Catholic United suffered a 2-1 defeat against Shenfield extending their unbeaten run to seven and moving two points clear at the top of the Essex Olympian Premier Division.

First Half

Shenfield made an electric start and took the lead after just five minutes. Henry Rowe delivered a low cross in the penalty area for Jack Panon, who turned the ball home to give the visitors an early advantage.

Just five-minutes later, Shenfield doubled their lead. Owen Wells initially denied Panon with a save, but the Shenfield forward reacted to the rebound and powered his effort past the Catholic goalkeeper and into the bottom corner to make it 2-0.

Despite the early setback, Catholic kept their heads up and began to grow into the contest.
Their response was rewarded in the 23rd minute when Justin Price found himself in space inside the penalty area and produced a well-taken finish past Dan Blockley to reduce the deficit.

The Essex Bhoys continued to battle their way back into the match and went into the interval trailing by just one goal, despite an improved spell following Shenfield’s fast start.

Half Time: Catholic United 1-2 Shenfield

Catholic returned for the second half looking for an equaliser and continued to put pressure on the league leaders.

Eamonn Kearney made a double change just before the hour mark, with Ben Burrows and Matt Creevy replacing Price and Patrick Kearney as the hosts looked to inject fresh energy into the side.
Further changes followed as Jack Dresner replaced Archie Armstrong in the 67th minute, before Callum Broom was introduced for Fin Woods with seven minutes of normal time remaining.

The Essex Bhoys continued to push for a way back into the contest during the closing stages, but Shenfield stood firm to protect their slender advantage.

The final whistle brought an end to Catholic’s two-match unbeaten run, while Shenfield secured a 2-1 victory to extend their unbeaten start to seven league matches and move two points clear at the top of the Essex Olympian League Premier Division.

Full-time: Catholic United 1-2 Shenfield
Catholic scorer: Justin Price (23’)
Shenfield scorer: Jack Panon (5’, 10’)