Foxes boss tries to draw positives after fightback

Ilford boss Allan Fenn claimed he had mixed emotions after seeing his side recover from going three goals down to draw 3-3 at Sawbridgeworth Town last night.

The Foxes returned to Essex Senior league action after waiting 10 days since their last competitive outing, which was an impressive 9-0 victory over Burnham Rovers in the FA Cup.

But Fenn’s side started slowly and found themselves three goals down within half an hour, as Aaron Thomas, Ollie Fortune and Gavin Cockman struck to give the hosts a commanding lead before the break.

An inspired half-time team-talk saw the Foxes hit the ground running in the second half as two penalties from defender Ben Turner followed by a goal from Isaac Nkosi were enough to level things up.

And Ilford had a chance to win the game in the dying minutes when Dan Jones ran clear, but could only see his shot brush the outside of the post.

“I have mixed emotions about the match,” said Fenn. “Going into the game we felt confident and felt like we knew the opposition inside out, but we defended poorly and we were very naïve.

“They scored three goals from something like four shots in the whole 90 minutes, which is very frustrating.

“I know that we’ve got a good strong squad, so after about 30 minutes I took two players off and we looked better going into the second half.

“The subs definitely made an impact on the game and the changes helped the whole team refocus.

“A year ago I would have been clutching at straws to motivate the team, but now the team is full of real men and leaders and for me the most pleasing thing about the game was seeing their reaction to going three goals down.

“Usually after results like this it feels like one point gained, but I come away from it feeling like we’ve lost two points.”

The three goals Ilford scored last night made it 17 in just three games, a record that gives Fenn confidence ahead of their chase for promotion this season.

“We’ve shown in two games this season that we are capable of coming back, but we’ve also shown that we are capable of starting badly like we did last night and to Barkingside on the opening day,” he added.

“However, I know that we’ve got good technical players. Ben Turner has got five goals already and he’s a centre-half. That’s because we’ve got quality from corners and technical players who are capable of winning penalties for him.

“I know we can score goals from all over the park, and we’ve got another three players coming back in who haven’t featured yet, so we can only get stronger.

“If we can tighten up our defence and stop conceding goals, then I have the confidence that we can outscore anyone.”

Ilford’s next test comes in the FA Cup on Saturday, as they host Thurlow Nunn Eastern Counties League outfit Felixstowe & Walton United in the preliminary round at the Cricklefield Stadium.