Contact WFC
|
|
 |
Woodhurst 4 - Essex Minors 3
Williams Trophy 2nd Round
Parmiters Sports Ground, Sunday 9th February 03
A second meeting in two weeks with the team from Hornchurch on an equally as sloppy pitch saw Jamie Bradbury notch his 100th goal in a Woodhurst shirt as the hoem side were worked a little harder for their win than previously.
Woodhurst again dominated much of the play throughout, but a lack of concentration late on left the tie on a knife edge at the end.
This time it was the home side who started well, and when Souleyman was released down the left, he cut in to the box and struck neatly inside the far post from a very tight angle.
With the absences of Tony Taylor and Jason Fullerton, as well as Paul McShea, rested from the start with a slight thigh strain picked up last week, Bradbury and Simon Probert dropped into the back four to fill in. However, Woodhurst were forced to make a change midway through the first half when Jimmy Woodham pulled up with a hamstring injury that has been plaguing in recent weeks and McShea was brought on and Bradbury moved up to fill the gap left by Woodham.
Essex Minors were soon to be level however. A corner for Woodhurst was played short and possession was lost. With Bashford the lone defender, the Minors nippy forward, who always seems to find the target against the Hurst, picked the ball up and headed goalward. His shot, though almost blocked by the challenge of the skipper, found it's way under Andrew Norton's diving body and the scores were level.
But Bradbury was having none of it and the Minors enjoyed being on terms for little more than five minutes.
On a rare occasion this season, the number nine was teamed up with summer signing Damion Spriggs and the dream partnership worked a treat. A neat one-two midway in the Essex Minors half between the two allowed Spriggs to guide the ball perfectly through to Bradbury bearing down on goal. With just the keeper to beat he let rip a low left-foot drive that nestled neatly into the bottom of the net.
Woodhurst took a one goal advantage in at the break and knew that the same effort would produce more goals. However it would turn out that only a two minute spell in the second forty-five would bear any fruits for the home side.
15 minutes in and the Essex Minors centre-back proved how much TV he watches as he tried to jockey out a hopeful Woodhurst through ball. But not wishing to give it up as a lost cause, Bradbury applied the pressure and robbed the defender on the goal line and headed for the middle. But with Spriggs available for a lay off in the middle, Bradbury only had one thing in mind as he smashed another beyond the helpless goalkeeper from eight yards and he ran away lifting his shirt to reveal a message written on his vest "100 - Natch". Bradbury was in the Woodhurst one hundred club.
And he sealed his memorable day with his third two minutes later. Leevan Rogers was creator, causing constant headaches for the Minors left-back. The little Harold Wood tinkler had one effort blocked and as he was closed down and his angles looked difficult to find the target, he knocked it left to Bradbury who tap in from a yard out.
But the final twenty minutes almost set up extra-time as Minors centre-midfield substitute scored twice to bring the score to 4-3, but the Hurst held on to move in to the Williams Trophy semi final.
Team
Andrew Norton
Steve Hughes
Simon Probert
Roy Lawley
Leevan Rogers
Nick Bashford (c)
Ryan Houlton
Damion Spriggs
Jamie Bradbury
Jimmy Woodham (McShea)
Jan Souleyman
Subs
Paul McShea
|
|
|
|
