Aveley's miserable recent form continues as they lose 3-1 at home to Redbridge thanks in no small part to a brace from Stephen Good.

Manager Justin Gardner, though, took plenty of positives from what he saw as a battling defeat, but two goals in the space of three first-half minutes from Good was to be the start of the Millers’ downfall.

The centre-half gave the visitors the lead flicking on a long ball forward that looped over the stranded Jack Giddens after just 10 minutes.

Then three minutes later Good doubled Redbridge's lead, reacting quickest to tap in after Jay Leader had inadvertently headed the ball against his own crossbar.

Kyle Asante reduced the arrears before the break with a tap in of his own to give Aveley some hope, and after a bright start to the second half it looked as though the Millers may turn the result around.

A mass brawl involving all 22 players and some substitutes threatened to send the game into chaos midway through the second half after Liam Thomas appeared to stamp on Giddens after a goalmouth scramble.

But after the referee finally managed to regain control of the match Daniel Charge ensured that Redbridge went home with the points, smashing home off the underside of the bar after being found unmarked at the far post.

The defeat leaves Aveley still searching for their first league win since November 3rd but Gardner was happy with the effort shown by his players, especially after going two goals behind so early on.

And it was that blistering start from the visitors that proved too much for Gardner’s side to overturn.

Aveley just failed to get going in the opening exchanges as the visitors saw Kurt Smith hit the post in the opening couple of minutes.

But it was the aerial ball again that caused the Millers problems as within quarter of an hour two set pieces led to two Redbridge goals.

The first was more through luck than judgement as Stephen Good looked to flick on an Eljay Worrell long ball forward only for his header to go looping over the stranded Jack Giddens who had come off his line.

From an almost identical position to the first goal, another free kick from Worrell was launched into the area, this time getting flicked on by Smith. Jay Leader tried heading clear only to head the ball over Giddens and off the crossbar with Good on hand to tuck in the rebound.

It was a disaster of a start for Aveley who just hadn’t gotten out of the blocks in the opening quarter of an hour and now faced a two goal deficit and a mountain to climb.

But to the player’s credit their heads didn’t drop and if someone had gambled on a lovely low cross from Aryan Tajbakhsh moments after going two down that deficit could well have been.

Following the departure of Junior Appiah to Maldon during the week, Kyle Asante has taken on the mantle of being the Millers’ main goal threat, but he found himself in the book after being adjudged to have dived in the area.

But after Danny Hopkins failed to hit the target with a strike from the edge of the area, Asante did get his name on the score sheet just before the break.

A corner from the left from Tajbakhsh was headed back across goal by Leader, finding Asante who applied the finish from close range to send Gardner’s side into the break with some hope.

That hope transferred into the second half as Aveley made an encouraging start after the break, but were unable to force former Miller Dave McCartney into action with efforts from Asante and Tajbakhsh missing the target.

But the match almost erupted Midway through the half as a mass-brawl caused chaos inside the penalty area with all 22 players and some substitutes getting involved.

What sparked it off was an apparent stamp on Giddens by Redbridge’s Liam Thomas after a goalmouth scramble. After the referee had regained control of the situation, Giddens, McCartney, Abs Thompson and Marcus Rose were all cautioned, but Thomas escaped punishment.

Gardner said after the match that the melee arguably helped Redbridge as it slowed the game down, and six minutes after the dust had settled, Daniel Charge ensure that the visitors would go home with the points as he smashed in Redbridge’s third.

Thomson went one on one with Sam Holloway before digging out a scuffed cross. Rose wasn’t able to get enough of his clearance, toe-poking it towards the far post where Charge was lurking to fire home off the underside of the bar.

The goal from Charge killed off any hope that Aveley had remaining of staging a comeback as the match petered out, but the Millers boss refused to be downbeat about the performance from his players.

“I was quite pleased with the performance if I’m honest” said Gardner.

“The work rate was back which hasn’t been there since the Billericay game and I don’t think anyone cheated me out there.

“We’ve had our chances but not took them. Obviously those two goals we’ve conceded in the first 12, 13 minutes was very tough to take.

“In terms of the work rate and the performance I was pleased. We created chances, we tested the goalkeeper a few times, put great balls into the box but we just aren’t getting the rub of the green at the minute and that’s how football rolls.”

report courtesy of Aveley F.C.