Eastside Athletic 2-3 Rainham Working Mens Club Res

Eastside Athletic’s run of two straight wins came to an end at Redbridge Sports & Leisure Centre, as Rainham Working Mens Club Reserves stuck to their game plan and edged a scrappy, wind-battered Division Five contest 2-3.

Matchday squad: Alfie Stacey, Bailey Hossack, Prince Bansende, Bobby Goodall, Owen Oakford, Alfie Mason (C), Logan Hossack, Mason Active, Kai O’Hare, Tobi Omotosho, Finley Morrison, Bruno Da Fonseca, Pierre Przezdziecki, Jack Hobbs, Daniel Kayode.

The wind was the story of the first half. Playing into it, Eastside could barely get the ball a quarter of the way up the pitch, and it shaped almost everything that followed.

The game changed early on. Rainham went down to 10 men inside the opening stages after a second yellow card, but the advantage didn’t last long: minutes later Logan Hossack was shown a straight red, and it was 10 against 10.

Rainham adjusted better. They brought on another centre-back, switched to a 4-3-2, sat deep and looked to hit Eastside on the counter. And with the wind behind them, they took the lead from a short corner that caught the Eastenders napping. 0-1.

Eastside went in at the break 0-1 down.

With the wind now at their backs, Eastside pushed on in a 4-2-3 to chase the game, and they were level when Bruno Da Fonseca stepped up and converted a penalty for his first competitive goal for the club. 1-1.

But the lead lasted no time at all. Rainham went straight back in front from another set piece, 1-2, and not long after, the wind took a hand again, sending the ball one way and leaving the Eastside keeper with no chance. 1-3.

Eastside kept going, and Prince Bansende gave them hope by scoring directly from a corner, his first competitive goal for the club. 2-3.

It wasn’t enough. Rainham saw the game out, and the Eastenders were left to reflect on a day when they never quite clicked as a unit the way they did at Young Royals the week before. The final third was missing, and two set pieces and a wind-assisted goal proved costly.

It’s a game the players feel they should have won, but credit to Rainham: they had a plan and stuck to it.

The defeat leaves Eastside still 2nd in Division Five on 9 points from 6 games (3 wins, 3 losses), six points behind leaders Lonsdale. The home form remains the puzzle to solve: one win in five at Redbridge, compared with a perfect record on the road.

Up next: United Amateurs (A) in Division Five, Sunday 1 November, a chance to put right the 1-4 Endeavour Cup defeat to them at Redbridge earlier in the season.

PRIDE OF THE EAST.