Our unbeaten start to the 24/25 Essex Senior League campaign continued, after there was nothing to separate either team at The Hawthorns on Saturday afternoon, despite both sides being awarded a penalty throughout the second half.

It was a cagey start to the affair, with neither side able to find their rhythm in the opening first-half, but we had the best chance of the opening 45-minutes, with Chaynie Burgin’s header grazing the top of the bar after he leapt to meet Micah Jackson’s pinpoint corner.

At the culmination of the interval, Head Coach Shane Baptiste decided to shuffle the pack, with Marko Protic replacing Connor Tyrell, and the substitute came close to breaking the deadlock with 55-minutes on the clock. His free-kick forced a good save out of Callum Robinson in the Rovers goal.

Less than a quarter of an hour later, the hosts were awarded a penalty after a mistimed tackle from Mike Agboola. Fortunately, the central defender was handed a lifeline, with the penalty smashed wide. From the resultant goal kick, goalkeeper Emmanuel Agboola pulled up clutching his hamstring and he would not be able to continue.

With no backup goalkeeper named in the squad, centre back Tashan Richmond was forced to come on in goal, and to everyone’s surprise, he did well and kept a clean sheet. Two shots on target, two shots saved, in what can only be described as a man of the match showing!

With six minutes of the ninety remaining, the hosts were reduced down to ten, with Milo Grimes shown a second yellow card following a cynical late slide tackle on David Gokou. The visitors used the extra man to their advantage, with central defender Mike Agboola making amends for his earlier mistake by winning The Woods a stoppage time penalty.

Up stepped striker Chaynie Burgin, but unfortunately his kick from twelve-yards was saved by Robinson, meaning the spoils were shared ahead of our first home game of the season on Wednesday.

Starting XI; E. Agboola (GK - Richmond - 76’); Johnston, Kirwan-Meade, M. Agboola, Soganile; Tyrell (Protic - 46’) , Owusu (C), Karby (Anderson - 87’); Jackson, Burgin, Gokou (Painter - 87’)

Unused substitute: Shillling