Kaleel Green with the match ball after his hat trick against Frenford
On a freezing November evening in front of a 130-strong crowd at Catons Lane, Saffron Walden Town continued their good run of form with a 5-0 victory over bottom side Frenford, moving into the playoff positions in the process.
A hat-trick from start striker Kaleel Green, with further strikes from Fahad Nazor and Robbie Allen, secured all three points for John Hughes’ side.
The start of the match was delayed by ten minutes, owing to certain players unable to beat the heavy traffic on the M11. One of those players was Green, but he made up for his lateness in style.
Predictably, Saffron Walden had the better of the early chances. Toheeb Elegushi came the closest to the opening goal early on, but he dragged his shot wide of the far post when in a good position.
And the hosts took a well-deserved lead midway through the first period. A long ball forward was nodded on by Jordan Gent, the tall centre-half acting as a striker, and picked up by Green, who drove at the Frenford defence and fired a powerful left-footed drive beyond keeper Dominic Alexandru at the near post. The goalkeeper may have felt he could have done better, but Walden did not care.
The lead was doubled four minutes later, with an equally impressive goal. Made by Elegushi, with the winner brilliantly beating his man on the left-hand side before cutting the ball back, and finished by Nazor, captain for the evening with regular skipper Tom Skelton among the substitutes. All of a sudden, The Bloods were in control.
A third goal arrived just after the half-hour mark, and, to nobody’s surprise, Green was on the scoresheet again.
The manner of the goal, however, stunned spectators inside Catons Lane. The prolific striker was released down the right hand side before somehow managing to beat Alexandru from the near the corner flag. Cross or shot, it didn’t matter, as Walden found themselves 3-0 up at the break.
Given the unassailable lead, manager Hughes made the decision to withdraw silky midfielder Salim Nassor in favour of youngster Fin Barden, seemingly saving Nassor for more difficult games to come over the next few weeks.
Frenford, with just two league wins on their record this season, boasted former Walden favourite Correy Davidson in their starting eleven, but he was virtually anonymous throughout as the hosts’ defence stood firm.
Green, who had celebrated his 21st birthday the day before this fixture, capped a stunning performance off with his third goal on 63 minutes. Alexandru, who was having a night to forget, let Green go around him, presenting a near-open goal, and the striker made no mistake.
Three further substitutions were made, one of them being Allen, who before tonight had never scored a goal for the Bloods.
On 80 minutes, however, that was well and truly put to bed. The tricky winger was released down the right-hand side on the counter-attack, before beating his man and hitting a powerful low shot across Alexandru and into the far corner.
A perfect night for Saffron Walden, proving that the heavy defeat at home to Buckhurst Hill ten days before was merely a blip, and The Bloods moved into the playoff places for the first time in six weeks. Next up for them is a home match against White Ensign on Saturday 29th November – the reverse fixture of the dramatic 4-3 Bloods win away to Ensign in September.
Frenford, meanwhile, would need a real turnaround as we approach the second half of the season, if they are to avoid relegation back to Step 6 – and it doesn’t get any easier for them as they travel up the A12 to face table-topping Little Oakley.
Saffron Walden Town: George Coton, Toby Salmon, Jack Clark, Henry Mabassa, Jordan Gent, Fahad Nazor (C), Toheeb Elegushi (Robbie Allen, 66’), Sam Deering (Rgee Manyewe, 66’), Kaleel Green (Kieron Owusu, 79’), Jeff Cobblah, Salim Nassor (Fin Barden, 33’). Substitute not used: Tom Skelton. Goals: Kaleel Green (3), Fahad Nazor, Robbie Allen.
Frenford: Dominic Alexandru, Ryan Remi (Seye Okunola, 39’), Dan McCulloch (Alfie Geeves, 76’), Simon Peddie, Billy Karby (Jamie Masters, 76’), Jake Barlow (C), Ashiqur Rahman, Andrew Williams, Nathan Dennis, Correy Davidson, Jahziah Blackford. Substitute not used: Kai Haysmann.
