La Chiesa's dreams of automatic promotion were dealt
an near fatal blow on Sunday, as new leaders Woodford Hammers condemned them to their third defeat in four games.
Chiesa came into the match in confident mood following their
win over top of top of the table Ladzio a fortnight ago, but were again left with just the bare bones to choose from. Star
midfielder Dean Jordan was on holiday, as was in form striker Danny Trew, while skipper Darren Hodsell was away on business.
Injury prone duo Benny G and John Riley were again absent, but on the plus side, Iain Gay and SSteve McCarthy were avaiable
for selection following lengthy lay offs.
This was a game Chiesa had to win to have any realistic hope
of leapfrogging the Hammers, but they got off to the worst possible start when they conceded inside the first five minutes.
A free kick from the Woodford right was criminally allowed to bounce inside the area, and there was a lone Hammer at the far
post to head past an exposed Mark Harris. Worse almost followed soon after when the pacy Andrew Stylianou broke the LC/DC offside
trap, but dragged his shot wide of the near post, with Chiesa holding their breath and crossing their fingers.
The Hammers dominated the opening fifteen minutes of the match,
but Chiesa were to be handed the opportunity to level things up in their first attack. Adam Jeffers looked to be second favourite
to reach a pass from Cy Taylor, who had already shed blood for the cause when bravely throwing himself into a challenge, but
when a Woodford defender shoved AJ in the back inside the penalty area, referee Hyde had no hesitation in
pointing to the spot. Dead Eye Colin Williams made no mistake from the spot, and LC/DC were back on terms.
Dennis Peck has won many admirers since switching to a defensive
role in the absence of Riley, so much so that he has been christened 'Peckenbauer' by Chiesa fans, and although he and 'Hornchurch
Hatchet' Warren Hardwick were being severely tested by the pacy runs of Stylianou and company they were coping well. Flanked
by 'Macca' McCarthy, composed on his return to right back, and Terry 'Stallion' Soteriou on the left, the Chiesa rearguard
were holding firm, a yellow card for a trip by Hardwick the only blot on the copybook. At the other end, Jeffers had a chance
to give the visitors the lead when slipped in by a sublime pass from Iain Gay, but saw his first time shot loop just over,
while it took a fantastic save from Woodfords keeper to deny Williams a second on the day. Matt Gillham also went close with
a hooked volley, but it was the Hammers who controlling the game. Keeping possession well, it was often the final ball
that was letting them down, and Chiesa's main objective was to remain on level terms at half time. They were just a minute
away from achieving their goal when, following a fine passing move, Redheaded No7 Matt fired past Harris from just inside
the area after turning Chiesa player manager Samuel Knowles, who was left beating the turf in frustration.
Although that goal was a bitter pill to swallow so close to
the interval, Chiesa were confident they could pull level in the second half. A couple of the boys seemed to be feeling
the effects of the previous day's drinking, but it was a determined Chiesa that returned for the second half.
Again, there were a couple of dodgy moments for the visitors
early on. A outrageous forty yard back pass from Knowles made sure Harris was on his toes, while the Chiesa gaffer
was also involved in a mix up on the left that almost let in the Hammers for a third. Cy Taylor went close for the LC/DC,
after an excellent cross from Matt Gillham, but his header flew just wide, while the Chiesa crossbar was rattled when a corner
was not cleared. It was an exciting match for the loyal Chiesa massive, and they were sent into delirium minutes later when Jeffers
grabbed their second equaliser of the day. Matt Gillham showed some close control on the left, and his pass found
'Soul Provider' Taylor who nicked the ball through to Jeffers. The diminutive forward, affectionately known as 'The String'
took a touch that set him through on goal, and he coolly slipped the ball past the oncoming keeper for 2-2.
Having conceded a sloppy goal early doors, and in the crucial
minutes before half time, it was imperative that Chiesa kept the scores level for the next ten minutes or so, but
it was in their very next attack that the Hammers grabbed their third in controversial circumstances.
Cast your mind back to the free kicks that never were against
Ladzio, the 'phantom whistle' at Barking Colts, the crucial 'offside goal' versus St Augustines, and the ridiculous red
card for Harris/penalty decision vs Maze, not to mention the blatant penalties that were not given, and thankfully didn't
alter the results, in the thrashings of Stonewood and Digital Line, and you go someway to identifying the cause of Chiesa's
persecution complex. It came as little surprise then, that when Chiesa pushed up to leave lone striker Stylianou offside,
their linesmans flag was ignored as he ducked under the ball to leave a team mate through on goal and restore the home
sides advantage. Equally unsurprising was the reaction of skipper for the day Knowles, who bemoaned his sides luck in the
style of 'Kevin and Perry'. Unfortunately, the red mist had yet to ascend the next time Knowles received the ball, and when
he was pushed to the ground by Woodfords left back, his reaction left Hyde little option but to brandish the red card. An
already tough task for Chiesa just got a little harder.
It was testament to the effort of the ten remaining Rossonieri
that they looked as likely to equalise as Woodford did to increase the lead, and althought they were caught on the counter
on a couple of occasions, saving tackles from Soteriou and Peck kept the score down. Matt Gillham/ 'Edson' was growing in
confidence and bamboozling his marker at will, while the already injured Iain Gay was doing the work of two men in midfield,
and doing it well, despite picking up acaution for dissent late on. Woodford survived a scary moment at th death when
a header was cleared off the line, but they ran out deserved winners in the end, and with Ladzio slipping up again at Barking
Colts, now find themselves top of the table with a game in hand.
Chiesa's hopes of automatic promotion are fast diminishing,
but now their attention must switch to ensuring they make the final of the prestigious Arthur Atkinson Cup final by beating
the improving Stonewood next week.
LCDC; (4-4-2) Harris; McCarthy, Peck, Hardwick,
Soteriou; Taylor, Gay, Knowles, Williams; Jeffers, M Gillham
Gols - Williams (pen) Jeffers
Tarjetas Amarillas - Hardwick, Gay
Tarjeta Rojo - Knowles
Arbitro - S Hyde
