Benfleet 2 Haverhill Rovers 5

Buildbase FA Vase First Qualifying Round, Sunday 1st September 2019

Max Dinnell netted a brace to help Haverhill Rovers progress into the Second Qualifying Round of the Buildbase FA Vase, setting up a tie at Colney Heath, after victory over Benfleet in a very entertaining contest at Park Lane.

The visitors, who play in the Thurlow Nunn Premier, started well against their Thurlow Nunn Eastern Senior South opponents, and saw Dinnell cut inside and drag an effort wide, before the hosts then went close as a Jamie Brown free-kick took a deflection and needed a smart save from James Young to keep them out.

But from the resulting corner Benfleet took the lead as after Young had clawed out the corner, Emmanual Adetokunbo turned home the loose ball and the Step Six side had the early advantage.

And moments later it should have been two as Mason Shave got in but saw his effort slide wide of the near post, and then in the 15^th minute Haverhill levelled when Dinnell rammed home from inside the area and we were all square.

Brown then saw an effort deflect over the visitors bar, before another Benfleet attack saw them round keeper Young who had come to the edge of his box before the ball was cut-back to Brown who saw his effort blocked.

But the hosts were then rocked back on their heels as they fell behind in the 25^th minute when after an effort at struck the bar, the loose ball was prodded home by skipper Alfie Carroll and just like that the visitors had turned it around.

Fleet continued to attack though and saw an Ole Hunter lob almost catch out keeper Young, who managed to back pedal and turn the ball over the bar, but then came a controversial moment in the game when the visitors were awarded a spot-kick for a foul by Azeez Alabi, who was duly booked for the challenge.  It looked from my angle that the ball had been won but speaking to the officials after wards they said he played the man first.

Benfleet were upset with the award, and their mood wasn’t helped when Luke Haines stepped up to convert the spot-kick, and Benfleet were now two goals behind.  They would certainly have felt hard done by to be two behind in this contest two.

The hosts though continued to attack, and skipper Tyler Hubbard sent a free-kick way over the bar as they looked to try and pull one back before the break, and then Rob Lacey fired just wide of the visitor’s goal.

But as good as the hosts looked going forward, their defending was letting them down, and three minutes before the break conceded again in disastrous circumstances as centre half Alabi managed to half block an effort on the line but he could only manage to then put the ball over his own line, rather summing up the hosts first half.  They had played well but found themselves 4-1 down at the interval after some clinical attacking play from the visitors.

Half Time Benfleet 1 Haverhill Rovers 4

The tempo of the game did not let up as the second half began in a rather frenetic manor, and after Hunter had skied a decent effort over for the hosts, Rovers made it five with more clinical forward play, as after good work from Tyger Smalls, he squared for Dinnell who slotted home from close range.

Almost immediately after though in the 49^th minute Benfleet grabbed one back as Sam Dulieu converted from close range (I Think, I actually missed the goal trying to tweet the Rovers fifth one!!!) and it meant the lead was back down to three.

Benfleet then nearly grabbed another when a goal-bound effort was blocked before the loose ball was fired over, before the visitors got in down the right through Smalls but his cross shot was blocked.

And then visitors came close to adding a sixth when Jordan Palmer saw his header brilliantly saved by Danny Confrey, before the corner fell to Sam Mills but he could only blast high over the bar from close range.

Rovers skipper Carroll then almost flicked a cross into his own net but was pleased to see his keeper Young gather the ball before it went past him, and then another great chance for Benfleet saw Shave someone put wide from ten yards or so.

The visitors then saw a Haines free-kick superbly kept out by Confrey, before another effort was blasted over the bar, before a good ball into the visitors box by the hosts almost found substitute Jerome Mayhew, but he could not reach the ball and it drifted out for a goal-kick.

Rovers then got in down the right but substitute Brandon McKay’s eventual effort was straight at Confrey, and then Benfleet almost had a third when after Brown had twisted and turned inside the box his effort was deflected making the save for Young a bit easier.

Smalls then got in down the left for Rovers but could not get beyond keeper Confrey who had come way out to thwart him, but the game was then brought to a conclusion some time after and it was the visitors who prevailed in what was a very entertaining game.  Benfleet did not deserve to lose 5-2 but poor finishing and some ordinary defending led to their downfall here.

Full Time Benfleet 2 Haverhill Rovers 5