The Motormen hosted Downham Town in their final home match of 2025, marking a first-ever visit to the Techsoc.com Stadium for the Norfolk side.

The opening stages passed with little of note, though Redbridge came close to taking the lead when Darren Esuka chased down a long ball, beating goalkeeper Charlie Congreve before attempting a well-executed lob that rebounded off the crossbar. Malachi Napa followed up, but his effort was palmed away for a corner.

Downham’s best chance of the first half came soon after as Charlie Royle created space on the edge of the area, only to see his shot well saved by Archie Simmons. Redbridge enjoyed plenty of possession and moved the ball well, but they struggled to find the final pass to unlock the visitors’ defence.

The match sprang into life after the break when the hosts took the lead from a corner. Jack Chawner delivered to the back post where Napa popped up unmarked to head home, much to his own surprise.

Napa continued to cause problems, showing good skill to beat a couple of defenders before firing a curling effort that was saved at the second attempt by Congreve. However, Downham soon responded as Royle cut inside from the right and curled a fine shot into the far corner, beyond the dive of Simmons, to level the scores.

Substitute Mekael Williams had a couple of half chances for Redbridge, but it was the visitors who looked most likely to find a winner. Royle fired wide before fellow substitute Lagshan Sivakumar saw a free-kick fly narrowly over the bar.

A late header from Ayodeji Olukoga failed to trouble the goalkeeper, and the match ended in a frustrating draw for the home side in their final home outing of the year.

Report by Adam Silver