Clacton Sport

Double delight for the Seasiders

By Matt Plummer

12:20pm Thursday 11th March 2010

FC CLACTON have had a memorable few days, notching six goals and six points during two precious victories.

The Seasiders produced a dramatic finale to pip Gorleston 3-2 in Ridgeons League division one on Saturday.

And they followed it up with a 3-0 win at Stowmarket on Tuesday, earned thanks to goals from James Dunkley, Kevin Coyle and Matt Waters.

Waters also missed a penalty but it did not affect the final outcome and they stay fourth in the table, nine points behind joint leaders Brantham and Great Yarmouth.

Crucially, though, they are just a single point behind third-placed Diss.

Clacton had been reduced to ten men and were losing 2-1 with 20 minutes left in Saturday’s contest at the Rush Green Bowl.

But Chris Ribchester fired them level from ten yards and then, with five minutes left, Waters coolly slotted home from the penalty spot after a foul on Gregg Heighway.

Heighway had earlier scored his side’s opener, cancelling out the visitors’ slender first-half lead.

“In terms of the overall quality of the game, it was bordering on horrendous,” said Clacton boss David Coyle.

“But it got exciting right at the end and to win in the circumstances we did was absolutely brilliant.

“We didn’t play at all well. We were very average and didn’t get going.

“There was a lot that disappointed me.

“In terms of our defensive organisation, we gave away too many chances and some of our play on the ball was absolutely awful.

“We got out-muscled and barely won a tackle in the first half.

“Then, despite scoring three more goals, we were nowhere near as good going forward as we were in the week, when we won 3-0 at Gorleston (in the First Division Knockout Cup).” Coyle felt it was a huge victory against another side challenging for promotion.

“I said beforehand it was our biggest game of the season, because if we won it could stop Gorleston having any chance of going up,” said Coyle.

“So those last few minutes could turn out to be the most crucial of the whole campaign.

“To win was a massive result and a mighty relief.

“It was absolutely brilliant and could turn out to be our biggest result of the season.

“I’m pretty sure that if we’re successful in winning promotion we’ll look back and see it as a turning point.”

Clacton now have two home games in quick succession, against Whitton United on Saturday (kick-off 3pm) and March Town United on Tuesday (7.45pm).

Meanwhile, the Seasiders now know that they will meet Halstead Town in the final of the First Division Knockout Cup.

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