Emirates FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round, Wednesday 2nd September 2020
It was more Emirates FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round action
on Wednesday evening as I was over a Cricklefield Stadium for Essex Senior
League Ilford Vs Halstead Town from the Thurlow Nunn Eastern Senior South on a
soggy evening in Seven Kings.
The Foxes play a step above their opponents in the pyramid
and were expected to beat their Step Six opponents although I felt it would be
a tight contest as Halstead are certainly a decent Step Six outfit so Ilford would
find it difficult no doubt.
However the opening twenty minutes or so suggested otherwise
as Ilford looked very useful going forward and hit the post after just fifteen
seconds, and the visitors soon found themselves behind as on five minutes and
after another desperate block from the visitors, Juan Cardona controlled the loose
ball before firing home.
Halstead were finding the Ilford attack hard to deal with
and it took them almost half an hour to really settle into the contest, and
after they saw two headers go close, the game seemed to change on one moment
when a ball forward saw the Ilford stopper come to clear his lines ahead of
Halstead attacker Joe Jones.
But the Ilford keeper hesitated, and this allowed Jones to
nip in and slot the ball into the empty net, and the visitors were level ten
minutes before the break.
Ilford were now on the back foot and five minutes later conceded
again as a cross to the back post saw the keeper turn his back on the cross
thinking it was going out of play, but Chris Harris had other ideas and headed
the ball towards goal and managed to squeeze it in between keeper and post.
Ilford had started well and dominated the opening quarter of
the contest, but the side from North Essex had come back into the contest and
truck two blows late on in the half to go in at the break ahead in this tie.
Half Time Ilford 1 Halstead Town 2
No doubt the team talk in the home dressing room at half
time would have been something along the lines of keep it tight lads and we
well no doubt get back into this tie and maybe even win it, but don’t concede
early in the half.
Well, barely a minute into the half Halstead added a third
as the hosts team talk no doubt went out of the window as a ball in from the
left saw Harris send a lovely looping header over the keeper into the far
corner, and Halstead had netted three times in eleven minutes either side of
the break, leaving The Foxes a mountain to climb.
Halstead could have made things even more comfortable had
they not struck the post when it looked easier to score, but Ilford also could
of made things interesting in the final few minutes when they went through but
could only strike the woodwork themselves.
But apart from the opening quarter of the game when Ilford
started quickly and looked dangerous, Halstead were the better side and looked
fairly comfortable once they got ahead, and this was a marvellous victory for
them against a side in a league above.
FA Cup magic most certainly had struck at Cricklefield Stadium.
Ilford will no doubt take positives from this, but three
poor goals given away certainly were their undoing here, whilst for Halstead
this will give them a lot of confidence going into their league campaign on Saturday.
Halstead now travel to Leiston of the Southern Premier Central in the
Preliminary Round on September 12th looking to cause another cup
upset no doubt.
Full Time Ilford 1 Halstead Town 3
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