SSML Division One Play-Offs - 2024/25

[Rhodes]

Following recent results here are the finalised Division One Play-Off Semi Final ties for the right to be promoted to Step Five next season with Championship winners AFC Welwyn:

 

Tuesday 29 April (kick off 7.45pm)

Division One Play-Off Semi Finals

Desborough Town v Eaton Socon

Moulton FC v Irchester United

[Rhodes]

On 22/04/2025 at 09:48, Rhodes said:

Tuesday 29 April
Division One Play-Off Semi Finals
Desborough Town v Eaton Socon

Let's get ready to rumble then:

[Rhodes]

2 hours ago, Rhodes said:

Tuesday 29 April
Division One Play-Off Semi Finals
Moulton FC v Irchester United

See a match preview ahead of the Play-Off at Brunting Road this evening:

https://www.moultonfc.co.uk/news/spartan-south-midlands-league-playoff-semifinal-action-2914391.html

[Rhodes]

An Eaton Socon v Moulton FC Final then, Desborough Town finished 23 points ahead of Eaton Socon in the regular season, are the play-off's really fair:

Tuesday 29 April 

Division One Play-Off Semi Finals
Desborough Town 0 Eaton Socon 0 (Eaton Socon win 5-4 on pens)
Moulton FC 3 Irchester United 2

[Rhodes]

2 hours ago, Rhodes said:

Tuesday 29 April 
Division One Play-Off Semi Finals
Moulton FC 3 Irchester United 2

A groundhopper from another Forum was at Brunting Road:

Spartan South Midlands League Division One Semi final play off - Moulton 3 Irchester United 2 - Admission £4 concession incl. programme - Attendance approx 400
A terrific play off match that goes down as one of my matches of the season with the away side wondering how on earth they’ve lost this one. In fact, their Twitter feed commented at the end ‘Simply put, the better side lost tonight, but mistakes and naivety ultimately cost us’. A bit like sour grapes in my view. Yes, they were the better side, but they could have been a bit more gracious in defeat and wished Moulton well for their final on Saturday. I just think there’s a right way and a wrong way in commenting after a match like this one, but I guess it was posted when emotions were high at the end of the match.
Irchester attacked literally from the first whistle and had already gone close to scoring when they went behind on 7 minutes when a long punt from the keeper came off a defensive head to Nat Ansu, Moulton’s top scorer, and he rifled in a 20 yarder into the bottom right corner. If that was against the run of early play, their second just before the break came after Irchester had been thwarted by Jonny Vallance in the home goal and his defence time after time. A cross from the right was flicked on to Lewis Isom at the far post to slide the ball home. 2-0 up and they hadn’t deserved it. What I did like about Moulton was that every time they conceded a corner, which was pretty regularly, they left three men up near the half way line, which obviously meant that three or four defenders had to stay back, and as a result, that really helped the pace of the game.
The second half was more of the same with Irchester just failing to either get that final touch in front of goal or seeing attempts blocked by desperate defenders or the keeper. Eventually, the pressure told and on 72 minutes, they got a lifeline when Daniel Law found Lewis Fisher who found the bottom left corner from the edge of the box. More pressure came but they were hit with a sucker punch of a breakaway by Moulton on 86 minutes when two substitutes both in plenty of space combined - Matty Long received the ball on the right inside Irchester’s half and he spotted Nathan Burrows in the middle, found him and Burrows buried the ball into the net. Game over? Not yet as Dante Gray was penalised for a handball in the area and gave away a penalty and also got an early bath as he received his second yellow and then the red. Up stepped Kobi Bivens after a fair wait whilst Dante slowly made his way off the pitch, and Bivens put the spot kick to the keepers right to bring the deficit back to one. It was soon 10 v 10 as Ellis Andrews said too much to the referee and was sent to the sin bin, but despite around nine minutes of stoppage time, Irchester failed to get that third goal that would have taken the match to penalties.
Cracking entertainment and this made up for the turgid play that I’ve seen in three of the previous four matches seen since Friday. Hoping for more of the same tomorrow night in yet another play off match.