Concord Rangers 0 Mansfield Town 1

FA Cup 1st Round Replay, Tuesday 25th November 2014

Ollie Palmer's second-half goal helped Mansfield edge past non-league Concord in their FA Cup first-round replay.   The Conference South side had the better of the first half, with Matt Fry and Lewis Taaffe both going close.   Mansfield improved after the break as Palmer forced a save from Josh Vickers and Fergus Bell struck a post.   And the League Two side found a winner just after the hour mark when Palmer slid in at the back post to put away Rob Taylor's cross.   Jordan Chiedozie, whose 30-yard strike 10 days ago had forced the replay, almost snatched a late equaliser but poked over from close range.   Managed by PE teacher Danny Cowley, the Canvey Island side were committed and spirited in the wet and cold conditions, particularly in the first period, against a team 46 places above them on the football ladder.   Mansfield, still managerless since Paul Cox's departure last week,pulled away though as the game drew on, with Palmer's back-post finish halting Concord's momentum.   The former Havant & Waterlooville man should have had a second, but failed to beat Arsenal loanee Vickers when through one-on-one.   And although Rangers forced a series of late corners, the Stags held on to secure a second-round tie at Cambridge United.

Wembley 3 Brantham Athletic 4 (aet)

FA Vase 2nd Round Proper, Saturday 22nd November 2014

Brantham Athletic won an epic at Vale Farm after beating ten man Wembley thanks to a stoppage time winner from Simon Mann put them through to Round Three.  The visitors were unlucky not to be ahead before the home side grabbed the lead with their first shot on target when a deflected through ball found Femmi who smacked past Fowler in the 22nd minute.  Nine minutes later and it was two nil when Femmi played a one two on the edge of the box before taking the ball on and slotting past Fowler brilliantly for 2-0.  It was very harsh on the visitors as they went in at the break two behind.   Six minutes into the second half Wembley skipper Ian Bates was sent off for a second bookable offence for a foul in midfield and the visitors put a lot of pressure on the backline but it was just one of those days in front of goal.  With ten minutes to go a corner for Brantham was cleared and Wembley broke and Femmi found himself clean through and he rounded Fowler but his weak poke at goal was cleared off the line by Beecham.  Oli Mann hit the bar for Brantham late on and it seemed as though that was that.  However a minute into stoppage time Simon Mann's cross was converted by Beecham and then two minutes later it was amazingly 2-2 when Simon Mann struck home from the edge of the box to take the tie to extra time.  Brantham then took the lead for the first time in the 113th minute when Lawler struck past Fogler from inside the box but Wembley fought back when a free kick whipped in was headed home from close range by Walters.  But after a long stoppage following a injury to Kywomya Brantham scored the winner three minutes into stoppage time at the end of extra time when Simon Mann struck home from the edge of the box again to send the Suffolk side through.

Southend United 1 Barnet 0

FA Youth Cup 2nd Round, Thursday 20th November 2014

George Burton's first half header proved the difference as Blues earned their place in the third round of the FA Youth Cup with a 1-0 win over Barnet at Roots Hall – despite being down to ten men for almost 45 minutes.  At the beginning of the second half, skipper Ross Johnson was sent off for a second bookable offence but Ricky Duncan's side held on galantly with a spirited display.  It was an encouraging start from Blues and after only three minutes, Brandon Scott's looping cross almost deceived Barnet goalkeeper Kai McKenzie Lyle, but the ball hit the bar and bounced away from danger.  Four minutes later and Blues went close again. A neat one-two between Burton and Scott saw the former take a snapshot, which made Lyle tip the powerful effort from just inside the box, away from danger.  On 21 minutes, Blues took the lead through Burton. A cross from the right was superbly headed over the despairing Lyle and into the back of the net off the post.  It could have been 2-0 just moments later. Scott was the instigator again, standing a cross up for skipper Johnson at the back post. The captain headed down but Lyle was there to save on the goal-line. Barnet had a chance just after the half an hour mark but Dan Masuzaka was on hand to block a strike by Shane Cojocarel.   The second half got off to a disaster for Blues, with Johnson seeing a red card just four minutes after the restart for a foul on an opposing midfielder. The Blues' skipper had already been shown a yellow mid-way through the first half and he walked down the tunnel.  The battling Blues were battling well and it took until the 69th minute for Barnet to muster a clear opportunity in the second half. Substitute Elliot Harris firing well over the bar, and minutes later, Stevens' effort touched the crossbar.  At the other end – with 15 minutes remaining – Matsuzaka headed over the bar after Scott's cross was headed on by Burton.  With six minutes of normal time left, another Barnet substitute – Ryan Gondoh fired into the side netting from an acute angle.  Substitute Imani Matthews saw his powerful strike saves brilliantly by Lyle with just a few minutes remaining.   And that meant Blues deservedly headed into round three, where they will face a home tie against Middlesbrough, after a professional display against their divisional rivals.

Tower Hamlets 1 Sawbridgeworth Town 7

Gordon Brasted Memorial Trophy 2nd Round, Wednesday 19th November 2014

Sawbo totally overpowered a young Hamlets side to progress in the Gordon Brasted in a clinical performance at the Mile End last night.  The first goal didn't arrive until the half hour when Gavin Cockman set up Mitchell Das to lift the ball past Biscoe and then right on half time it was two when Das struck home a cracker of a free kick from twenty five yards giving Biscoe no chance.   Hamlets started the second half well and briefly threatened to make a game of it when they pulled a goal back five minutes into the second half when Williams laid in Nasser-Bello to finished past Blackman but that was as good as it's got for the home side as Sawbo ran away with it after that.  On 56 minutes Cockman curled home from just inside the box to make it three before the same player broke down the right six minutes later and laid the ball across to Das who finished past Biscoe for his hat trick and the visitors fourth.  It was five twelve minutes from time when Cockman was put through and he finished past Biscoe in clinical fashion and then the Cockman laid in Das again to finish via the keeper for his fourth goal and the Robins sixth three minutes later as the home side had totally crumbled.   On 82 minutes the scoring was completed when Wappett's long pass found Cockman in the clear with Das alongside him but Cockman went in alone, rounded Biscoe and slotted home for his own hat trick and Sawbo's seventh.

Chelmsford City 0 Wealdstone 2

Vanarama Conference South, Monday 17th November 2014

The Stones left Melbourne Stadium with all three points after an efficient performance against a poor Chelmsford side.   The game was only three minutes old when we witnessed an absolute cracker of a goal from the away side when the ball looped out of the penalty area to the waiting Elliott Godfrey who from 25 yards out hit a dipping first time volley which crashed in off the underside of the bar giving keeper Bradley Watkins no chance whatsoever.   City had a couple of chances from corner kicks, both headers from Yado Mambo, but his efforts were off target as City failed to test Stones keeper Jonathan North.   The second half started badly for City as their half time team talk was blown out of the window when Leon Redwood's headed back pass came back off the post allowing Shaun Lucien to walk the rebound into the net from a yard out to give the Stones some breathing space.   Both teams had chances thereafter with City probably having the better ones but they once again there forward line could not convert in an evening when they just would never score.  It was one of the days as they say.  Stones held on with relative comfort to grab an important three points and leave the majority of the 701 crowd disappointed as they headed for the exits.