The opening 20 minutes looked to be an even contest with the visitors carving out a few more chances than the Motormen. Ryan Reed had earned himself a place in the starting 11 after his midweek performance against Harlow and continued to show some trickery on the wing.

Shane Lemard was forced off after 23 minutes; an off-the-ball collision required him to be carried off which saw Stephen Ikumelo filling in the gap at centre back. A suspected ankle injury that could see Lemard miss the club’s next match.

Redbridge put up a stiff resistance after the substitution as Waltham Abbey began to pile on the pressure.

The referee awarded Redbridge a penalty in the 36th minute; Joe Bricknell controlled the ball in the area and a lunging challenge from Matt Attard brought the winger down. Striker Jacob Cleaver stepped up but was unable to convert, spurning the spot-kick over the bar.

Paul Wickenden made a substitution after 44 minutes for the visitors, replacing Tom Laxton with James Peagram. Within first half injury-time Bricknell pulled up with what looked to be a groin/hamstring injury but after some treatment from the physio was able to continue.

Half-Time – The visitors looked to have been edging the game at the halfway point, they had commanded a better share of the possession and created more clean-cut chances. Redbridge had shown definite improvement from the Harlow match on Tuesday, showing more attacking threat and withstanding some heavy pressure. But they will feel the penalty was a golden chance to take the initiative.

The visitors made their second substitution after 58 minutes, replacing Billy Jones with Ayrton Coley. Just after the hour mark Del Robinson made his second substitution, replacing Ryan Reed with Daniel Jones.

The opening goal came in the 66th minute; Waltham Abbey continued to mount pressure on the Redbridge defence and proved that switching off for just one minute can cost dearly. Billy Jones worked his way to the by-line on the right and delivered a low driven cross towards the penalty spot. With the Motormen stretched at the back, Abbey captain Tom Bruno was able to strike at goal and fired the ball low and to the left past Bowditch. 1-0 Waltham Abbey.

Del Robinson made his final change of the match, replacing Billy Cahill with Stuart Fergus after 73 minutes. Waltham Abbey made their final sub two minutes later, replacing Louis Bristow with Dean Green.

The final 15 minutes saw both sides take a more offensive mentality. Daniel Jones moved to a more central position, taking up the target-man role for the Redbridge attack. Additionally, the visitors began to commit more men to their attack.

With 10 minutes left on the clock Redbridge were throwing everything at the visitors but just couldn't get a clear sight at goal.

Bricknell pulled up again with less than 10 minutes remaining but this time couldn't shake off the injury and was forced off the pitch, leaving Redbridge to see out the game with 10 men. Bricknell received treatment from the physio, a suspected hamstring injury could see him miss the next match too.

Redbridge ‘keeper Michael Bowditch hadn’t been forced to make many saves throughout the game but kept his focus in the final minutes of the game; Clark Akers, who had been dictating the tempo for the visitors, let off a long range effort, the ball skidded through a group of players towards the bottom left corner but Bowditch got down and parried wide.

The final minutes saw tempers boil over as Waltham Abbey’s Loren Maxwell raised his hands and pushed Stephen Ikumelo in the face. The referee decided not to produce a card and calmed the situation. A decision that many felt was a bit soft.

Full-Time – Redbridge had put in a spirited performance today but just couldn’t make a breakthrough. The performance was a vast improvement from the midweek Harlow fixture in all areas. The Motormen perhaps deserved a point but unfortunately the missed penalty proved to be a costly miss. Waltham Abbey maintained some heavy pressure on the home side and at times really controlled the game.

Positives for the next fixture – The all-round performance was a huge improvement on the last fixture, especially the defensive performance. Ryan Reed contributed another good performance showing trickery on the wing and getting into some dangerous positions.

Both Glen O’Hanlon and Lee Newton showed a good work-rate in central midfield and put in big efforts to both defend and attack. Del Robinson confirmed there will be more additions to the squad for next weekend’s trip to Ilford, which he said is a big game.

By Lewis Edwards – @LCEdw

Click here for Del Robinson's post-match interview with Lewis Edwards.