Match Reports 2007/2008

26/04/08 - BARKINGSIDE 0 CONCORD RANGERS 1 (Heale 69)

So the final day of the league season. Three sets of supporters were in the ground hoping to see their team crowned champions. Concord knew a victory here would give them the title and promotion to Ryman Division 1 North next season. Barkingside were in a tough position from the outset , needing a highly unlikely victory by 5 clear goals.

The first period saw Concord dominate territory but Barkingside will maybe feel unlucky that they didn’t go in leading. From two set pieces Thompson and then Suchley both tested the reflexes of James Hussey in the Concord goal. At the other end for all their territorial advantage Redwood’s goal was largely untroubled. Concord thought they had took the lead when Easterford headed home Ing’s cross but the linesman judged the ball to have gone out of play from the cross. With the score at half time 0-0 the happiest people in the ground would have most certainly been from Enfield, watching on as their team were now only 45 minutes from the championship.

Concord had to score. The tension was palpable as the teams came out for the second period and Rangers didn’t start as well as they would have liked. With just under 20 minutes left the whole match and season centred around with two major incidents. Firstly , with Barkingside sensing a victory , Suchley sent another long throw in to the penalty area, Mully and Frew jumped together and both missed the ball and the ball bounced off the concrete like surface and over the head of James Hussey with Ogilvie unable to stop the ball going in. The Barkingside players celebrated , the Enfield contingent celebrated and the referee looked like he had given the goal. The Concord players protested that the ball hadn’t touched anyone via entering the net and after deliberation with his assistant the goal was chalked off and a goal kick awarded to Concord. This was the catalyst for Concord to spark their game into life and less than 90 seconds later they were leading. Michael Begg did fantastically well to fashion some space and he lifted his cross to the back post, where ace marksman Danny Heale controlled and then rifled an unstoppable shot past Redwood and into the roof of the net. His 53^rd and most important goal of the season.

Barkingside did not lay down though and in typical fashion mounted an aerial assault to try and get back into the game. Cross after cross came into the Concord area and the defending had to be top notch to keep the hosts out , and all 11 players put their bodies on the line, Kev Mully in particular though was outstanding. Heale almost doubled the lead but Redwood made a fine stop , tipping the striker’s header wide for a corner. The hard working Michael Begg took a nasty knock late on and was replaced by Shane Oakley as Rangers looked to see out the final few moments. A last ditch effort from Suchley went wide and the referee’s whistle signalled wild celebrations and the presentation of the League Championship trophy to the mighty Concord Rangers.

Rangers have a date with Eton Manor in the league cup final on Monday May 5^th at 3pm at Bowers & Pitsea’s Crown Avenue home to hopefully complete a fantastic treble.

RYMAN LEAGUE HERE WE COME!!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TITLE CELEBRATIONS IN PICTURES

CRFC MAN OF THE MATCH : KEVIN MULLY

Team: 1) Hussey 2) Ing 3) Ogilvie 4) Trenkel (c) 5) Easterford 6) Mully 7) Turnbull 8) Cowley 9) Begg 10) Heale 11) Hayzelden

Subs: 12) Lee 14) Tiffin 15) Oakley for Begg 16) Stanley GK) Collier

22/04/08 - CONCORD RANGERS 3 (Trenkel, Heale, Begg) ETON MANOR 1 (Nelson)

Concord go into the last day of the season knowing that three points will see them to the league title. This was because of a fantastic performance which ensured a 3-1 win over Eton Manor on Tuesday night.

Rangers made one change to the starting line up with Gary Ogilvie coming back in to the eleven at the expense of Shane Oakley.

Eton Manor have so far enjoyed a fantastic season and they came to Thames Road with high hopes of completing a league double over Rangers.

However, Rangers ran riot and in the end a 3-1 score-line flattered the visitors somewhat as some glaring opportunities were missed.

The two previous games between the teams had yielded 11 goals so a high scoring game was always on the cards. It didn’t take long for this to be proved right and it was first blood to Concord. Michael Begg tricked his way past two players out wide and then laid a fantastic ball in for Hayzelden, he in turn fed Trenkel , lurking on the edge of the box, and his low drive found its way into the bottom corner , although the keeper will feel he could have done better with the shot. 1-0 should have become 2 just a couple of minutes as Heale broke the offside trap , but with the freedom of the box he inexplicably dragged his shot wide. Eton Manor didn’t heed the warning though and five minutes later Heale redeemed himself. Hayzelden was again the provider , this time delivering a wicked free kick into the path of Heale , and he stooped to score his 52^nd goal of the season. Manor’s front two of Stephenson and Nelson were working hard but goal chances were few and far between.

Eton Manor’s hopes of getting back into the game took a blow just after the half hour when they were reduced to 10 men. Coker thought he was fouled and then launched into a verbal tirade at the match official from a couple of feet away which earned him a straight red card. Strangely for the remaining 10 minutes of the half Eton Manor had their best spell of the match , with Nelson testing Hussey and then Stephenson rolling the ball agonisingly across the face of goal with no one getting a touch .

Rangers started the second period well but within 10 minutes Manor had got themselves right back into the game. After some good build up play on the left hand side , a cross into the area found Nelson who beat Hussey to the ball to head home and reduce the deficit.

Concord stepped up a gear though and soon it was 3-1 . Heale found Begg with a great through ball and he ran on to confidently plant the ball past Hall and score his 38^th goal for the club.

Rangers in truth should have scored far more goals, Begg having a few one on one’s and Lee and Hayzelden both missing glaring opportunities, but a combination of good goalkeeping from Hall and some poor finishing meant the game finished 3-1. Manor had a couple of half chances , Brown and Nelson both being denied by Hussey.

CRFC MAN OF THE MATCH : DAN TRENKEL

Team : 1) Hussey 2) Ing 3) Ogilvie 4) Trenkel (c) 5) Easterford 6) Mully 7) Turnbull 8) Cowley 9) Begg 10) Heale 11) Hayzelden

Subs: 12) Lee for Heale 14) Oakley for Turnbull 15) Tiffin 16) Stanley GK) Collier

19/04/08 - CONCORD RANGERS 2 (Heale 64,71) STANSTED 1 (Walsh 28)

Concord stumbled to an unconvincing victory against a well organised Stansted team on Saturday. Rangers made a few changes to the team which beat Hullbridge on Tuesday night, with injury victims Ing and Turnbull being replaced by Tiffin and Stanley. Gary Ogilvie returned from a college trip to take a place on the bench.

Stansted packed out the midfield and chased and hurried Concord in possession which brought them a lot of joy. Rangers were not firing at all and although they had more than their fair share of chances to score they just couldn’t break the deadlock , with the team looking particularly out of sorts in front of goal. Stansted knew if they were to get anything from the game they would have to take any chances that came their way, and on 28 minutes they did just that . What seemed a hopeful ball into the channel turned into a great ball as Brad Walsh collected, and after taking a touch to steady himself fired the ball low past Hussey to give his side the lead. Stansted impressively held on to the expected onslaught after this but apart from a decent penalty shout , after a foul on Begg, they didn’t have too many troubles and went in deservedly leading.

Rangers couldn’t let themselves get into panic mode and after a good old fashioned rollicking at half time they came out and rolled their sleeves up to try and get back into the game. Chances were coming thick and fast as Stansted sought to defend their lead heroically. Easterford headed wide, Mully also went close and Heale had a shot well saved.

It took until the 64^th minute to break Stansted’s dogged resistance and such is the script these days it could only be one man. A great run from Begg ended with him producing a fine cross which Danny Heale headed against the crossbar . As the ball bounced back Heale swivelled to strike his left foot shot into the corner and make the scores level with his 50^th goal of the season. Concord were now rampant but they only had 25 minutes left to try and get a winner. Substitute Tommy Lee was causing havoc in the visitors rearguard and he shot just wide just a few minutes after the equaliser.

