28/03/2026 – REPORT – Elmstead Market FC Reserves versus Ramsey & Mistley FC
ESSEX & SUFFOLK BORDER FOOTBALL LEAGUE
DIVISION FOUR.
ELMSTEAD MARKET FC RESERVES. 1. RAMSEY & MISTLEY FC: 1.
Date: 28th March 2026. Venue: Cowley Park, St Osyth.
Well Saturday’s weather certainly gave footballers a touch of every season, we started and ended in sunshine, got wet from the rain, got pelted by hail stones and blown away by a strong breeze, which on the wide open space of a hard and bumpy, Cowley Park, St Osyth meant good football would be at a premium.
In this match bottom team, Elmstead Market FC Reserves would be playing fourth placed, Ramsey & Mistley FC, a team I had watched earlier in the season. Last season, Elmstead Market FC Reserves had the dubious distinction of finishing bottom of the pile with just one win, one draw, scoring just twenty-four goals but conceding one hundred and sixty-eight but they did win the Division Four, Fair Play Shield, this season they have won three and drawn two so a perceived improvement!
Today’s Match Official was another new referee, Amelia Sagnella, this was only her fourth appointment at male, adult, eleven a-side football, a daunting task perhaps, she wore her yellow armband to signify her young age and generally did very well, it is not for me to judge a referees performance as there are twenty-two players on the pitch that will give their own opinions!
Ramsey & Mistley kicked off, pushing down the left side from a cross by Halls, defenders Hake (C) and Dace went to head the same ball, Edwards took the resulting corner, Morrison rose to head goalwards but keeper, Rose (B) clutched the ball on the goal-line surrounded by numerous players. In the early stages it was the visitors who were quickest to the ball, Morrison broke free but defender Oyler blocked the cross and another corner followed, taken by Edwards but headed clear by Wallace. When Halls played a fine forward ball the pace of Morrison left defenders behind but keeper, Rose (B) was quickly out of his penalty area to head clear, then, Cook, who was also played through, shot straight at keeper, Rose (B). Rixon (Bro) hoisted a long high ball goalwards but again keeper Rose (B) caught the ball on his goal-line, interestingly this keeper where’s protective glasses, however his next clearance was high and being caught up in the wind, drifting off the pitch and struck the pointed railings around a play area resulting in a burst ball, not one of the new balls provided by the ESBFL! The rain clouds were looming over St Osyth Priory, so I took shelter inside the Clubhouse, except that the rain, then the hail blew straight inside, and for a windy day the ball spent a surprising amount of time in the air! There is a saying that you should always expect the unexpected, so with roughly twelve minutes on the clock, a person, dressed in dark clothing, wearing a hoodie and with a phone clamped to his ear decided to stroll, literally across the pitch, and despite various players shouting at him, he continued to the Clubhouse side and disappeared towards St Osyth village!
Defender Rixon (Bro) got forward and gained a corner, taken as ever by Daniels but straight out for a goal kick, Daniels was next involved when he chased forward against Wallace who cleared the ball out for throw-in. These first fifteen minutes had been a bit hectic, the visitors had more possession, but Elmstead Market Reserves defended resolutely, and more hail stones fell with the home team changing their Assistant Referee. Elmstead Market Reserves then attacked down the left side, bit hit and miss with their passing but Halls, not for the first time, dived into a challenge on Hake (A) in a wide position, THOMAS ROSE took the free kick, the ball bounced once and keeper, Rixon (Bra) misjudged the flight of the ball which nestled in the back of the net. A pass back from midfield by Halls was intercepted by Hake (A) whose pace took him clear, but keeper Rixon (Bra) was quickly out to block the shot, Hake (A) almost capitalised on a misplaced pass by Eagle, but the effort at goal from twenty-five yards flew wide. This goal had steadied the nerves of the leagues bottom team, and an element of confidence was being shown, a left-footed shot on the turn from Rose (T) emerged through a group of players but keeper, Rixon (Bra) was there to save.
Knight fouled Halls, who was not impressed, Rose then handled the ball when trying to gain some ground inside the centre-circle, from the free kick Halls chased what looked like a lost cause, he thought it was a corner, but the referee thought otherwise from a good position. The home team were content to defend their lead and break forward when they could, Morrison turned to shoot over the crossbar as the visitors mounted a late foray forward. Clarke defended well against Morrison having to give chase against the lively opponent, and when play broke forward to the other end a shot from Rose (T) was fielded by keeper, Rixon (Bra). Ramsey & Mistley were also looking dangerous again, Edwards found space, received the ball and struck a fine shot that beat the keeper but rebounded back into the grateful custodian’s arms, Wallace had a shot at the other end and the first half ended with Edwards shooting straight at keeper, Rose (B).
