In the end Waltham Abbey secured three important points at the bottom of Ryman One North and left Thamesmead Town anxiously looking over their shoulders.
A second successive one nil home defeat for the Mead – but there the similarities sadly ended as after running Play Off bound Maldon & Tiptree so agonisingly close in their last home game, this was possibly the most disappointing ninety minutes that the Mead have played since the turn of the year.
The first half was predictably a nervy cautious affair with both sides not wanting to make the mistake. Tom O’Connor went close for the home side before Romaric Logan missed the half’s best chance as he headed Darrell Russell’s cross wide, before the same player broke the deadlock from the spot in stoppage time.
In a scrappy second half, the home side tried desperately to get level but time and again their attacks were stopped by a blue wall which held firm as the Mead were left with very little without really testing Abbey keeper Lockyer. Indeed the closest the home side came was in stoppage time when Bode Anidugbe burst through to shot across the face of goal. To be fair to the visitors, by then they could have been out of sight as only a fine reaction save from Ollie Bowles stopped Rimmel from doubling the lead with a downward header.
In the end the win gave Abbey three vital points at the bottom of the table whilst for The Mead, a fourth game without scoring sees them looking anxiously at the sides below them going into the final two games of the season, and heading into their Easter Monday derby against Play Off hunting Phoenix Sports in a precarious position.
Sadly the whole game won’t live very long in the memory – indeed for some the 90 minutes would have been forgotten about before leaving the car park – but for both sides, the result could have longer repercussions…
THE MEAD – Ollie Bowles, Kaka Dembele, Jay Porter, Scott Kinch, Lewis Knight, Leon Smith, Tom O’Connor, Bode Anidugbe, Alex Teniola (Ellis Green 68), Ike Feehi, Archie Johnson
Subs – Michael Ademiluyi, Harvey Brand, Laurent Mendy, Max Ovenden