IGNATIANS FLOURISH IN ADVERSITY AS THE VISITORS REFUSE TO BEND

SEPTEMBER 4

IGNATIANS FLOURISH IN ADVERSITY AS THE VISITORS REFUSE TO BEND

FRIENDLY: CHELMSFORD 0 ENFIELD IGNATIANS 5

ENFIELD IGNATIANS will have every reason to feel satisfied with the outcome of their first pre-season friendly as they confidently overcame their state of numerical inferiority to shade Chelmsford 5-0 at Timsons Lane, writes Jonathan Landi.

It rounded off a momentous week for the club when we also welcomed on board a new forwards’ coach, and celebrated the elevation of former colt Maurice Nwakor to the London Scottish match day squad against Richmond.

Although the visitors faced a potential long afternoon after Jack O’Toole was red-carded early in the second quarter for retaliation, and consequently the visitors played the majority of the game with 14 players.

If anything, the setback galvanised the blue and golds and, after successfully weathering intense Chelmsford pressure in the early part of the first and second quarters when playing up the slope, they came back very strongly into the game.

Gaining in confidence, they sighted the Chelmsford line and, after working the ball through multiple phases, their fluency with the ball in hand was eventually rewarded after left winger Carl Asare-Anderson (pictured) squeezed in at the corner.

After a few initial wobbles, Ignatians’ experimental front row of Alex McCall, Ben Mills and Luke Stack grew in stature, and the close quarter work of the whole tight eight was exemplary as they hounded Chelmsford to distraction.

Out wide, even when Chelmsford broke the first line of defence, the quality of their scramble defence continually put the brakes on the hosts, and with the likes of Jake Bates to the fore, they proved the more pragmatic of the two sides when it came to the kicking game.

Although Ignatians failed to increase their advantage in the third and the fourth quarters. However, their defence and work rate never
wavered, and consequently they became something of an impenetrable thicket for Chelmsford.

Clearly, Ignatians’ have created their own defensive benchmark, and the 2019-20 season in London Three North-West certainly wasn’t wasted, as their defence was among the top ten nationally. It’s a legacy that they will be only too eager to continue.

Tom Huckle went very close to finishing off a very crisp move only to spill the ball over the line, and they also failed to make more use of the slope with its pronounced left corner, when playing downhill in the third and fourth quarters.

Captain Ben Mills said: “I was very satisfied with our physicality and work rate, and our attitude was also first rate. Chelmsford had the bigger pack but we eventually got on top in that area, and particularly at the breakdown. ”

“For sure, we left a couple of tries out there. Obviously, when it comes to tackling the better sides in the division, we will get four to five chances which we will need to convert [into points].

“In the post-match debrief, the players also expressed the feeling that there was no panic when we were under pressure. We remained calm.”

It remains to be seen whether Ignatians will pick up another ‘friendly’ prior to their opening league game at home to Ruislip on September 18th, but, as confident beginnings go, it could hardly have gone much better.

First team squad: Alex McCall, Ben Mills (c), Luke Stack, Jake Baker, Frank Antwi, Liam Horn, Charlie Hoy, Euan Renny, Johnny Dixon, Jake Bates, Tom Huckle, Calum Middleton, Carl Asare-Anderson, Jack O’Toole, Harry Masini, Sam Bucknall, Hadee Fayaz, Lucas Yoxall and Ethan Cerny