Battling draws help Abbey and Leyton cause (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

Battling draws help Abbey and Leyton cause

1:35pm Wednesday 17th March 2010 in

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TWO local teams fighting the drop helped their causes with battling performances in their latest games.

In the Ryman Premier League, Ricci Crace hit a classy half-volley as Waltham Abbey drew 1-1 with Tooting & Mitcham on Tuesday night.

His 67th-minute goal was the highlight of a closely-fought contest at Capershotts, in which Mitcham played with ten men for the whole of the second half.

Crace has built a reputation for not scoring boring goals at Abbey. He reckons the team bossed by Glenn Alzapiedi can survive. But this weekend’s clash away at close rivals Hendon is a ‘must-win’ match, he said.

“We need to get some points on the board. We still have a game in hand over some of the teams around us. Win against those teams and we’ve got every chance. It’ll drag them down,” Crace said.

“Over the past two months we’ve improved immensely, and results are picking up.

“We’re not getting well beaten by anyone. We’re struggling at the moment, but we could have scored in the last minute of the Sutton game and we could have wrapped it up here.”

Sutton United were narrow 2-1 winners at the weekend.

Next Tuesday is a home match versus Boreham Wood.

Meanwhile, in Ryman Division One North, Leyton scored deep in extra-time to draw 2-2 with Ilford at Cricklefield stadium, last Saturday.

Lukeman Mojeed poked the ball in from a yard out from Glenn Harvey’s driven cross-cum-shot, on 96 minutes.

Leyton are enduring a tough campaign, and almost ended this game with nothing after taking the lead through Ivo Ginev on 50 minutes.

Afterwards, boss Malcolm Dannie said he is backing his team to beat the drop out of the division.

“We’re hopeful of staying in the league and I think that we will,” he said.

“I would have been happy with a point before the game.

“I was hoping the equaliser would come and we don’t give up. I think we really deserved the result but we should have had more.

“Now we will be looking for three points against Harlow.”

This Saturday’s opponents from Essex sit bottom of the table, and the match at Lea Bridge Road is a real relegation six-pointer.

Elsewhere in the division, Waltham Forest lost 2-0 away at Concord Rangers on Tuesday. But the Stags will have the chance to gain immediate revenge when Rangers come to town on Saturday. The midweek defeat was the second in a row for Forest, after a 4-1 reverse at Lowestoft Town.