Chelmsford City 4 – 1 Wealdstone
Chelmsford City
4 - 1
WealdstoneA brace each from Shamir Mullings and Josh Rees saw Chelmsford City inflict another 4-1 defeat to the Stones on the road. Jonny Wright scored a goal of the season contender just past the half way line to give the Stones hope on the stroke of half time but the Stones again failed to capitalise on the territorial pressure they inflicted on the hosts for large parts of the game.
The Stones started the game poorly. A harmless ball over the top was missed by Eddie Oshodi which allowed Mullings to latch onto the loose ball and slot past Jonathan North, the striker will probably not score an easier goal all season. Seven minutes in the Clarets doubled their lead. Chelmsford had a challenging free kick from a crossing position. The cross was met by a Stones head but there was not enough on the clearance and the ball came straight back in for Mullings who shrugged off a defender and squared to Rees who placed the ball past North into the bottom corner.
Stones now had the proverbial mountain to climb. Elliot Benyon hit the post on 14 minutes after latching onto a misplaced pass by Luke Daley, but the home side were very much in the ascendency and Mullings should have made it three but put a free-header wide of the goal. But from 20 minutes onward Stones took control of the game. Oshodi almost atoned for his error but headed wide of the goal at the far post. The Stones particularly looked dangerous from the long ball but Clarets keeper Ross Fitzsimons consistently rushed out of his goal to clear. This was well noticed by Wright just before half time; he picked the ball up on the halfway line, turned into the Chelmsford half and dinked a superb, teasing effort over Fitzsimons to give the Stones hope.
But they say it’s the hope that kills and despite the positivity in the performance since going two behind, the home side killed the game on 52 minutes. Robbie Willmott had a powerful effort from the edge of the area, North got down to save but could only parry to that man Mullings who slotted home despite the best efforts of the keeper and Oshodi to block the rebound. Despite this, Wealdstone did continue the pressure that they had put on the hosts but failed to create any clear-cut opportunities from open play.
And Rees put the game to bed on 79 minutes. Debutant Max Porter crossed the ball in for Rees who had the time to control the ball down and slot past North again in a similar distance and finish to his first.
In an interview by Chris Woods after the match, Gordon Bartlett was angrily blunt in his ‘bitter disappointment’ of the players performance particularly their off the ball work. Describing the performance as entirely not acceptable with ‘sloppy’ play he said that it was now down to all the players to show the right reaction at the FA Cup clash at Dagenham and Redbridge next Saturday. Full interview can be found HERE
WEALDSTONE: North, McLeod-Urquhart, Oshodi, Parker (c), Hamblin (Brown 85), Hunt (Kabba 81), Wellard, Green, Benyon, Whichelow, Wright Unused subs: Koroma, Williams, Godfrey
Goals: Wright (45)
Report by Chris Woods
Matt Bradshaw pictures HERE