It was a rude awakening for Hackney Wick’s teenage-heavy side as the youngsters were heavily punished by playoff hopefuls Saffron Walden. Continuing the experiment of fielding a very young squad, the Wickers were thrown into the deep end and found the challenge relentless.

The home side took the lead after just 30 seconds when two misplaced passes allowed Saffron Walden to slot into an empty net. Walden could have doubled their lead moments later, but the forward volleyed over from close range.

Hackney showed real character and levelled soon after. Debutant Jaylen Jones raced down the right, beat his man and delivered a perfect cross for Ruemu Abutoh, who scored on his first start for the Wickers. Hackney even had a chance to go ahead when Romario Gittens’ cross found Abutoh again, but the striker somehow missed the opportunity to grab his second.

That miss proved costly. The young defence struggled under sustained pressure and conceded three more before half-time.

At the break, Hackney introduced Dionis Elezi and Ruben Baptista, both making their Wickers debuts. There was a brief spark of hope when Noah Ferraz burst through midfield and slipped in Abutoh, who grabbed his second of the game and was a constant threat throughout.

Captain Dan Atkinson put in an impressive performance alongside 17-year-old Dushawn Cunningham in midfield, but defensive fragility continued to hurt the Wickers as Saffron Walden added four more in the second half.

It’s hard to be too critical of the players. The club has thrown this young group into the lion’s den after just one week of training together. At times this will be a baptism of fire, but the hope is that these experiences will help them grow and gel as a team over the coming weeks. ?