Waltham Abbey saw off Bowers & Pitsea 2:0 in the first round qualifying of the FA Trophy on Saturday. The home side secured a clean sheet and three points on their opening appearance in the competition this season.
And here's the thing — the result comes after a difficult run for the hosts. They had lost 1:7 away to Leyton Orient earlier in August, a match that exposed vulnerabilities at the back. To be fair, Bowers & Pitsea weren't faring much better themselves, with only one win in their previous five fixtures.
The visitors had managed just a single victory in their last five matches before this fixture. They lost 0:3 to Cambridge City and 1:2 to Hertford Town in early September and August respectively. Their only win in that stretch came against Takeley, 2:0, followed by a goalless draw with the same opposition.
Waltham Abbey's recent record tells a different story. Beyond the heavy defeat to Leyton Orient, they had beaten Walthamstow 6:0 and Lowestoft Town 4:1. The 2:4 loss to Maldon and Tiptree and the 0:2 defeat to Chatham Town rounded out their previous five outings.
By then, the home side had found their footing. A 2:0 scoreline doesn't shout dominance, but it suggests control without unnecessary risk. The clean sheet is worth noting — they had kept three clean sheets on the spin in their last five matches before the Leyton Orient disaster.
The result leaves Waltham Abbey with a positive start to their FA Trophy campaign. Bowers & Pitsea now face the task of bouncing back from defeat. The gap between the two sides remains narrow, but Saturday belonged to the hosts.