Heathens skipper is back with a bang
Flackwell Heath FC: Jamie Essex secures Heathens a win against Hilltop
Jamie Essex says he was pleased to be back amongst it as Flackwell Heath secured a win against Hilltop and climbed to second place temporarily in the Combined Counties Premier Division North as a result of his goal on Saturday.
The Heathens took the lead first in this encounter thanks to substitute Kaine Lucas Kennedy Sinclair’s finish in the 62nd minute and, following Luqman Ibrahim’s dismissal for the home side five minutes later, they looked to be heading for a low-scoring but comfortable victory.
However, parity was restored eight minutes from full time as Sinclair was judged by the referee to have fouled inside the box which allowed Hilltop to equalise from the penalty spot.
Nevertheless, cometh the hour, cometh the man – captain Essex was able to volley in Benjamin Fraser’s free kick in the dying embers to ensure all three points would be travelling home with Flackwell Heath.
Reflecting on his performance after a month and a half on the sidelines, he said: “To score the winner was a good feeling and a nice way to mark returning to the squad.
“I’ve been out of the team about five or six weeks waiting for an injury to heal. I didn’t get it checked with a doctor in the end, but I thought I had cracked a rib in a game earlier this season.
“Unfortunately, we’ve had quite a few injuries lately, so I managed to get back in the team straight away. That’s good for me but unfortunate for the guy that got injured because he had been playing well.
“It’s Callum Mapley who had to withdraw from the squad and is now sidelined. He trained Thursday night but pulled up which gave me an opportunity, like I said, to get straight back in the team.
“At training Chris (Ayres) and Paul asked me how I felt and I declared myself available for selection. If I am honest, I wasn’t expecting to start having been out for so long. But with the way our injuries have come about, we didn’t really have much cover at the back, so it fell on me to fill in.
“Luckily, we have a really good physio. She gives all the players advice and the managers advice on when people should be playing, returning to training, etc. I spoke to her, and she said if I had any pain at all, don’t train, don’t play. But I was feeling ready to go back to training and feeling fit.”
Now occupying fourth place in the league following results on Tuesday night, the Heathens can’t afford to drop points, according to Essex.
He acknowledges it’s still early in the season, and the teams who have games in hand, but every fixture for Flackwell Heath from now must be regarded as a ‘must win’.
“If we want to be at the top end of the table at the end of the season then we need to start winning every game. Every game is a must win,” said Essex.
“It is early to say that, but you look at the league and everybody seems to beating everybody at the minute. There’s been no real runaway.
“Ascot United seemed to be front runners but we’ve taken points off them. London Lions lost at the weekend and they took points off us.
“It’s becoming obvious now that you need to get a run together if you are to break away from the pack [of promotion contenders].
“We were all delighted to take maximum points from Hilltop. Last season we probably wouldn’t have been able to get the winner. That just shows you how much the youngsters have developed and are understanding the game more. They know how to get the all three points.
“Signing (Mark) Nisbet has been massive for us in terms of experience and what he can share on the pitch to the young lads. He has helped us get over the line in matches.
“We have got a long way to go, I know that, but it’s important we keep winning games.”
Essex added: “The management team are always on the lookout to bring in experience. Experience gets you places, experience gets you points. It might get you 12 or 15 points at the end of the season which could mean the difference of finishing first, second, or third.
“They are very cautious on who they do bring in. We have a very close knit dressing room so it’s important to bring in people that fit our group.
“The squad we’ve got now is capable of good things. If no more signings happen between now and the end of the season, then so be it because I think we’ve got enough in our dressing room to b e in the top end of the league.