Swifts Have A Senior Moment
The most consequential Blackwater Derby since the 2019 play-off Final ended with Maldon & Tiptree top of the Isthmian North and Heybridge Swifts preparing for life in the Essex Senior League.
A disappointing weekend saw the Jammers drop points at home to Takeley. Swifts’ relegation, meanwhile, was all but confirmed with defeat away to Gorleston.
Monday’s game saw the visitors- backed by a huge following- had the better of the opening exchanges without creating much in the way of clear cut chances.
That changed on the half-hour mark when Maldon were awarded a penalty following a shirt pull by Milo Grimes on Jack Cawley from a corner.
Freddie Sears stepped up, but his shot clipped the post and went wide.
Swifts keeper Bobby Mason was soon called into action, keeping the scores level with a sharp double save. Just before the break, they had calls for a penalty of their own waved away by the referee as an even first half drew to a close.
The start of the second half summed up the hosts’ season. Ben McCrow clipped the post three minutes after the restart, but just a minute later, they were down to 10 men as Dominic Locke saw red for a second bookable offence.
It was the introduction of Terrell Egbri that eventually swung the tide in Maldon’s favour. His directness caused all sorts for problems for an already stretched Swifts team.
Maldon eventually made the breakthrough just past the hour. Anthony Wordsworth’s corner to the back post found the head of Tom Eastman and Jammers centre back couldn’t miss from a yard out.
Cue the floodgates.
Eight minutes later, Wordsworth turned goalscorer. His crisp strike from 25 yards left Mason with no chance following Ross Wall’s lay-off. Egbri and Tevan Allen made the chance with some great play down the right hand side.
Goal number three wasn’t far behind. After Eastman had opened the scoring, the second nightclub bouncer- Cawley was soon in on the act. Again, it was a Wordsworth corner that Swifts couldn’t deal with allowing the captain to power home his header.
There was time for Maldon to rub salt into the wounds as Malachi Napa added a fourth, latching onto Louie Dunne’s sublime through ball to calmly dispatch the ball past the helpless Mason.
Next for Maldon is the visit of Mildenhall who themselves are still embroiled in the battle to avoid relegation.
