A Bumper crowd sees us progress in the FA VASE with a 3-1 victory

We progressed to the third round of the FA Vase on Saturday afternoon, only the second time in our long history that we have reached this stage, as we look to match or better last season’s memorable run to the fifth round.

The afternoon began with confidence and purpose as we settled quickly into our rhythm, moving the ball well and pressing Corinthians high up the pitch.

Our early intent brought a couple of promising openings, although both were halted by tight offside calls as we looked to get behind the visitors’ defence. Our first clear chance of the match arrived soon after when a well-delivered cross found Ollie Burke six yards from goal. He met it firmly but the header lifted over the bar from a position where he would normally fancy himself. It did not take long for us to create another moment. A corner was driven into a packed penalty area, only half cleared and dropping perfectly for Lewis Hillary. His first-time strike was full of power but continued to rise and cleared the crossbar comfortably.

We continued to push forward and another good move saw Alex Keating burst down the left. He cut inside onto his right foot and found space to shoot, but his low effort rolled straight into the gloves of Corinthians goalkeeper Toby Waller. Up to this point the visitors had offered little, although a rare attack earned them a corner from which Kieran King managed to get a shot away that was blocked inside the six-yard box.

We then earned another corner of our own. The delivery caused problems again and fell kindly for Tom Drinkwater who headed towards goal, only for his effort to be deflected behind for another set piece. After Twenty One minutes we finally made our pressure count. A swift break down the right stretched the Corinthians back line, forcing a clumsy challenge in the box. The referee pointed straight to the spot. Theo White stepped up with confidence and placed the ball calmly beyond Waller to give us a deserved 1-0 lead.

Conceding seemed to wake Corinthians up and they responded with their strongest spell of the match. They forced several corners and swung a number of crosses into our box, although our defending remained composed and their finishing was either off target or comfortably dealt with. Their persistence was rewarded shortly before the interval. In the Forty Third minute, Jaime Billings rose highest to meet a cross from the right and guided a header into the net to level the game at 1-1. We reached the break frustrated to be level but confident that we had more to offer.

Three minutes into the second half we made our first change, introducing recent signing Darnell Jon Peter for his debut. Corinthians then went close when Ross Obazee struck a dipping effort from distance that clipped the crossbar and bounced back into play. As Sam Gray moved to claim the loose ball, Obazee lunged in with a high foot to turn it into the net, but the officials ruled the challenge dangerous and disallowed the goal.

That moment proved important because only minutes later we regained control. A long ball into the box was only half cleared and fell perfectly for Liam Avery who sent a composed volley through a crowded penalty area and into the bottom corner to restore our lead after Fifty Five minutes.

From that point on we grew in confidence. Corinthians continued to work hard but we remained in control of the tempo and were able to introduce Adam Green and George Butler for their first minutes with the club. The game was effectively settled in the Seventy Fifth minute. A superb corner from Theo White was delivered with pace and accuracy, and Tom Drinkwater rose above the defenders to power a header high into the net for 3-1.

Corinthians had one final chance when Obazee found space at the far post with much of the goal to aim at, but he could only find the side netting. Soon after, the final whistle brought fantastic celebrations from our supporters who had travelled in numbers.

We now move on to the last sixty four with an away trip to Fisher who play in the same division as Corinthians and currently sit in twelfth place. It promises to be a challenging tie, but with the belief and momentum we are building, we travel with confidence and togetherness.

Starting XI:

1 Sam Gray

2 Tom Drinkwater ⚽

4 Lewis Hillary

6 Liam Avery ⚽

8 Sean Swift

10 Theo White ⚽

11 George Sellick

12 Brad Manning

16 Alex Keating

19 Ollie Burke

20 TJ Taylor

Subs:

7 Darnell Jon-Peter (on for Burke)

14 Eoin Fraser (on for Keating)

15 Adam Green (on for Swift)

17 George Butler (on for White)

21 Jake Rumble (on for Taylor).