It was a frustrating day for the hosts as their naivety at times was taken advantage of by the Blues, as Redbridge conceded 4 goals from set pieces which is a rarity too see at any level of football.

It was a performance which would have frustrated Kris Taylor and new assistant coach Amin Levitt, as going forward Redbridge created few chances to score, which for a side at the bottom of the table is not ideal. Maldon & Tiptree though fought hard and perhaps they should be praised in their performance, which meant that ex-Redbridge keeper Tony Tucker’s return to the Oakside was a fairly quiet one.

The visitors started well with former Aveley forward Lawrence Yiga causing the Motormen trouble right from the word go. Gangly Yiga pounced on a moment of confusion between Sean Crossley and Lee Newcomb only to see his outstretched shot go narrowly wide of the goal.

It was a warning for the hosts and it wasn’t a suprise when Yiga put the Blues ahead on 16minutes. A harsh freekick awarded out on the left was not cleared by the Motormen and the tall forward was on hand to lash the ball in under Lee Newcomb after the ball into the box was not cleared.
Maldon & Tiptree doubled their lead minutes 6 minutes later.

A corner from the left was put perfectly into the danger area and Jack Haverson beat Newcomb in goal to the ball to head the ball into the net.

It was not a great start by the Motormen, but shortly before half time they were unlucky not to reduce the Blues lead as two chances were narrowly missed. Kevin McLeod worked hard on his own down the wing, after beating 3 opponents he put in a peach of a ball into the box.

Anton Agdomar couldn’t quite get his head to the ball in the centre and neither could Julian Ashby get his head on the ball, as the tireless midfielder at full stretch couldn’t quite make contact. Debutant Alex O’Leary kept the ball in on the right and turned inside his marker only to see his powerful shot go narrowly wide.

To make matters worse Maldon & Tiptree wrapped up the game on half-time by scoring their third of the afternoon. A corner on the right this time was crossed perfectly into the six yard box where visiting centreback Paul King was on hand to powerfully head in off the post much to the annoyance of the hosts. It was a sickening end to the half for Kris Taylor’s side.

Things though did improve in the second half as the Motormen put in a much more spirited display in the second half. Substitute Sean Thomas made an impact on his debut for Redbridge with tireless running which troubled the Blues and helped the Motormen hang onto the ball more.

With goals being a problem for the side at the moment Thomas could be a good sign for the future for the team as he has experience in this division for Aveley and Brentwood and has recent playing experience at the Oakside for Barkingside last season.

Maldon & Tiptree though were still being clinical down the other end and just after the hour mark, predictably they scored their fourth goal from a corner when Paul Shave headed home at the near post.

It was five for the Blues fiveteen minutes from time when a throw in on the right was seized upon by right back Ade Onisula who skilfully made his way into the area before shooting powerfully across goal past Newcomb. It was a surprising goal to say the least, but again it was one that Redbridge should have prevented as they had opportunities to clear the ball.

Late on Redbridge rallied to get a consolation goal. Good play from
O’Leary won a corner where after a scramble new Korean signing Hyun-Jin
Lee almost got a goal to cap a good display on debut for the Motormen. However the head banded-midfielder saw his shot blocked by a defender and seconds later the final whistle went.

Redbridge will need to improve and pick up points soon, but they have 2 games before their next league fixture against Leyton away in the Ryman League Cup and Horsham FC away in the FA Trophy where they can hopefully build some momentum to build on.