Mitchell Das netted just before the midway point of
the second half to help Takeley see off ten man Stansted in the rain at
Woodside Park and progress into the First Qualifying Round of the Emirates FA
Cup.
The Airportmen had seen off another local rival in the shape
of Sawbridgeworth Town in the last round whilst Takeley had travelled to
Norfolk to defeat Norwich United in the Extra Preliminary Round to set up
todays well anticipated local derby at Bishops Stortford.
The visitors were almost ahead straight from the off too as
skipper Jason Todd burst in down the right but his cut-back was too far ahead
of the incoming Stuart Zanone and the ball skipped away from danger, and then
on six minutes it was the hosts who went close as Carl Mullings saw a close-
range effort brilliantly tipped over by Matt Gill.
On ten minutes the visitors saw George Wapett whip in a decent
cross but the ball was too high for Zanone and skipped off the wet surface and
ahead of Mitchell Das who was coming in at the far post, but on the quarter
hour mark came a big moment in the game.
A ball forward saw Das and Stansted keeper Charlie Turner
chase after the ball down the right-hand side of the pitch, and Das got there
first, only to be taken out by a poor challenge from the hosts keeper, and the
referee immediately reached for his red card and the hosts were down to ten men
very early in the contest, and saw midfielder Jack Smith don the gloves for the
remainder of the contest.
The resultant free-kick saw George Pullen somehow head wide
from close range, and then moments later with Stansted still trying to regroup
from the sending off the visitors saw a Wappett effort tipped wide by Smith as
Stansted somehow survived.
The hosts managed to ride that storm and were battling well
with a player short, and in the 34th minute saw a flick on almost
release Jordan Palmer but Takeley full back Kyan Russell managed to get goal
side of the attacker and put in a decent challenge to thwart the hosts, whilst
down the other end four minutes later Das swung in a decent cross, only to see
Wappett head wide of the target.
A minute before the break Stansted broke down the right
through Mullings and his cut-back found Courtney Homans whose finish was
deflected across goal and out for a corner, and from that set-play the ball found
its way to skipper Billy Coyne, but his effort was drilled wide, and it meant
the half ended goalless.
Half Time Stansted 0
Takeley 0
The half was three minutes old when the first opening came,
and it saw the hosts go close as Mullings almost nipped in to beat keeper Gill
to the ball, before the keeper had to remain calm to eventually play the ball
out of danger, and then Takeley went down the other end and saw Zanone shift
onto his right but then blast an effort way over the bar.
But in the 64th minute the breakthrough came for
the visitors as a ball towards the far wing saw full back Lee Hurkett stretch
to try and cut out the pass, slip, and allow Das enough time and space to fire
an effort beyond Smith in the Stansted goal and Takeley now had a slender lead
in this derby.
Zanone thought he had doubled Takeley’s lead five minutes
later when nodding home a cross from close range, but the linesman had adjudged
him to have gone too soon and flagged him offside, meaning the one goal lead
remained.
The hosts though were never really out of the tie and
continued to battle hard in this contest, making it more than tough for their
opponents, and with six minutes remaining saw a header go straight at Gill, although
you always felt Takeley could catch them on the break as they were pushing men
forward in search of that leveller.
Stansted then saw substitute Jamie Bennett get in down the right,
but his effort was well saved by Gill, before down the other end Zanone again
failed to find the target, blasting another effort way off target, but it
mattered not in the end as the visitors saw it out to progress into the next
round of the competition.
Full Time Stansted 0
Takeley 1
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