On 71 minutes the turnaround was complete when Heale bagged number 2 and his 51^st goal of a breathtaking season. Hayzelden crossed into the box and as the ball pinged about in the penalty area Heale found some space to score a classic goal on the turn with a fabulous right foot volley , and although the keeper got a hand to the shot , it nestled right in the top corner. Concord should have scored more and because they didn’t take further chances the last 5 minutes became a nervy affair as they desperately awaited the referee’s whistle. Finally it came and with it 3 valuable points.

CRFC MAN OF THE MATCH : DAN TRENKEL

Team : 1) Hussey 2) Tiffin 3) Oakley 4) Trenkel (c) 5) Easterford 6) Mully 7) Stanley 8) Cowley 9) Begg 10) Heale 11) Hayzelden

Subs; 12) Lee for Tiffin 60 14) Ogilvie for Stanley 45 15) Turnbull 16) Scopes

15/04/08 - CONCORD RANGERS 5 (Heale 3(1pen), Cowley, Lee) HULLBRIDGE SPORTS 0

With Romford winning 4-1 away at Enfield on the same night , Concord pushed themselves back into title contention with a very comfortable 5-0 victory over lowly Hullbridge Sports.

Concord dominated possession in the first period and passed it around well on a tricky surface. Rangers needed only a couple of minutes to carve open the first glorious chance of the evening. Oakley used his pace down the flank and delivered a pinpoint cross on to the head of Nicky Cowley , but uncharacteristically the attacking midfield man somehow placed his header over the bar from close range. The visitors keeper knew he was probably in for a busy night and he kept the score at 0-0 minutes later with a top class save , tipping over Trenkel’s rasping 20 yard volley. A goal was on the cards and it came soon after. Ing’s long throw was not cleared properly and Trenkel’s close range effort found Heale lurking from a few yards out and he made no mistake. Heale almost scored a second but had his flicked shot saved by the legs of the keeper and Mully went close from the resulting corner. Hullbridge were not threatening, and apart from the industrious work of the young number 9 up front they were very lacklustre. Hayzelden’s set piece delivery was causing the visiting defence all sorts of problems and from a corner , Rangers got their second goal. John Easterford rose majestically only to see his header crash off the crossbar , as the ball bounced up in the 6 yard box a defenders hand palmed the ball away and a penalty was the only option. Heale stepped forward and predictably beat the keeper all ends up to register his second of the evening.

Heale turned provider for the third of the evening which came around the hour mark. Oakley found Heale out wide and he produced a driven cross of perfection which Nicky Cowley buried with a close range header. Concord rang the changes , Trenkel being replaced by Lewis and Begg coming off for Tommy Lee. The home side continued to press and Heale had a goal chalked off for offside after good work again from Oakley set up Cowley who nodded into Heale’s path. But the prolific big nosed front man managed to score his 5^th treble and his 49^th goal of the season 15 minutes from time. He raced clean through and although his initial effort was well saved , Tommy Lee set up Heale to crash home at the second time of asking. Lee , who got himself into the referee’s notebook with a crude challenge , managed to get his name on to the scoresheet with 7 minutes remaining. After being put through on goal he calmly slotted past the advancing keeper to give Concord a well deserved 3 points. Special mention to slim shady the ref , who could have booked himself for a horrendous dive in the first half, but recovered well. The Hullbridge manager went home crying into his lasagne, moaning about being understrength etc etc . Next up is a match against one of the seasons surprise packages Stansted on Saturday.

CRFC MAN OF THE MATCH : SHANE OAKLEY

Team : 1) Hussey 2) Ing 3) Oakley 4) Trenkel (c) 5) Easterford 6) Mully 7) Turnbull 8) Cowley 9) Begg 10) Heale 11) Hayzelden

Subs: 12) Lee for Begg 14) Lewis for Trenkel 15) Stanley for Oakley 16) Tiffin 17) Scopes

11/04/08 - LONDON APSA 0 CONCORD RANGERS 1 (Heale 31)

Danny Heale’s 46^th goal of the season was enough to see off bottom of the table London APSA on Saturday. APSA’s ground resembled a demoiltion site – with the only stand being knocked down. Specatators had to watch from the touchline a la Sunday league and the dug outs were covered in a tarpaulin borrowed from Ian Beale’s fruit and veg stall. Throw in the typical British weather and the hospitality of 2 portions of chips from the local chippy to go round 18 people and you had yourself a really enjoyable experience.

The pitch and officials also played more than their part in a terrible game. The pitch was horribly uneven and trying to get the ball down and play was a real task. The officials were not up to much either , with one linesman in the end being so bad that even the referee was ignoring him.

Concord started poorly and APSA had the first big chance but the tall striker headed way over when unchallenged from 10 yards. Rangers had plenty of chances to kill the game off though . Begg tested the keeper twice early on and Heale struck over as the ball reared up off a huge divot in the penalty area. Trenkel shot straight at the keeper from the edge of the box and also had one effort well saved as he and Easterford broke the offside trap from a Cowley free kick. Finally though the goal came and it was Mr Reliable Heale who scored it as he broke clear from Begg’s ball and although the keeper parried his effort the ball still managed to creep in.

In the second half Rangers applied themselves a lot better but a combination of the awful pitch and bad luck kept the score at only 1-0. Heale, Begg and Oakley all went close as Rangers seeked to close the game out . Concord brought on Antoine Lewis and Tommy Lee and the latter could not believe he hadn’t scored when his ferocious shot from 3 yards rebounded off the goalkeepers face and away for a corner. Trenkel almost scored from Ing’s long throw and Lee had another effort go over as the ball bobbled to knee height.

APSA , hard working as they were never really threatened Hussey’s goal but they will feel pleased they restricted the Concord attack to just the 1 goal.

Team : 1) Hussey 2) Tiffin 3) Oakley 4) Trenkel (c) 5) Easterford 6) Ing 7) Stanley 8) Cowley 9) Begg 10) Heale 11) Hayzelden

Subs: 12) Lee for Heale 14) Turnbull 15) Lewis for Oakley 16) Scopes

08/04/08 - ENFIELD 1893 1 (Stanley 81) CONCORD RANGERS 0

Sherwin Stanley struck a winner 9 minutes from time to condemn Rangers to their first league defeat since boxing day last year.

Having beaten Enfield 4 and a half times already this season meant both sides were more than familiar with each other. On this occasion Enfield came flying out of the traps and set about ending that statistic. However Concord defended resolutely in the opening period and apart from a few long throw ins into the danger area Enfield didn’t really trouble Hussey in the Concord goal. Concord had some decent build up play but Wright , like Hussey , didn’t have much to deal with apart from some routine crosses to claim.

The second period was dominated in territory terms by Concord but chances fell at both ends. Cowley had two half decent chances and Begg also fired a low drive wide of the goal. At the other end Stanley shot wide as Enfield looked to play on the break. Concord continued to push forward and a low cross from the right missed Cowley’s outstretched leg by a matter of inches.

For all Concord’s possession a draw looked likely , until Enfield struck with a sucker punch on 81 minutes. Wright’s long clearance was nodded on by Hughes and Stanley took advantage of hesitation from Hussey to nick the ball round the keeper and , despite the best efforts of Ogilvie to get back to clear , the ball ran into the net to give Enfield a priceless three points. Rangers mounted wave after wave of attack in the final ten minutes but Enfield held on to spark wild celebrations at the final whistle. For Concord it was a case of what could’ve been but no more could have been asked of the Rangers players who, to a man, performed admirably.

