Monday night at the end of January took me to the Mile End Stadium and a Essex Senior League Challenge Cup Round Two tie between Tower Hamlets and Hullbridge Sports.
Both knew a place in the Quarter Finals were up for grabs and after a fairly quiet opening ten minutes or so the visitors started to motor and after missing two great chances took the lead in the 16th minute through a brilliant Jimmy Cox strike from long range, looping over keeper Joe Biscoe.
And only two minutes later the the visitors doubled their lead when a loose ball was headed home from close range by full back Kieran Offord to see the visitors well and truly take control of this tie.
And in the 25th minute it got even better for the visitors as Harry Skinner struck an effort in off the inside of the post and give the away side a three goal cushion inside half an hour. It was just too easy for the visitors.
The next quarter of an hour saw Sports spurn several chances as they looked likely to score every time they came forward as their opponents just could not defend at all. Finally though with six minutes of the half remaining they did add a fourth goal when Luka Frankis was played in down the right and the striker drilled home and the visitors were in total cruise control.
Cox thought he had added a fifth just before half time but saw his header ruled out for offside then moments later the visitors hit another effort wide of the target. Sports did end the half with a decent effort but saw the keeper make a good save after what was a dazzling run. However it was a tiny spark of encouragement in what had been a poor half for the hosts.
Half Time Tower Hamlets 0 Hullbridge Sports 4
Hamlets had the first effort on goal early on in the second period but the effort didn’t trouble the goal as it sailed wide before Sports carried on their goal spree ten minutes into the half as Frankis was again slipped in down the right and he made no mistake to make it five.
Hamlets briefly rallied though and had been more competitive in this half so far and just past the hour were rewarded with a goal of their own, and it was a good one too, as Rahim Adama Bamba sent a great toe poke into the top corner and reduce the arrears to four.
Frankis then saw an effort plucked out of air by Biscoe in the Hamlets goal before the hosts really should of reduced the arrears further when they sent a close range header inches over the bar. And then moments later a Cox cross saw Frankis head wide for the visitors as his search for his hat-trick went on.
Sports had another effort hacked off the line by the hosts with ten minutes to go but moments later did make it six when great work by Charlie Little saw his cross loop up towards the far post and the ball was thumped home off the post by Dean Wallace.
And just two minutes later Hullbridge made it seven as after Cox saw a long range effort thump off the bar, the ball fell right into the path of Little who headed home the rebound. Sports were now ending the game in the front foot again and Little could easily have grabbed a hat-trick himself as he saw two efforts fail to find the net, however it didn’t really matter too much as the visitors ran out easy winners to take their place in the Last Eight where they travel to play FC Romania at Theobalds Lane.
Full Time Tower Hamlets 1 Hullbridge Sports 7
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