Basildon United travelled to the Simarco Stadium to face Hackney Wick in an Essex Senior League clash, with Junior Osas returning to the starting line-up following his recovery from injury. Harry Hearn and Ibrahim Adil also came into the side, while Kevin Zie made his debut for the club.

Unfortunately, Osas’ return was short-lived, as he was forced off with an early injury and replaced by Greg Duffy. Despite the early setback, The Bees made a strong start, with Zie and Oluwatise Biyi-Akinsuyi causing problems down both wings. Zie thought he had opened the scoring when he met a cross, only for the goal to be ruled out after the ball had gone out of play earlier in the move.

At the other end, Enrique Kalsi produced an excellent save to deny Hackney Wick after a dangerous counter-attack left an opposing forward one-on-one with the Basildon goalkeeper.

The visitors’ pressure eventually paid off in the 26th minute when Spiros Lagopodis won a penalty after going down inside the box. The forward stepped up and converted from the spot to give Basildon a deserved lead.

The Bees continued their positive momentum after the break and doubled their advantage just four minutes into the second half. Duffy’s corner was met by Hearn, who headed the ball back across goal for Zie to finish from close range, marking an impressive start to life at the club with a debut goal.

Hackney Wick’s task became even more difficult when captain Roberto Carvalho was shown a red card for pulling an opponent’s hair, leaving the hosts with ten men.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, Hackney Wick continued to threaten, while Basildon remained dangerous going forward. However, neither side could find another goal, and The Bees saw out the contest to secure a 2–0 victory.

The clean sheet, coupled with Zie’s dream debut and three valuable points on the road, made it a successful afternoon for Basildon United.