starters too but most of the names on the team sheet were familiar and regular team/squad players so there shouldn’t have been a problem there, even with Michael Osei missing from the starting 11.

What was a problem though was going 1-0 down in the 10th minute to a Jaedon Phillips goal and then 2-0 down on 23 minutes as Phillips netted a brace. With recent form being down rather than up, losing an early goal is a knock to the confidence, and losing a second after 23 minutes is a further blow. Even worse was to follow though, as two became three just 4 minutes later, Matt McDowell this time, and then 3 became 4 thanks to full-back Joel Lamb after 33 minutes. To be honest, the game was now already gone and there was still an hour to play!

Half-time was reached with no further increase to the four-goal margin and a whole plethora of substitutes (if that is such a thing) joined the action shortly after half-time. Whether this impacted the game or not I can't tell but the West Essex X feed was of the opinion that The Bridge were better in the second half and could have had a couple of goals and who am I to argue with that declaration?

A declaration at this point would have been good but instead of The Bridge getting a couple of goals, the hosts went on to get a couple themselves with Palvy Manduakila netting on 81 minutes and and there was still time for substitute Argest Nela to score from the spot five minutes after entering the field of play. Clinical finishing said the West Essex X feed and it’s difficult to argue with that, so I’m not going to and have included a picture of the five goal scorers instead.

I know this hasn’t explained why the defeat was so bad or why our form is now causing concern, but I can’t answer that one. I have an opinion and everyone in football has but it’s not my opinion that matters. I believe we have a talented squad of young players; I believe our management and coaching team are doing all they can to rectify the problems. Maybe we need a bit of experience to add to the young talent and I’m sure this is being looked at.

My eyewitness at the game ensures me that young Matt Setters was not at fault for any of the goals and that’s good to know as it must have been a tough debut for Matt but, as they say, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger (well, at least Kelly Clarkson says that, or indeed sings it!) and I’m sure Matt will benefit from this experience even if it doesn't feel like it at the moment.

Well, that’s how you do it…a match report of sorts based on very little available information, which reminds me of the game at Sporting Bengal’s Mile End Stadium last season because, although I was there, there were no announcements, no subs or time boards and the pitch was far away on the other side of the running track that separated it from the spectators! Sometimes it’s not easy even when you are actually there!

While we’re here, and I hope you still are…elsewhere on the website, there are two videos of the recent FA Vase Road Trip. I know this was a defeat and it looks like we’re celebrating on the way home, but this should be taken in the spirit it was intended. I hesitated in posting these due to the current run of results, but the lads deserve to enjoy their football and their day and that should always be the case. What is the solution to our current problems? That’s another one that I don’t have to provide the answer to but getting behind the team and backing this young squad is my best solution and hopefully, you’ll agree. As always…


I’m pleased to say I don’t have to do this myself anymore, although I do have some input. The JH Carpets Man of the Match award is now decided by a group of Hullbridge stalwarts and this time, probably not surprisingly, it was decided not to award it.