Hackney Wick suffered another heavy defeat on Saturday, falling 4–0 to league leaders Little Oakley, although the performance from the young side showed clear improvement.

The Wickers welcomed two new experienced additions to the squad, goalkeeper Mike Doyle and centre-back Bade Abetuo, both of whom were brought in to add leadership and stability.

For long periods of the first half the game was evenly balanced, with both teams competing well in midfield. However, the breakthrough came after a costly mistake. Fareed Salako mis-kicked while attempting to clear the ball, allowing the Little Oakley forward to run through and open the scoring.

Hackney Wick enjoyed good spells of possession but struggled to create clear-cut chances in the final third. Just before half-time the visitors doubled their lead from the penalty spot, leaving the Wickers 2–0 down at the break.

The hosts came out strongly in the second half and began to apply pressure. Enrico Picchi and Dan Atkinson both tested the goalkeeper with consecutive efforts on target, but neither could find a way through.

Little Oakley then extended their advantage on the counter-attack before sealing the victory with a header from a set-piece to make it 4–0.

Despite the defeat, there was a small boost for Hackney Wick as all of the teams below them in the table also lost. The Wickers now know that a victory against bottom-of-the-table Frenford next week would secure their safety.