Team : 1) Hussey 2) Ing 3) Ogilvie 4) Trenkel (c) 5) Easterford 6) Mully 7) Oakley 8) Cowley 9) Begg 10) Heale 11) Hayzelden

Subs: 12) Tiffin 14) Stanley 15) Lewis for Ing 16) Scopes GK) Collier

05/04/08 - MAURITIUS S&P 0 CONCORD RANGERS 2 (Begg 55, Trenkel 90)

Concord recorded their 8^th straight victory on Saturday with a less than comfortable 2-0 win over Mauritius Sports & Pennant.

Rangers made 4 changes to the side which won at Southend Manor on Tuesday night , with Ing, Begg and Trenkel all being given a rest and they were replaced by Tiffin, Turnbull and Oakley. Collier was also replaced by Hussey in goal.

A downpour in the opening minutes of the game made conditions slippery under foot, but Concord seemed to have started the game brightly. In fact they should have taken an early lead. Hayzelden crossed from the left and Nicky Cowley’s close range header bought a decent save from the keeper. A few minutes later it might have been two. Shane Oakley chased a long ball through and beat the keeper to it , however he was forced wide and as he pulled back across goal the danger was cleared. Opoka and Jones were giving the Concord defence some headaches and Rangers could have easily gone into the break a goal down. Jones chased a long ball which Easterford was shepherding back to Hussey. The big keeper then collided with Easterford and Jones collected the loose ball and bore down on goal. However Rangers were thankful to Mully , who having got himself back onto the goal line blocked Jones’s effort when it looked like he would score.

Concord made a half time change, with Begg replacing the ineffective Foyewa. He needed only ten minutes to prove his worth to the team with a well taken opening goal. Heale found him with square pass across the box and Begg shook off the attentions of his marker before firing home left footed from 12 yards. This led to a crazy period for the home side , as they failed to clear their lines and Rangers looked certain to run riot. Hayzelden’s long range free kick evaded everyone before skipping off the turf and onto the bar and then the same player cracked the inside of the post with a rasping 20 yard effort which had the keeper beaten all end’s up. Easterford had a header well saved from a corner and Heale fired just over. Rangers made a double substitution with Cowley and Heale taking a breather , being replaced by Trenkel and Lee. Lee didn’t take long to get himself into the game , and the referee’s notebook , with a crunching tackle on Jones.

Rangers grabbed their second goal to seal victory in the final minute. Oakley found Trenkel from a corner and he smashed a long range shot into the top corner with the goalie waving at someone in the stand.

Rangers now go into Tuesday’s vital encounter with Enfield knowing only a win will do.

CRFC MAN OF THE MATCH : JOHN TURNBULL

Team : 1) Hussey 2) Tiffin 3) Ogilvie 4) Turnbull 5) Easterford 6) Mully 7) Foyewa 8) Cowley (c) 9) Oakley 10) Heale 11) Hayzelden

Subs: 12) Lee for Heale 14) Stanley 15) Trenkel for Cowley 16) Begg for Foyewa 17) Scopes

01/04/08 - SOUTHEND MANOR 0 CONCORD RANGERS 1 (Cowley 90)

Concord travelled to the last side to beat them in the league , Southend Manor , in search of another three crucial points to keep chase with league leaders Barkingside and Enfield.

Rangers predictably shuffled the pack after Saturdays win and made 4 changes, with Collier, Foyewa,Hayzelden and Cowley all making welcome returns to action.

On a tricky surface against a hustle bustle team playing very direct football , Concord found it difficult to get the ball down and play as they usually do.

It was Manor who almost sneaked in the first goal when Collier parried Baldwin's shot out to cheesewright , however Kev Mully out muscled the front man and the referee awarded Rangers a free kick. Cheesewright , having been booked for kicking the ball away early on , got a lucky break, as he smashed the ball away after being whistled for offside soon after, but the referee didn’t produce a likely second yellow.

Manor were definitely making their mark on the game , with the impressive Webster looking the only player who wanted to get the ball on the deck, and he linked play up well , finding Baldwin's clever runs time and again.

For all Manor's hard work they could have easily gone in behind. 45 goal striker Heale missed a glaring opportunity from Hayzelden's cross and half chances that fell to Mully , Hayzelden and Heale all flew off target. Seal also made a decent stop from a Cowley drive.

Rangers knew that a draw was not enough for them to stay in the title race so they pressed forward from the first minute of the second period. They passed the ball well but could not penetrate the manor back line , being well marshalled by Wheatstone and Jay. The turning point came on 65 minutes. Benjamin showed his immaturity by making obscene gestures to the crowd right under the referee's nose and he was promptly sent off.

Manor stuck their ten men behind the ball in the hope of a point and Concord bombarded their penalty area with plenty of crosses. Easterford drove a volley just over the top and Webster somehow cleared a certain goalbound header from Mully. The game moved into injury time and it looked as if Concord's chances had disappeared. But in the 90th minute Trenkel crossed into the box , and Seal , whose handling had been exemplary all night , lost the ball under pressure from Tommy Lee. Two Concord players had efforts blocked and the ball fell to the waiting Nicky Cowley who buried the ball with aplomb.

The two benches clashed in the celebrations , with Manor substitute Tubbs and Concord Kit man Chambers shown a red card.

A further 4 minutes of injury time was played but Concord saw their way to a 7th successive victory in all competitions and stretch their league unbeaten run to 11 games.

Team : 1) Collier 2) Ing 3) Ogilvie 4) Trenkel © 5) Easterford 6) Mully 7) Foyewa 8) Cowley 9) Begg 10) Heale 11) Hayzelden

Subs: 12) Lee for Foyewa 14) Tiffin 15) Stanley 16) Scopes

29/03/08 - ENFIELD 1893 1 (Stanley 23) CONCORD RANGERS 3 (Oakley 15, Heale 68, Begg 76) (Concord won 4-1 on agg)

Concord reached their second cup final of the season with a whole hearted performance against league rivals Enfield 1893.

Missing players of the calibre of Cowley, Hayzelden, Turnbull, Tiffin, Foyewa and Lee made this result all the more remarkable.

John Heffer stepped in to the team at the back and the returning Shane Oakley put in a performance of epic proportions out wide.

Rangers dominated early possession and used the extra man in midfield to create space and plenty of passing opportunities. On 15 minutes they took a deserved lead. A neat triangle between Heale, Mully and Trenkel ended with the skipper finding the run of Oakley and he took the ball on delightfully with his first touch before using his second touch to tuck the ball past the advancing keeper.

Enfield changed their system to combat Concord's dominance with Borghys moving into the midfield to mark Heale. The home side needed a goal to get themselves back into the tie and after 23 minutes they had themselves a lifeline. A free kick from out wide was not cleared by Hussey and in the ensuing scramble Stanley curled home past two defenders on the line after having two efforts blocked. Enfield rallied and Stanley almost scored again on the half hour, but Hussey redeemed himself with a fantastic save low to his left.

With the scores level at the break Enfield knew they had to get at least another goal to keep themselves in the tie. However after a fairly even second period it was Concord who opened up the advantage with a glorious second goal on 68 minutes. Oakley found Begg who in turn fed Heale, loitering outside the box. He took a touch looked up and curled a beautiful shot into the roof of the net which the keeper could only watch sail over his head. 8 minutes later and the game was safe when Rangers bagged a third. Oakley again was the instigator, as he blocked a clearance from the Enfield defender into the path of Begg who got the ball out of his feet before ramming the ball into the bottom corner to end a run of 6 games without a goal. It was what his performance deserved as he ran his heart out for the team for the whole 90 minutes. Enfield forced some late pressure with a succession of long throws being sent into the Concord box, but Rangers saw it out to record a 4-1 aggregate victory.

