Southern Counties East Football League Division One
Saturday 7 March 2026
Bridon Ropes earned a hard fought point on the road with a 1–1 draw away to FC Elmstead on Saturday afternoon, building on the positive momentum from last week’s victory over Lydd Town.
On a difficult surface the early exchanges were evenly contested, with Bridon gradually beginning to gain a foothold in the match through the work rate of Anthony Skordilis and William Benedict in midfield, while captain Jamie Thuillier organised the back line well in front of goalkeeper Ryan Reeves.
Elmstead took the lead midway through the first half in contentious fashion. In the build up to the goal the home side appeared to control the ball with an arm before setting up the strike that beat Reeves, but the infringement went unseen by the referee and the goal stood.
Bridon responded well and began to create pressure through Theo Hayford, Cameron Anderson and Elias Ahmed, with Emmanuel Manny Oshinowo continuing to trouble the Elmstead defence.
The equaliser arrived in the second half when the referee awarded Bridon a penalty for handball inside the Elmstead penalty area. Oshinowo stepped up and smashed the spot kick into the net with conviction, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance and extending his impressive run to three goals in three games.
Shortly afterwards the visitors almost took the lead. Substitute Abdulai Turay, making his debut, unleashed a powerful strike from outside the box that beat the goalkeeper but crashed back off the crossbar.
Bridon introduced fresh legs from the bench as Turay, Ivan Coromah, Leo Onye and fellow debutant Jordan Samuel all entered the action as the Ropes pushed for a winner, but despite late pressure the points were shared.
The result represents another positive step for Bridon following last weekend’s win over Lydd Town, with the side continuing to show resilience and growing confidence under manager Uche Ibemere.
Attention now turns quickly to the next fixture as Bridon return to action on Wednesday evening under the lights away to Halls FC.
Bridon Ropes Match Squad
1 Ryan Reeves
2 Jamie Thuillier (C)
4 Hassan Omar
5 Salim Alleyne
6 William Benedict
7 Theo Hayford
8 Anthony Skordilis
10 Elias Ahmed
11 Cameron Anderson
19 Emmanuel Oshinowo
Substitutes
12 Leo Onye
14 Abdulai Turay
15 Ivan Coromah
16 Jordan Samuel
17 Charlie Russell Vick
Goalscorer
Emmanuel Oshinowo penalty
