Ely had goalkeeper Harry Reynolds to thank for another vital 3 points in beating a resilient Woodbridge 1-0 at the Unwin Ground.

Ely had James Seymour and Ash Walter available again, whilst Sam Goodge remained sidelined with a hamstring injury. The pitch at the Unwin was suffering from the 3 midweek games played making it a challenging surface.

The game started at a frantic pace with Ely looking to get the ball forward quickly whilst credit to Woodbridge as they stuck to their game plan of playing out from the back. After 15 minutes Ely scored what turned out to be the match winning goal. A long throw from Jamie Alsop was flicked on by Ash Walter to Matty Simpson who was able to head home from close range. Woodbridge continued to try and play but as Ely pressed a couple of chances nearly came the way of the home side but Woodbridge managed to scramble clear. Woodbridge were looking dangerous on the counter attack but the Ely defence was able to see out the first half.

Ely never really got going in the second half as they struggled to put passes together and create any chances. However as a team they defended well and were able to keep Woodbridge at bay. As the clock ticked down during the second half Ely introduced Luke Mansfield and his pace and direct play gave the Woodbridge defence something different to contend with. However it was Woodbridge that looked the more likely team to score. James Seymour made an excellent block from a shot and Harry Reynolds made a couple of good saves. With only a few minutes remaining Reynolds made the vital save that won Ely the game tipping the ball onto the bar from a close range shot. Ely managed to see the rest of the game out to claim a vital 3 points.

Next week the Robins are away to Braintree Reserves.