CRFC MAN OF THE MATCH : SHANE OAKLEY / MICHAEL BEGG

Team : 1) Hussey 2) Ing 3) Ogilvie 4) Trenkel © 5) Easterford 6) Heffer 7) Hawkins 8) Mully 9) Begg 10) Heale 11) Oakley

Subs: 12) Webb for Oakley 14) Ewers for Hawkins 15) Salmon for Easterford 16) Scopes GK) Collier

22/03/08 - CONCORD RANGERS 3 (Heale 47(pen),55 Lee 64) ETON MANOR 2 (Allen 43, Stephenson 75)

For the second time in 2 weeks Concord travelled to Burnham Ramblers' ground with the weather wreaking havoc. On the previous occasion Rangers came from behind against Burnham to grind out a hard fought victory, and that repeated itself on Saturday , with Rangers again coming from behind to beat Eton Manor to lift the Gordon Brasted Memorial Trophy.

Both sides were missing key men either through injury, suspension or the stupid ruling that you have to have played so many league games before the semi final. Eton Manor took the early initiative with Allen particularly looking impressive. The game was only a few minutes old when Brown's free kick found Willis and his looping header smacked off the top of the crossbar. Stephenson was next to try his luck, but his tame effort from the edge of the box was easily gathered by Mike Collier in goal , playing his first game since rupturing an Achilles some 6 months previous.

Rangers were having some decent possession but could not find the final ball. They got their first sight of goal after 15 minutes when Trenkel set Begg clear , but his curling shot from the edge of the box was expertly tipped round the post by Hall. Hawkins had a great chance moments later but as he collected Ogilvie's cross he completely miskicked the ball and it trickled out for a goal kick.

Stephenson could have maybe given Manor the lead 10 minutes before half time but his instinctive shot clipped the post before being shepherded to safety.

With half time approaching Eton Manor took the lead. From a Concord corner on the right Hawkins lost possession and Manor broke with pace. Allen dribbled forward and from some 25-30 yards let fly with a shot that flew into the roof of the net down the centre of the goal with Collier well beaten.

Harsh words were spoken at half time in the Rangers dressing room and the management acted quickly to try and change the game. Jimmy Webb came off and was replaced by Tommy Lee to make a 3 pronged attack. Within 2 minutes of the restart it paid dividends as a neat passing move involving Begg, Heale and Lee ended with Lee rolling a perfect ball in for Heale, who was then unceremoniously dumped when about to shoot and a penalty was the only possible decision. Heale dusted himself down before stepping up to send Hall the wrong way and restore equilibrium. Just 8 minutes later Rangers were celebrating again. Begg picked up the ball midway inside the Manor half and played in Turnbull , making a darting run from the middle of the park, he beat his man at the byline before laying the ball back for Heale who slotted home with his famous left foot to register his 44th goal of the season.

Eton Manor were shell-shocked and their misery was not over just yet. On 64 minutes Trenkel picked up a loose ball in the centre of the park and went on a mazy run into the penalty area, he fired his shot low but somehow Hall clawed the ball away for a corner. From that corner though Concord scored their 3rd. Heale's flag kick was blocked, Trenkel played him back in and Heale crossed beautifully from wide to find the unmarked Tommy Lee sneaking round the back post and he tucked the ball home with aplomb.

Manor were visibly stunned but to their credit they fought their way back into the game and got a second goal with 15 minutes remaining. Allen , who by now had moved from the middle to the left wing , beat Ing to the ball, drove into the box and passed across the 6 yard box where the grateful Stephenson was waiting to tuck the ball away.

The final 15 minutes was tense, Manor pushing more bodies forward and Rangers playing counter attacking football . Hall made his third top drawer stop to deny Begg once more as the pacy front man stretched Manor's tired defence to its limit. With 4 minutes to go Rangers lost Mully to injury but John Heffer stepped into the breach alongside the once again impressive Easterford. He was soon making his presence felt as well , the 37 year old making a super last ditch sliding tackle with Stephenson poised to shoot inside the box.

Rangers saw out the final few seconds of added time to lift this trophy for only the second time in their history, the last time being in the 99/2000 season.

MAN OF THE MATCH AWARDED BY LEAGUE OFFICIALS : KEVIN MULLY

Teams:

Concord : 1) Collier 2) Ing 3) Ogilvie 4) Trenkel © 5) Easterford 6) Mully 7) Hawkins 8) Turnbull 9) Begg 10) Heale 11) Webb

Subs: 12) Lee for Webb 45 , 14) Heffer for Mully 86, 15) Knott 16) Baptist GK) Small

Eton Manor: 1) Hall 2) McLean 3) Fox 4) Willis © 5) Smith 6) Brown 7) Mulcare 8) Allen 9) Stephenson 10) Wallace 11) Childs

Subs : Barratt, Dobson, Coker, Leary

15/03/08 - BARKING 0 CONCORD RANGERS 1(Heale (pen) 29)

Concord travelled to Mayesbrook Park to play an ever improving Barking team on Saturday.

Rangers named an unchanged line up from that which started the game with Burnham on Tuesday night.

The first half was a scrappy affair, with neither side really getting the ball down on the deck and a lot of niggly fouls. Barking had the more possession in the early stages and were particularly threatening from set pieces. From a right wing corner Noakes was given a free header but Hussey saved and held on well with Noakes ready to pounce for the rebound. Concord were not really threatening the Barking goal, with Lethbridge lading the back line well. On the half hour though Rangers took a crucial lead. Trenkel got to the bye line, passed to Begg inside the box who in turn set up Mully who was lurking on the edge of the box. His fierce drive was heading towards goal when Matthews stuck out an arm and the referee awarded a penalty. Danny Heale stepped up and marked his 300th appearance for Concord with his 42nd goal of the season , sending the ball low into the bottom corner. Barking had a good chance to equalise before the break. Gayle flicked on a long throw in to Noakes, who turned his marker but his snapshot brought a great reaction save from Hussey.

The second half was played in a similar vein to the first, with both sides not really getting a passing game going and both defences well on top. Barking's main threat again came from set pieces but Rangers held firm , and Hussey claimed a couple of important crosses to keep his clean sheet intact. Tiffin and Hawkins came on to tighten things up and midfield and they played their part in a resolute all round performance. Rangers escaped the last few minutes unscathed and recorded their 6th league victory in a row to keep up the pressure on the leading pair Barkingside and Enfield.

Concord's next game is the Gordon Brasted Memorial Trophy Final against Eton Manor. The game will be played at the home of Burnham Ramblers FC on Saturday with a 3pm kick off.

CRFC MAN OF THE MATCH : JOHN TURNBULL

Team: 1) Hussey 2) Ing 3) Ogilvie 4) Trenkel© 5) Easterford 6) Mully 7) Foyewa 8) Turnbull 9) Begg 10) Heale 11) Hayzelden

Subs: 12) Tiffin for Foyewa 14) Hawkins for Hayzelden 15) Heffer 16) Scopes GK) Small

11/03/08 - BURNHAM RAMBLERS 1 (Barrows) CONCORD RANGERS 2 (Hayzelden, Heale)

A Gale force wind didn’t deter Concord's title ambitions as they produced a fantastic performance to move within 5 points of leaders Enfield.

Concord started with the same 11 that started the game against Romford and they had to kick against the huge wind in the first period. Clearing the ball was extremely hard to achieve and Hussey was doing superbly to get some distance on his goal kicks. Burnham , as expected had the better of the opening exchanges and after quarter of an hour they took the lead. A corner from their right swirled into the box and the unmarked Barrows rose to head home via the inside of the post. After this though Concord had much more possession than the hosts and they kept the ball on the floor very well and carved open some decent chances. Foyewa , who had a fantastic game split the Burnham defence with a great through ball , but Hayzelden dragged his shot wide. Trenkel headed at McCartney from an Ing throw and with their best chance thus far , Begg smashed a piledriver off the crossbar. The great build up play from Rangers deserved a goal and just after the half hour they got one , and what a goal it was. Trenkel picked up a loose ball in the middle of the park and was brought down by Barrows fully 25 yards from goal. Danny Hayzelden stepped up and curled his free kick right into the top corner , a shot which no goalkeeper had a chance of saving. Burnham tried forcing the game but Rangers defended resolutely from 1 to 11 in tricky conditions. They should have maybe gone in ahead. Hambleton's short back header let in Begg and after he was forced wide by McCartney he crossed into the box , but Hayzelden lashed his shot just over the bar. Hussey marshalled his back line superbly for Concord and they went in to the interval knowing the hard work was done.

