Hackney Wick v Woodford Town Match Report

Essex Senior League – First Weekend of Season 2025-26
Venue: Spa Road
2025-26 Season: Match 3
Saturday 26 th July 2025 - 3pm KO
Attendance: 77
Hackney: Gold Shirts, Black Shorts, Black Socks
Woodford: Blue Shirts, Shorts & Socks

Woodford show class to deal with Wick revival & claim win at Spa Road

Hackney Wick 2 – 3 Woodford Town

Match Report by Scott W [@ScottMHC14] – Non-League & ESL Writer
Hello & welcome to another new season in the Essex Senior League. It is a
milestone season for me and May 2026 may be emotional. Anyway, the first
competitive match of the term saw Hackney Wick return to Step 5 after several
years away. Their ‘welcoming committee’ were highly-thought of side Woodford
Town, who again will be chasing that long sought-after promotion. In the early
stages of this contest, Woodford showed their passing ability as they got down
the flanks & physicality in midfield broke up play well to deny the hosts
possession. Hackney were looking for a piercing through-ball and winger Kleinti
Loufi fired a good strike wide of the left-side post on the quarter-hour. Woodford
were the greater threat at this stage & a clumsy challenge in the area saw referee
Tommy Fleming point to the penalty spot.
New recruit Adebola Sotoyinbo stepped up and calmly despatched the kick into
the right side of the net past Wick stopper Obaid Nasim. to give Town a deserved
lead. Shane Baptiste’s side maintained the momentum, thanks largely to tireless
winger David Gokou who put in a number of good crosses throughout. Gokou and
forward Marko Protic kept testing the Hackney backline, with Protic’s strike
blocked. Just shy of the half-hour though, Woodford did double their advantage.
Skipper Sam Owusu powered down the right side of penalty area and his cross

found the back post, with the Hackney defender unable to clear – Sotoyinbo was
there again to stroke home from a few yards out. This time though, Ernest
Eghan’s team responded well. On 31 minutes, a good ball in found forward Adam
Cheniti advancing in the six-yard box and he made no mistake to get the ball
home past visiting custodian Manny Agboola. The remainder of the half was a
little more end-to-end as Hackney started to get amongst the Woodford team.
Woodford’s Protic struck wide when in a decent position but they did get that
crucial third goal on 36 minutes, thanks to an unstoppable strike by midfielder
Malaki Toussaint from 25 yards which sailed into the net. The hosts were buoyed
by their vocal supporters and just before the interval, a Cheniti set-piece was
headed over by midfielder Max Grappy.

Half-Time: Hackney Wick 1 – 3 Woodford Town
The second half was a rather different game, with Wick continuing to show
commendable spirit & they were not going to give the visitors an easy match. But
as the hour approached, Woodford forced several set-pieces and Toussaint again
fizzed in a fine strike, this time it was denied by Nasim. Hackney’s enthusiasm was
assisted by their opponents on the hour as Owusu was dismissed for a deliberate
handball in the 18-yard box & referee Fleming again pointed to the spot.
Substitute Knaneil Brown took the responsibility and scored from 12 yards.
Experienced defender Eli Benoit was brought off the bench to replace Protic to
aid their backline though Hackney had a few chances, Grappy had an effort saved
and following a innovative move involving Grappy & Brown, impressive forward
Issa Sidibe had an acrobatic effort also saved by Agboola.
Woodford held their nerve and replacement Gabriel Ipanga had to lead the line
after replacing Sotoyinbo, although the visitors were defending deep in their own
half. Leo Lopate could not make the most of a fine, mazy run and then a fine
strike for Wick by Grappy clattered off the woodwork but overall, Wick paid a
price for a sluggish first half-hour here as Woodford claimed a opening weekend
win.

Full-Time: Hackney Wick 2 – 3 Woodford Town
In summary, this entertaining battle saw Woodford do enough to claim the win.
Their first-half display was impressive in its energy, ball retention and not allowing
opposition to build momentum. They were also clinical with their chances, but
after the break, Hackney showed more resolve to really get at the Towners
backline, but their finishing prevented them from taking a point. There are
positives to take for both teams, especially Wick who showed the spirit and
energy levels that they will need to earn the points required to avoid the bottom
two. Good game to watch also for the neutral.

For victors Woodford, winger David Gokou had an excellent match, showcasing
good ball control, pace and good crossing to create chances for his team.
Midfielder Malaki Toussaint put in a high-energy display to break up the play and
also his set-pieces were an added threat for Wick to deal with. Wing-back Khalil
Kirwan-Meade provided an added attacking option for his team, and defended
well when needed. Experienced defender Miles Mitchell-Nelson also underlined
his importance in this big season for Town with a strong display when they had to
deal with some pressure in the second half.

For Wick, forward Issa Sidibe showed pace and movement though he could not
get past the Woodford backline often enough to create big chances. His pace was
well-utilised by the hosts, with winger Kleinti Loufi also doing well to put crosses
into the box on a few occasions. Midfielder Max Grappy put in a strong display
too, with high work rate and was unfortunate not to score. Finally, a word for
defender Jamie Aker who showed his versatility at right-back & centre-back and
put in a good display, making a few good challenges.

Teams

Hackney Wick | Manager: Ernest Eghan | Assistant: Neil Thompson
Starting XI: 1 Obaid Nasim (GK), 2 Jamie Aker, 3 Romaine Barnes-Wallace (12
John Silva 81’), 4 Benjamin Lewis-Gold, 5 Piotr Maslowski (Capt) (15 Gerard
Thompson-Shaw 59’) , 6 Max Grappy, 8 Andre Anderson, 10 Adam Cheniti (18
Joshua Olorunishola 46’), 11 Leonardo Lopate, 7 Kleinti Loufi (16 Khaniel Brown
46’), 14 Issa Sidibe
Goal-scorers: Adam Cheniti [29’], Khaniel Brown [pen 61’]
Subs Not Used: Munganga

Woodford Town | Manager: Shane Baptiste | Assistant: Dee Safer
Starting XI: 1 Manny Agboola (GK), 2 Khalil Kirwan-Meade, 22 Michael Agboola, 30
Miles Mitchell-Nelson, 6 James Jewers, 8 Sam Owusu (Capt), 4 Malaki Toussaint
11 Alex Kozak (16 Gabriel Ipanga 58’), 7 David Gokou, 9 Adebola Sotoyinbo (17
Aamir Daniels 74’), 10 Marko Protic (5 Eli Benoit 62’)

Goal-scorers: Adebola Sotoyinbo [pen 20’ & 29’], Malaki Toussaint [36’]
Subs Not Used: Soganile, Mengou | Sent Off: Owusu [60’, deliberate handball]

___________________
Referee: Tommy Fleming

Assistant Referees: Connor Cornell & Robert Collins