Sam West and Callum
Ibe netted goals in the final fifteen minutes to see Stansted overcome rivals
Takeley at Hargrave Park to progress into the next round of the Errington
Challenge Cup on Tuesday.
Stansted have been flying this season and currently top the
Essex Senior League Premier on goal difference whilst for Takeley it’s been a
difficult few weeks after a decent start to the season having lost five games
in a row in all competitions prior to Saturday’s win at Ilford which at least
stopped the rot.
The hosts had made five changes here though to the side that
had thrashed Leyton Athletic 5-0 at the weekend whilst Takeley had seen striker
Charlie Cole leave the club at the weekend after his double had secured that
victory at Ilford. The visitors made
three changes to their starting line up from the weekend too.
The opening fifteen minutes saw one effort on target which
came from the visitors as George Pullen sent a free header straight at hosts
keeper Charlie Turner, and the following period of play saw the hosts test
visiting keeper Ronnie Yates as a Paul Preston effort was punched out for a
corner, whilst James Briggs also fired a free-kick over the visitors bar.
Takeley talisman Mitchell Das then saw an effort blocked but
the first half wasn’t much of a spectacle if truth be told and the goalless
half time score wasn’t entirely surprising considering the lack of goalmouth
action.
Half Time Stansted 0
Takeley 0
The early exchanges of the second period saw Takeley on the
front foot and after they fired two powerful efforts over the Stansted bar, Josh
Sykes dragged an effort wide of the far post from a decent position as the
visitors looked likelier to break the deadlock.
Stansted then did have the ball in the net, but Preston was
flagged offside before he applied the finishing touch, whilst Takeley saw Bryn
Thorpe fire a free-kick over the Stansted bar as the visitors continued to miss
the target.
Alex Warman, who had looked decent for the visitors in this
one, fired another effort over the hosts bar, however the game remained goalless
as we entered the final fifteen minutes as penalties looked more and more
likely.
But with fifteen minutes remaining Stansted broke the
deadlock as substitute Ibe, who had certainly made a difference after coming on
with twenty minutes to go, almost nipped in to score but the visitors managed
to clear for a corner, and from that corner keeper Yates punched clear but onto
the boot of Sam West who saw it come off him and into the net, and the hosts
had the advantage.
It was an advantage they were to double eight minutes later
when good work from Connor Hammond down the left saw his ball across elude
Preston but fall to Ibe who rifled a brilliant effort beyond Yates into the far
corner and pretty much seal this one for the home side.
A rather fractious end to the game threatened to spoil what
had been a decently contested derby, but the hosts took the win and take their
place in the next round of the Errington Challenge Cup as their terrific form
continued, whilst for Takeley they are now out of both the Challenge Cup and
the GBMT already this season.
Full Time Stansted 2
Takeley 0
No comments:
Post a Comment