Rangers knew an early goal in the second period would be priceless, and they almost got it 2 minutes in. Begg and Foyewa combined and the latter's cross was blocked but fell kindly to Trenkel, but the Concord captain rather snatched at his effort and the ball went over. However, that miss didn’t matter in the long term as just 3 minutes later they took the lead. Easterford picked up the ball and played a Glenn Hoddle-esque pass over the top to Heale. The deadly striker took a great first touch and then hammered the ball past McCartney before he'd even had a chance to dive. 41 goals for Heale now this season and it was his 205th strike in his 299th Concord appearance.

The wind which had played such an integral part in proceedings in the first half died somewhat which allowed Burnham to have more of a share of the territory. Callow started causing a few problems for Ogilvie out wide but the young left back stuck to his task well. Ing , Easterford and Mully also all had typically solid games and they didn’t really allow Burnham to get any shots off. At the other end Begg forced a good save out of McCartney and then from a delightful scoop ball by Heale he smashed the crossbar for the second time in the evening. The crossbar was rattled again soon after but it was from an attempted clearance from the Burnham defender. Ash Hawkins came on for Hayzelden and he added some extra steel to the side as he put in some hefty tackles to help the cause.

Burnham almost equalised in the last minute as Hussey didn’t collect from a corner but the defence cleared well and the referee brought an end to the game. With officials from Barkingside and Enfield in the stand watching, they will have gone away with the message clear. Concord are breathing down their necks.

CRFC MAN OF THE MATCH : DAN TRENKEL

1) Hussey 2) Ing 3) Ogilvie 4) Trenkel© 5) Easterford 6) Mully 7) Foyewa 8) Turnbull 9) Begg 10) Heale 11) Hayzelden

Subs: 12) Tiffin for Begg 14) Hawkins for Hayzelden 15) Lee 16) Heffer GK) Small

08/03/08 - CONCORD RANGERS 3 (Trenkel 14, Hayzelden 55, Heale 79) ROMFORD 2 (Barry 63, Jones 69)

Rangers grabbed 3 points in a see-saw encounter against one of the divisions form sides Romford.

New signing Amos Foyewa made his debut for Rangers, with other new addition Greg Tiffin starting from the subs bench.

Kicking with a strong wind it was Rangers who looked the more dangerous in the opening minutes and Foyewa and Begg's pace combined with guile of Heale was proving a dangerous blend. However it was not until the 14th minute that the home side took a deserved lead. A clearance from the Romford back line reached the half way line where the immense John Easterford met it with a bullet header which sailed over the last defender and into the path of Trenkel who made a deep run from midfield. Finn came charging out of goal but Trenkel got to the ball first , rounded the Romford skipper and tucked home his 11th of the season. From then on Rangers made hard work of it . They had a few chances to extend their lead. Hayzelden's free kick hit the wall , Heale shot just wide of the upright and Foyewa danced his way into the box only to see his attempted shot blocked. At the other end Lyons excellent cross from the left was just missed by Mbala at the back post allowing Ogilvie to clear and Mackin shot wide from outside the box as the visitors rallied towards the end of the half.

Rangers were holding on to their slender advantage but after ten minutes of the second period they looked like they had the game sewn up with a crucial second goal. Begg and Foyewa linked up to find Heale in a central position. He turned to try and pick out Hayzelden but his pass was blocked but as the ball rebounded to him he found it was second time lucky as he picked out Hayzelden with a delicious through ball . The skillful left winger had a touch , steadied himself , then rifled a trademark shot into the bottom corner giving Finn no chance.

Romford had been pretty ineffective up to this point but they suddenly clicked into gear and to their credit they got themselves right back in the game. Half way through the second half a quick throw in was flicked on to Mbala , who brushed off the attention of Ogilvie before sending his cross fizzing across the 6 yard line where Chris Barry stole in between two defenders to touch the ball into the corner with Hussey stranded. Romford were very much in the ascendancy and unbelievably 6 minutes later they were level. A long free kick was pumped into the Concord box and with defenders struggling to pick up their markers the ball was flicked on to Jones who expertly volleyed into the roof of the net to send the visiting support wild.

The game was now flowing end to end, Romford believing they could get the winner and Concord also knowing a draw would not be enough for them . Romford were piling bodies in to the penalty area for corners and Rangers were under all sorts of pressure. At the other end Trenkel should have scored his second when Finn misjudged the flight of a Hayzelden free kick but he headed wide. On 79 minutes a goal which typified the second half proved to be the winning goal. A Romford corner from the right resulted in a game of pinball in the Concord box , Turnbull scraped the ball off the line only as far as Mbala, but Trenkel blocked his effort before Ing cleared up field, where, after some neat passes Begg was put in the clear. Finn raced out to meet him but Begg proved to be too quick for the keeper and as he went round him he squared for Heale , who slotted home with two Romford defenders trying in vain to clear. Heale , a local Canvey boy , is not too good with his maths though, and as the home players celebrated going ahead , he ran back to the half way line thinking he had just equalised at 2-2!!!

Concord had to withstand more pressure in the last ten minutes and it took a world class tackle from Easterford to prevent the Romford sub getting his shot off when well placed. With Romford committing men forward they were liable to the counter attack and sub Tiffin was put through on goal but this time Finn dived in bravely to win the ball. A pulsating second 45 minutes was brought to a close with Concord staying in 3rd place ahead of Tuesday nights trip to 5th placed Burnham Ramblers.

CRFC MAN OF THE MATCH : JOHN EASTERFORD

Team : 1) Hussey 2) Ing 3) Ogilvie 4) Trenkel © 5) Easterford 6) Mully 7) Foyewa 8) Turnbull 9) Begg 10) Heale 11) Hayzelden

Subs: 12) Lee 14) Hawkins for Hayzelden15) Tiffin for Foyewa 16) Scopes 17) Small

04/03/08 - CONCORD RANGERS 1 (Heale 79) ENFIELD 1893 0

Concord will take a 1 goal advantage to Wodson Park for the second leg of this League Cup Semi Final after a well contested affair at Thames Road on Tuesday night.

Rangers made a few changes to the side which went out of the FA Vase on Saturday. Nicky Cowley and Gary Ogilvie started suspensions and Adam Butterworth was out through injury. In came Hawkins, Ansell and Heale to the starting line up. Youngster Mark Baptist took a place on the bench.

A strong wind was causing problems for both teams , but Enfield started the better and from an early corner Hussey had to be alert to save low from a header by Stanley. Concord began to get the ball down and pass it around. Hayzelden , playing in an unfamiliar left back role showed his quality on the ball with some good delivery into the front men to get attacks going. Begg had Concord's first real sight of goal but his long range shot went just wide of the upright. Heale should have opened the scoring before half time when he raced onto Ansell's flick, but he dragged his left foot volley wide. The second half became a bit more niggly in terms of fouls , the referee Mr Slim Shady tried to keep a lid on things , and in all fairness he wasn’t being helped by his two assistants , one of them actually looked like he was going to sleep and was about 40 yards off the play at times.

With Hayzelden struggling , Heffer came off the bench into the back line which had defended well all evening. Begg was coming more and more into the game and his forceful running was pushing the visitors defence further back. Mully went close from a corner and Heale had an effort saved by the Enfield keeper.

