Ten man Harwich beaten by Little Oakley in Derby match

Around 700 supporters were there to cheer on their teams at this holiday fixture. Harwich started well and took the lead in the first 5 minutes when Nicky Palmer tapped a free kick forward for Shrimpers Man of the Match Ryan McGibbon to score with a cracking 40 yard shot. The Acorns are having a great season but the Shrimpers matched them as the excitement mounted. The turning point in the game came in the 38th minute when Rory Harman was fouled by the Acorns Jordan Heath, retaliated and was sent off. Little Oakley equalised just before half time when with Harwich appealing for offside, Gregg Rodger broke through and scored with a fine finish.
Little Oakley had the advantage now but Harwich kept battling but in the 65th minute Harry Mann put the visitors ahead with another clinical finish. Harwich were not done and tried hard to get back on terms until in the 75th minute Shrimpers keeper Sam Felgate punched the ball out to substitute Danny Garrod who made no mistake with his shot to make the 3 points secure for Little Oakley. With the heavy conditions taking their toll, Little Oakley were on top in the closing stages and Felgate made a couple of excellent stops to prevent them increasing their lead. Congratulations to Little Oakley on an important victory but there were also positives for new Harwich manager Michael Wallace and assistant Gary Kioussis with the performance of their team showing the effort and determination that had been asked of them.
Harwich has a long history as a football town and it was encouraging to see so many supporting this fixture, including many young people.