We returned home to welcome Halstead Town, and it’s clear to see why they’re sitting where they are in the league. A strong, well-organized side with quality all over the pitch — and if they continue to build on what they’ve got going, there’s no doubt they’ll be right up there come the end of the season.

But even with the score line the way it ended, we were not dominated in this game. In fact, I would go as far as to say that we were the better team in large parts of the match. And that’s not me being biased towards my own side – honestly, in big spells of the game, I believe we were the stronger team.

In the first half, we were unlucky not to go in ahead at the break. After 25 minutes, we took a deserved lead when Remarle Lawrence reacted quickest to a rebound, calmly slotting home from close range after Nicholas Mejia’s effort was saved well by Jack Cherry in the Halstead Town goal. But with just four minutes left in the half, we couldn’t deal with a long throw-in and Halstead took full advantage, with Luke Burgess finding the equalizer to level the game.

The second half started positively for Newham, but the game quickly turned on its head. A goal for Halstead, followed by a red card – a second yellow for Matthias Rose – left Newham with an uphill battle. Forced to regroup with ten men, the team had to dig deep to try and find a way back into the game.

Newham pushed forward in search of a way back into the game, wave after wave of attack. But time and again, Halstead’s back line stood firm, and when the ball did get past them, it was the post or bar denying us rather than the back of the net. At the other end, Halstead were clinical, taking the chances that came their way, with Alfie Cleal, Robbie Bennett, and Tom Graves all finding the scoresheet, along with a brace from Jamie Bennett.

Despite the scoreline, one thing that must be highlighted is the heart and determination shown by the Newham players. Even with ten men and the game slipping away, they fought until the final whistle. That fight within the squad shows that we will come out of this tough run sooner rather than later.