With 11 minutes remaining , the first real piece of quality play from Concord resulted in the opening goal. Hawkins played a delightful slide rule pass to Heale and from the edge of the box he slammed his left foot shot right into the bottom corner with the keeper clutching thin air. It was Heale's 39th goal of a prolific season.

Enfield chased the game and Hughes was put clean through on goal but Hussey produced a wonderful left handed save to keep the lead intact.

With the game deep into injury time , Turnbull blotted his copy book by receiving his marching orders for his second yellow card of the evening for a late tackle.

Romford are the next visitors to Thames Road in the league this Saturday .

CRFC MAN OF THE MATCH : DANIEL SCOPES ( For replacing Ginge as Kit Man)

Team : 1) Hussey 2) Ing 3) Hawkins 4) Trenkel © 5) Easterford 6) Mully 7) Ansell 8) Turnbull 9) Begg 10) Heale 11) Hayzelden

Subs: 12) Heffer for Hayzelden 14) Baptist 15) D Cowley

01/03/08 CONCORD RANGERS 0 LOWESTOFT TOWN 1 (Hough 13)

Report Courtesy of the Evening Echo

Concord Rangers saw their Wembley dream die five minutes from the end of normal time in this FA Vase quarter-final.

For it was then that the Canvey based Essex Senior League side's Danny Hayzelden saw his perfectly struck effort crash against the bar with visiting goalkeeper Andy Reynolds beaten.

The Ridgeons Eastern Counties League visitors, backed by nearly 400 dancing, singing and drumming fans in a 716 crowd, had taken the lead as early as the 12th minute.

Ross King broke through from the left and as he closed in on goal collided with home keeper James Hussey.

We all waited with baited breath to see whether excellent referee Graham Scott would deem the incident a penalty and perhaps show the Concord stopper a red card.

But no decision had to be made as the ball broke to Bradley Hough who eagerly shot into an empty net.

That goal just about summed up the Norfolk side's attacking ambitions, but they defended as if their lives depended on it as Concord took control for long periods.

But for once, with top scorer Danny Heale joining player-manager Danny Scopes on the suspended list, the finishing skills of a side that, with 164 goals in 49 games is the highest scoring in senior soccer in the country, were sadly lacking.

Rangers could, and should, have at least been level by half-time.

With full-back Sam Ing's long throws a constant menace, Rangers had a number of openings. But uncharacteristically they could not buy a goal.

Dan Trenkel, moved forward from his usual midfield role to take Heale's striking spot, had mastery of the visiting defence in the air.

But, after putting one 18th minute effort over, he found himself unmarked in the box when Kevin Mully flicked on but saw his header turned over in superb style by Reynolds.

Next Hayzelden and Trenkel set-up Jon Turnbull, but the latter's effort was weakly into the keeper's arms.

Then, on the stroke of half-time, Trenkel's radar with a headed effort let him down again following fine play by Michael Begg on the right.

Concord were never able to be the same constant attacking threat after the interval - although their defence was always equal to anything Lowestoft could throw at them.

Gary Ogilvie, Ing, John Easterford and Mully were all on top of their game at the back, but at the other end another opportunity was lost when Nicky Cowley shot wide after a Begg-inspired move.

So that strike against the bar ended Concord's run which saw them earn £7,500 after eight straight home ties.

Scopes remained disappointed but unbowed at the end. He said: "Every one of my players was brilliant, but it wasn't our day.

"They defended well, but we controlled the game for long periods.

"Don't worry - we'll bounce back from this. Often if a team loses a big cup quarter final it's the end of their season.

"But we've still got everything to play for. We're still going for the title and have two domestic cups to look forward to.

"Their fans were magnificent. That was a big difference. They're an established club and have built up a big following over the years.

"We're a relatively new club and haven't built-up a fan base yet. A lot of local people who don't normally watch us came today and I hope some of them will have liked what they saw and return.

"Normally our crowds aren't much more than 50 or so. Their fans never stopped making a noise and good luck to them. I hope they go on and win it now.

"I said that we'd over-achieved in making the quarter-finals in our first serious attempt in the Vase and we've done tremendously well.

"We've had great support from the Echo in raising awareness of our Vase run and I'd like to thank you for that.

"Now we've got to lift ourselves for our League Cup semi-final first leg here on Tuesday.

"But it won't be hard - we've got broad backs!"

CRFC MAN OF THE MATCH : KEVIN MULLY

Team : 1) Hussey 2) Ing 3) Ogilvie 4) Cowley 5) Easterford 6) Mully 7) Butterworth 8) Turnbull 9) Begg 10) Trenkel © 11) Hayzelden

Subs: 12) Lee for Turnbull 14) Hawkins for Butterworth 15) Webb 16) Heffer 17) Small

26/2/08 - SAWBRIDGEWORTH TOWN 0 CONCORD RANGERS 1 (Begg 77)

Michael Begg produced a wonder strike to kill off a brave Sawbridgeworth challenge last night.

Rangers didn’t have the best of starts to the game and gave the ball away far too cheaply at times. Sawbridgeworth , who have improved drastically in the last few weeks hustled and bustled but they lacked any real punch up front and they were restricted to a couple of long range efforts. Concord had a couple of decent chances. Hayzelden blasted over from 15 yards with a volley and Ogilvie had a good shot well parried by the keeper.

Rangers stepped up a gear in the second period and although they dominated possession for long periods they couldn’t find a goal. Tommy Lee went just wide with a header early on and Sawbridgeworth cleared a goalbound Easterford header off the line as they fought to keep the scores level. Heale replaced Lee on the hour and he had an immediate impact , linking up well with Butterworth before the latters dangerous cross was forced behind for a corner. And then with time against Rangers, Begg , who hadnt enjoyed much luck in front of goal for the previous 76 minutes, came up with a goal of real quality to win the match. Heale found him with a slid pass and from a tight angle from 20 yards he blasted a right foot shot right into the top corner to delight the travelling support.

Sawbo inevitably surged forward in the last ten minutes , but to a man , Concord defended resolutely and professionally. Heale almost made it two when his towering header clipped the crossbar , but one goal was enough and it meant Rangers stepped up the pace on those above them in the league.

Attention now moves to Saturdays FA Vase Quarter Final tie against Lowestoft Town at Thames Road. Kick off is 3pm.

CRFC MAN OF THE MATCH : GARY OGILVIE

Team : 1) Hussey 2) Ing 3) Ogilvie 4) Cowley 5) Easterford 6) Mully 7) Butterworth 8) Trenkel © 9) Begg 10) Lee 11) Hayzelden

Subs: 12) Heale for Lee 14) Webb 15) Scopes 16) Small

19/02/08 - CLAPTON 1 (Soutchay 29)CONCORD RANGERS 5 (Easterford 9, Mully 11,56, Cowley 38, Webb 74)

Concord kept faith with the same starting eleven that won convincingly against Basildon on Saturday. Holiday returnee Sam Ing had to be content with a place on the bench and hat-trick hero from Saturday Tommy Lee missed the trip as he was away on holiday.

Concord started brightly and it wasn't long before the home side's goal was being troubled. Danny Heale had the first sight of goal with a shot that went narrowly wide and Nicky Cowley shot wide soon after from a tight angle. Rangers dominance deserved a goal and they duly delivered it , albeit from an unlikely source. A Hayzeldean free kick was half cleared out to Ansell , and he put in a fine cross which found Danny Heale. Heale half controlled the ball allowing John Easterford to steal in and smash home comprehensively to give his side the lead. Within a couple of minutes the score was 2-0 and it came from another set piece. Hayzeldean's corner was flicked on by Heale and Kev Mully, lurking at the back post, swivelled to hit a left foot volley into the bottom corner.