HALF-TIME: 1 – 0.
Elmstead Market Reserves restarted the second half, keeper, Rixon (Bra) launched a long ball forward, Morrison gave chase evading the challenge of Hake (C) but from his cross, Halls had run into an offside position, he thought diferrently! Edwards had left footed shot that drifted wide with wind assistance, Oyler headed clear the corner taken by Edwards, another corner followed, Edwards found Rixon (Bro) who headed wide at the far post. Hake (A) forced a corner off Eagle, Rose (T) took the corner and the clearance from Clarke found Morrison who shot right footed straight to keeper, Rixon (Bra), Rose (T) took aim again minutes later, but keeper Rixon (Bra) was untroubled. Wallace fouled Edwards, who took the free kick himself, Halls and Morrison challenged but keeper, Rose (B) saved, Clarke sent the ball forward to Cook who passed to Rixon (Bai) but despite getting his shot away he was correctly flagged for being offside.
Clarke sent the ball forward to Cook who was tackled by Wallace, and Elmstead Market Reserves pushed forward, Rose (T) put in a cross that just eluded Wallace at the far post, on sixty-one minutes Ramsey & Mistley replaced Torpey and Rixon (Ba) with England and Almas. A corner taken by Rose (T) was headed clear by Bryne, Ramsey & Mistley broke quickly forward, and Cook chased down the cross-field ball only to foul keeper, Rose (B) who had got to the ball first, Cook was shown a yellow card for the late challenge. Edwards remained a threat for the visitors, his run and cross just eluded Morrison, running into a central position. Eventually the pressure from the visitors began to tell, Edwards and Morrison worked the ball down the right side, from the deep cross, keeper, Rose (B) chose to chase the ball across goal, but CHRISTOPHER HALLS got there first to head the ball into the empty net. On seventy minutes, the home team replaced Hake (C) with Willmore, England took aim for the visitors and forced keeper, Rose (B) to make a fine save, palming the ball away for a corner., the corner was overhit by Edwards.
With about fifteen minutes remaining, Cook, under a challenge from Coham, went down inside the penalty area, it looked like a spot kick should have been awarded but the referee said no, play on, perhaps the angle seen was different to mine. Minutes later, Eagle went down, it looked a soft free kick, but the action and words of the player suggested otherwise, Morrison took the free kick but keeper, Rose (B) fumbled the shot but quickly gathered up the rebound. Halls, Cook, Edwards and Morrison continued to put passes together, Wallace and Clarke continued to defy those approaches. When Hake (A) gave chase, he was blocked off by Rixon (Bro) his pass to England saw the substitute have a shot at goal but keeper, Rose (B) was untroubled. On eighty minutes Cooper replaced Morrison, Edwards found Clarke, but his shot was wide and finally Elmstead Market Reserves changed Fitzsimons for Knight who hobbled off the pitch.
FULL TIME: 1 – 1.
For the second week running, its Division Four, I was not expecting a classic game, but to be fair both teams kept going and tried hard, often in difficult conditions, a draw was the right result, maybe Ramsey & Mistley should have had a penalty awarded but sometimes they are given, sometimes not!
Turning to my choice of Star player, a difficult one to be honest, but when a team sits bottom of the table there must be a player that gives a fully committed performance, for me it was William Wallace of Elmstead Market FC Reserves, but I’ll resist using the “Braveheart” analogy!
Teams:
ELMSTEAD MARKET FC RESERVES
Colours: Blue Shirts, Black Shorts and Black Socks.
Team:
Brandon Rose., Bobby Clarke., Scott Oyler., Charlie Coham., William Wallace., Brad Pace (C)., Connor Hake., Christopher Roberts., Mitchell Knight., Aiden-Leigh Hake., Thomas Rose.
Manager: Ronan Sheldrick.
Used Substitutes: Cameron Willmore., Owen Fitzsimons.
RAMSEY & MISTLEY FC RESERVES:
Colours: Red Shirts, Black Shorts and Red Socks.
Team:
Brandon Rixon., Brooklyn Rixon., Rema Eagle., Chase Torpey., Luke Bryne., Tony Clarke., Bailey Rixon., Christopher Halls (C)., Jamie Cook., Daniel Edwards., Jimmy Morrision.
Management: James Rixon and Charlene Rixon.
Used Substitutes: Darrion Cooper., George England., Martim Almas.
Unused Substitutes: Liam Hymus., Michael Southee.
MATCH OFFICIAL:
Referee: Amelia Sagnella.
STAR PLAYER: William WALLACE (ELMSTEAD MARKET FC RESERVES)
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