Tuesday Night 0.0

Gaining popularity these days is low alcohol 0.0% (no alcohol 0.0%?) beers, such as Peroni shown below (other good brands are also available).

Maybe due to our driving laws and also the nation's worry about its health, there is a vast array of non-alcoholic beverages and they are quite popular nowadays. Beer 0.0 may be popular on a Tuesday night (or any night) but score 0.0 at Coggeshall in the ESL isn’t (got there in the end, this isn’t just thrown together you know!) as the 42 brave souls who watched the 90 minutes at West Street will testify.

The Bridge are not usually involved in many 0-0 draws, this was only the second of their season after the 0-0 at home to Woodford in December but the way this one went, they were probably happy to settle for the point and everyone watching would be happy to settle for a pint, of the real stuff, after an uninspiring 90 minutes.

Coggeshall, on the whole, were probably the better side on the night as The Bridge adjusted to their new additions to the line-up with a couple of well-known names donning the Hullbridge colours for the first time. The much-travelled Sam Bantick was joined in the starting eleven by high-scoring Shermandin Artmeladze, joining us from Sporting Bengal United. Mason Williams made it three newbies and started on the bench and made his debut after 75 minutes as a replacement for Oscar Onuorah. The SeedGrowers had a few names Bridge fans would recognise, with Roy Stevens starting and Ross Elsom and Reggie Gregory on the bench.

Early pressure from the home side nearly produced the opening goal when Coggeshall had the ball in the net after 10 minutes but the referee ruled it out for offside and The Bridge survived an early scare. The SeedGrowers, despite their lowly position, looked up for the battle and were having more of the game although Hullbridge did look good going forward when they did manage to get hold of the ball. It was fair to say that the man in black was not having his best game but neither were The Bridge at this stage as Coggeshall continued to dominate with The Bridge second to the ball on most occasions.

As half-time approached, the deadlock could not be broken, although The Bridge were starting to grow into the game with Coggeshall still looking the more dangerous of the two sides.

The second half continued in a similar vein as both sides looked for the opening goal that, with the way the game was going, would probably prove to be the winner. Bradley Davison making a rare start in The Bridge goal was determined to keep his clean sheet and The Bridge display in the second forty-five plus was an improvement on the previous forty-five plus and this was helped by the addition of Jon Evans from the bench who was starting to have an impact after replacing Sherri Artmeladze after 63 minutes.

Despite the improved performance and the continuation of Coggeshall’s battling effort, neither side could find that all-important goal and the game petered out into a 0-0 draw and a point apiece. In the end, it was unsatisfactory for Coggeshall who remain adrift at the bottom on 10 points, whilst the point keeps The Bridge in touch with the play-off places in 7th with 46 points, 2 points off a play-off qualifying 5th place but with one game more played than rivals Barking, Athletic Newham and Sporting Bengal United. That doesn't tell the whole story though, as Halstead Town, Saffron Walden Town, and especially Great Wakering Rovers, could all leapfrog The Bridge if the results fall right, or wrong, as the case may be.

This one was a game that will easily be forgotten but a point away is better than none and as Big Sam always used to say “respect the point” but then he loved a 0-0 and probably drank 0.0% beer (this last bit is unconfirmed). With Clacton up next, an away win is desperately needed, so let’s hope we can get a win on the road and not be left crying in our beer...the real stuff or 0.0%...

Toppers was as reliable as ever in a dour encounter that could have seen a winner but ultimately ended in stalemate. Bradley Davison did a good job in The Bridge goal and got himself a clean sheet and Alfie Whiteaker was his usual energetic self but Toppers just shades this one and now we can all forget about it and move on.