Concord took their foot off the gas for the next 15 minutes which allowed the home side to put some neat moves together. They soon exploited this to grab a goal which got them right back into the game. Ogilvie was beaten to the ball and Soutchay broke away from Easterford to smash home under the body of Hussey. This seemed to wake Concord up with Easterford and Mully in particular excelling in defence. Rangers should have extended their lead when Begg raced clear but as he shaped to shoot the ball took a horrible bobble and he fired over the top. Cowley also bestowed the same fate and Ansell had his volley from the edge of the box deflected to safety. The third , killer goal finally came 7 minutes before the break. Easterford won two crucial headers to find the feet of Cowley and he smashed an unstoppable volley into the top corner for his 18th strike of the season. Rangers dominated possession in the second period and added to their score twice more , although in truth it should have been many more with a flurry of missed chances and good goalkeeping denying them. The fourth goal came from yet another set piece and it was Mully who capped a fantastic individual performance with another goal. Hayzeldean again flighted a perfect ball in and Mully Came steaming in at the near post to smash his header into the roof of the net. With some massive games coming up Rangers used the last 30 minutes to give welcome breaks to Hayzeldean and Cowley, being replaced by Ing and Webb. Ing came straight into the action , setting up Heale with a good through ball , however it was just one of those nights in front of goal for Heale and he dragged his shot inches past the post. Begg also was suffering in front of goal , with the Clapton keeper making a trio of good stops to deny Begg getting on the score sheet. It was Webb who rounded the scoring off on 74 minutes , as he raced on to a delightful ball by Heale , rounded the keeper and tapped home.

Rangers are without a game this Saturday , and they travel to Sawbridgeworth Town next Tuesday 26th Feb , hoping to keep up their good form.

CRFC MAN OF THE MATCH : KEVIN MULLY

Team : 1) Hussey 2) Butterworth 3) Ogilvie 4) Cowley 5) Easterford 6) Mully 7) Ansell 8) Trenkel © 9) Begg 10) Heale 11) Hayzeldean

Subs: 12) Ing for Cowley 14) Webb for Hayzeldean 15) Heffer for Butterworth 16) Scopes 17) Small

16/02/08 - CONCORD RANGERS 8 (Hayzeldean 10, 38 Cowley 14,26 Begg 58 Lee 69,75,78) BASILDON UNITED 0

Concord roared back to winning ways with a comprehensive win over struggling Basildon.

Rangers gave 2 players debuts .Adam Butterworth came in after impressing in the Reserves. He replaced Ing who was away on holiday. The other debutant was experienced Gary Ansell who has duel signed from East Thurrock United. Rangers were ahead as early as the tenth minute and never looked back. Hayzeldean latched on to Cowleys neat through ball and placed his shot under the advancing keeper to mark his 20th goal of the season. 4 minutes later the score was doubled as Nicky Cowley got in on the act with a well worked second and he almost made it 3-0 but his 30 yard lob smacked the crossbar with the keeper beaten. It soon was 3 though as Mullys deft ball set Cowley free and he made no mistake as he rounded the keeper to slot home for his 2nd of the day. A fourth goal came just before the interval and it was Hayzledean this time who raced through to score his second with a typical left foot shot flying across the keeper after good build up play from Ansell and Begg.

4 became 5 on 58 minutes. A corner from the right was headed on by Mully and Begg turned from 6 yards to shoot home. Rangers rang the changes , Trenkel being replaced by Webb and 38 goal Heale coming off for Tommy Lee. And what an impact Lee made on proceedings. He made the score 6-0 after 69 minutes when he pounced on a shot which had been parried by the keeper and went on to complete a 9 minute hat trick with goals on 75 and 78 minutes , the first of which was a real belter. He scored Rangers' 10th hat trick of the campaign and boosted their scoring record to 163 in 47 competitive games.

Rangers face a tricky match away at Clapton on Tuesday night , 7.45pm kick off.

CRFC MAN OF THE MATCH : TOMMY LEE

Team: 1) Hussey 2) Butterworth 3) Ogilvie 4) Cowley 5) Easterford 6) Mully 7) Ansell 8) Trenkel © 9) Begg 10) Heale 11) Hayzeldean

Subs: 12) Lee for Heale 14) Webb for Trenkel 15) Heffer for Ansell 16) Sammons 17) Small

12/2/08 - ROMFORD 1(Mbala 101) CONCORD RANGERS 1 (Heale 77)

Concord dropped two points in the race for the League title after Romford scored a controversial late leveller.

Rangers dominated the first half and had a few chances to go ahead. Trenkel twice was denied by Finn and Easterfords superb header was cleared off the line with the keeper beaten.Mully also went close with a header from a Hayzeldean free kick. Apart from some kicking and a few speculative shots which sailed wide Hussey was a virtual spectator. Rangers although seemingly in control were far from happy with their general performance and they tried to step up the tempo in the second period. They should have taken the lead when Hayzeldeans corner was flicked on by Trenkel but Cowley scooped his shot over the bar from close range. Heale also went close and Cowley forced Finn into action once more.

Concord took a deserved lead 15 minutes from time(normal time that is) when Begg and Cowley combined to tee up Hayzeldean whose back post cross was turned in by ace goal poacher Danny Heale. In the ensuing celebrations Nicky Cowley took a punch in the face for his troubles and Romford man Clayton received his marching orders. But as play was due to resume the referee also dished a red card out to the victim of the piece Cowley , for allegedly kicking out at the Romford player. With a man down each the game was becoming stretched . Romford then got an advantage when Ogilvie was sent off for a second yellow card for a foul on the half way line. The 9 men of Concord battled bravely and should have grabbed a second when sub Jimmy Webb turned his marker, but once again Finn was there to deny a goal . With 11 minutes of injury time having elapsed the referee awarded a penalty to Romford for a foul by Kev Mully . Mbala tucked away the spot kick with ease. Soon after the referee blew the final whistle to start celebrations of a epic proportion. Party poppers and confetti were flying , players were on their knees in the centre circle clutching their shirts and the managers understandably had tears in their eyes.

After this setback for Rangers they go into Saturdays game with Basildon desperately needing a good performance to lift their spirits.

Team : 1) Hussey 2) Ing 3) Ogilvie 4) Cowley 5) Easterford 6) Mully 7) Turnbull 8) Trenkel © 9) Begg 10) Heale 11) Hayzeldean

Subs: 12) Lee 14) Webb for Turnbull 15) Sammons16) Scopes on for Begg 17) Small

09/02/08 - CONCORD RANGERS 2 (Heale 48, Hayzeldean 88) CAMBERLEY TOWN 0

Concord powered their way through to the last 8 of the FA Vase with a professional performance against a hard working Camberley Town outfit.

The game was played at a ferocious pace and space was hard to come by. Rangers had the best chances of the opening period. Michael Begg almost opened the scoring after 20 minutes but his rocket shot came back off the underside of the crossbar , he collected the rebound but the shot was diverted wide for a corner. Mully was next to try his luck , but his firm header from a corner went wide. Hussey in the Concord goal was largely redundant in the first half but he had to be alert to block Finneston's shot with his feet in what was Camberley's only real goal scoring chance of the second half. The deadlock was broken on 48 minutes. Easterford dived in bravely with the keeper on the edge of the box , and with shouts for a penalty ringing around the ground , Begg collected the loose ball drove to the by-line and pulled the ball back for Heale , who tapped home from close range at the second time of asking.

Camberley were picking up plenty of free kicks but couldn’t make any of them count as they pushed forward in search of an equaliser. Rangers finally made sure of the victory when Hayzeldean grabbed the second goal on 88 minutes. He challenged the keeper to get to a Turnbull through ball and as the ball squirmed loose he turned to chip the keeper and two defenders scrambling to get back from all of 25 yards to cap a fine team performance.

