The Oakside- Redbridge FC v Romford FC

Redbridge Vs Romford

After months of twittering with @TheMotormen and @ADennehey (Adam Dennehey) I chose the derby between Redbridge and Romford FC in the Ryman Division One North to make a trip to the Oakside.

Setting off from Notting Hill it took me an hour to get to the ground, as the central line stops at Barkingside and a 3 minute walk around the station brings you to the ground.

But being a bit early I walked around the area for a bit, looking for a bar/pub to have a pint, watch the unfolding of the Champions League whilst doing my Sudoku, but no pubs in the area near the ground or surrounding the station.

Approaching the leafy area near the Oakside i caught a few snaps through the top fence, the Chairman arrived in his Jaguar (Flash the cash).

The entry fee is £5 plus £1.50 for a match day programme which was impressive.

Into the club house a pint will cost you £3 with a lovely young barmaid (the only way is Essex type of fake tan) but more impressive is the clubhouse is very modern, having been refurbished not too long ago.

I also grabbed a burger, with the food being sold next to the stands and at £2.50 was a good burger.

On to the match:
My first 5 minutes were watched from the bar as i finished my pint, immediately i saw the Centre back completely miss a tackle and luck was on his side when the striker over ran the ball. But his luck immediately ran out as Romford put one over Redbridge with again the battle being lost in the centre of defence.

Through the first half Romford had the best of possession but created very little threat at goal, mainly blasting the ball over the net-less ground, infuriating the ball catching official.

The second half was almost similar to the first, Romford got on the score sheet again halfway through when a lob over the keeper, which everyone thought was going in, came off the post only for Alex Reid, a former Redbridge player to smash it into the back of the net as no Redbridge players opted to run and cover the net.

Redbridge got a penalty when Shane Stamp was pulled back in the area after he had made a good break from the left, Lee Townrow stepped up and converted with a powerful shot.
The final nail was hammered in by Kurt Smith just before the final whistle, when he was fed inside, he took on one defender and with a low shot made it 3-1.

On the team:
Something to desire, the club has a good number of strong players, the style of football was aerial, with hardly any combination passing throughout the match. Centre midfield was nonexistent, the passing and possession of Hyon-Jin Lee usually spelt missed passes or lost possession.

Shane Stamp often ran into trouble, with the option to pass back and ran off available, but not ever used. But he did look good when fed through with his quick pace.

From a team overall, there was no width or central play, going forward the team had no striker and Kevin Mcleod was unavailable, but even if so, the passing was hard to come by, and when it did, Julian Edwards fluffed the one or 2 chances he had.

For Romford there was spells of good possession and communication, they thoroughly deserved the 3 points and goals, they hardly gave Redbridge the time to move the ball.

Redbridge seem to have a good young base, and their academy side does well (from what I read and heard), perhaps the introduction of a few would be beneficial to the first.
My views are also that a bit more tactical and passing work may be needed to achieve a good level of attractive football, but with points needed its imperial to play the route to goal, with Redbridge just about being safe maybe a rethink by the young manager (same age as me) Jody Brown.

The Crowd and overall:
I was happy with the number at the ground, told mostly were Romford supporters, but the crowd Redbridge had was fantastic, they had offered a local Special needs group the chance to attend the match and cheer on The Motormen and what a fantastic group they were, not even with the team 3-1 down they stopped believing. They promised to come back as they had enjoyed their night. And for a lower league club to offer this support was truly amazing.

Overall was an enjoyable night at the Oakside, and should I not be involved in managing next season I shall make a return to the Oakside.