CRFC MAN OF THE MATCH : JOHN EASTERFORD

Team: 1) Hussey 2) Ing 3) Ogilvie 4) Mully 5) Easterford 6) Scopes 7) Turnbull 8) Trenkel 9) Begg 10) Heale 11) Hayzeldean

Subs: 12) Lee for Heale 14) Webb for Ogilvie 15) Heffer 16) D Cowley 17) Small

05/02/08 - CONCORD RANGERS 1 (Scopes) CANVEY ISLAND 2 (West, English)

Canvey won the battle of the Island with a last gasp goal from youngster English in front of a seasons best crowd of 274.

Concord rested a few players carrying niggling injuries and gave a debut to loan signing George Lay from Billericay Town.

Canvey made the brighter opening and had more possession in a tricky swirling wind. Rangers were getting some joy through the wing play of Webb but the final delivery into the box was lacking. It was Webb who had a glorious chance to open the scoring. Cowley found Heale , who in turn fed the ball across the box to the waiting Webb but he blazed his shot high over the goal when he seemed destined to score.

Canvey were pressing further up the pitch and opened the scoring from a set piece. Skelton failed to clear the corner and West smashed home from 6 yards in the ensuing melee.

Rangers gave a much better account of themselves in the second period and should have gone on to win the game. Lay had a shot saved by Russell and Lee went close. Canvey retaliated and Bourne forced Skelton in to action when he had to tip over a fierce long range strike.

Concord should have been given a penalty when Cowley was tripped by Russell but the inept referee waved away the protests. Rangers then equalised. Heale floated in a corner and Scopes powerfully headed home. There looked only one winner and Ogilvie went clean through but sliced his shot wide of the target.

In the last minute Canvey pushed forward and scored their winner. A hopeful ball into the area was held by Skelton , but under no pressure he spilled the ball to the feet of English who slammed home into the bottom corner.

CRFC MAN OF THE MATCH: NICKY COWLEY

Team : 1) Skelton 2) Ing 3) Mully 4) Cowley 5) Easterford 6) Scopes 7) Lay 8) Trenkel © 9) Lee 10) Heale 11) Webb

Subs: 12) Ogilvie for Webb 14) Turnbull for Trenkel 15) Butterworth

02/02/08 - CONCORD RANGERS 2 (Begg, Heale) ENFIELD 1893FC 1 (Stanley)

Concord beat Enfield for the second Saturday in succession to reach the Gordon Brasted Memorial Trophy Final.

For the second Saturday running aswell , a crowd of over 100 watched proceedings at Thames Road and they were entertained to a lively affair.

Concord carried on from where they left off in the previous match by totally dominating the first half. They passed the ball about well and were rewarded when Begg opened the scoring after 14 minutes. Trenkel put the ball over the last defender for Begg and he beat Wright in the Enfield goal to the ball to loop the ball into the back of the net with expert precision. It was the home sides 150th goal of the season and Begg's 33rd. Rangers were pinning the visitors back and Heale forced a good save from Wright midway through the half with a rasping drive which the keeper did well to hold. Mully then had a great chance to score but his header (following a corner) went wide of the target. Begg was next to go close when following a superb ball from Mully he was teed up by Cowley's cushioned header, but he lifted the ball just over the bar. With ten minutes to the break Rangers finally scored the goal they'd been threatening to make the score line 2-0. A good passing move on the left hand side ended with Ogilvie crossing into the box , where the unmarked Danny Heale rose to nod home to notch his 36th of the campaign. Enfield thought they were back in the game just a couple of minutes later when Hughes fired his shot into the roof of the net , however , after some confusion between linesman and referee the goal was chalked off for offside. Enfield came out the stronger of the two sides in the second half and started putting the Concord back 4 under some heavy pressure. The pace of Stanley was causing problems but the Concord back 4 and keeper were resolute throughout. There were still chances for Rangers to extend their lead. Heale headed a good chance over the bar and then forced another good save from Wright.

With the game moving away from them Enfield suddenly brought the tie back to life with a goal . With Scopes off the field injured Concord failed to organise their defence well enough from a corner and as the ball bounced around the area Stanley was on hand to fire through the forest of legs to score. Enfield had 15 minutes to get another goal and to their credit they threw bodies forward in search of it. With so many players committing themselves forward it sometimes left them threadbare at the back and this was almost exploited when Begg went clean through. On this occasion however the usually deadly striker rounded the keeper and then somehow managed to fire his shot off the outside of the post and away for a goal kick.

Rangers held on and celebrated reaching the final , where they will face Eton Manor at Leslie Field (the home of Burnham Ramblers FC)

Attention now turns to an Essex Thames-side Trophy 1st round clash with old foes Canvey Island on Tuesday night followed by the biggest game in the clubs history on Saturday , the FA Vase 5th round clash against Camberley Town.

CRFC MAN OF THE MATCH: JOHN EASTERFORD

Team: 1) Skelton 2) Ing 3) Mully 4) Cowley 5) Easterford 6) Scopes 7) Turnbull 8) Trenkel © 9) Begg 10) Heale 11) Ogilvie

Subs: 12) Lee for Heale 14) Webb for Ogilvie 15) Heffer GK) Small

26/01/08 CONCORD RANGERS 2 (Begg, Cowley) ENFIELD 1893 1(Coombes)

Concord ended the visitors unbeaten run with a goal deep into stoppage time on Saturday.

Both teams started the clash at a fast pace and the tackles were not for the feint hearted. After just 7 minutes Trenkel had to go off after taking a hefty knock and he was replaced by Mully , who stamped his authority on the game.

Enfield were showing why they are unbeaten in the league this season with the forwards looking particularly dangerous. They had the more possession in a first half where Concord were lacking any real punch. It was looking increasingly inevitable that Enfield would score and they did so after 23 minutes. A whipped in free kick from wide found the run of Coombes and he placed a bullet header into the top corner to give his side the lead. Just 4 minutes later came a big talking point. Following an injury , the referee restarted the play with a drop ball but he bounced the ball in meaning both players had to lift their legs high to challenge for the ball. As the ball broke both players tangled with each other and ended up squaring up to each other. No harm done and a talking to maybe at most but to everyones dismay the referee produced a straight red for Turnbull and for the Enfield player. Both benches were justifiably unhappy about the decision.

Borghys then nearly doubled the Enfield lead but his 30 yard rocket was tipped over by Skelton.

Rangers got the rollocking they deserved at half time and they came out a completely different side. Enfield , visibly drained from their first half efforts, were slowly moving further back , but they were still a huge threat on the break with the pace of Stanley. Rangers piled forward but just could not find the killer touch. Then came the equaliser. Cowley played a slide rule pass to Begg, and he fired under the advancing Wright to give Rangers parity with still plenty of time left to play. Then came another flashpoint. Easterford appeared to be elbowed by one of the Enfield forwards . It was spotted by the referee who flashed another red card and Enfield were down to 9. Concord pushed hard for a winner but were nearly caught out by the counter attack. The ball broke to Stanley on three occasions and his pace took him deep into Concord territory. But on every occasion he decided to look for a killer pass across the box which failed to find its target and Skelton gathered with ease.On 80 minutes Rangers were awarded a penalty when Heale was bundled over in front of goal and the Enfield defender seemed lucky to get away with a yellow card when being the last man. Heale stepped up but Wright sprung across his goal to parry the ball wide. This looked like being Concord's last chance, but with the game deep into added time Rangers pushed forward one last time . A long ball into the box found Mully at the back post and he headed back across goal where Nicky Cowley managed to bundle the ball home from close range to give the home side a last gasp victory.

The referee blew the whistle almost immediately after the kick off to signal an end to proceedings. The amount of time added on incensed the Enfield players and the referee gave what look