Match Report: Reds and Robins Share the Kit and the Points

Uxbridge 2-2 Evesham United

Uxbridge twice fought back from behind to earn a hard-fought draw against a well organised Evesham side to halt their run of three wins in a row. With a kit clash meaning Evesham had to wear the blue Uxbridge away kit for the afternoon. Danny Edwards kept faith with the same eleven who had seen off Hungerford a week before and from the opening whistle, George Moore and Jerimiah Okine-Peters looked like a handful up front, causing immediate problems for the visitors and keeping the Evesham backline under constant pressure. Yet, despite the early threat from the Reds, it was the Robins who drew first blood in the 8th minute when a direct ball was flicked on by Andre Wright with some suggestions of a hint of offside, however no whistle came and it was left to Kai Churchley whose half volley on angle bobbled into the corner of the net leaving the home side staring at an early 0-1 deficit.

The response from the Reds was immediate, after Liam Prior-Tack saw a dangerous cross nearly forced home from a corner, the pressure finally told in the 20th minute. George Moore, acting as a one-man press, hounded the Evesham goalkeeper, charging down a clearance and coolly finishing into the empty net to level the scores. However, the parity was short-lived as the Robins found their rhythm again just five minutes later when a cross from the left wing hung in the air and drifted to the far post, where Ethan Dunbar laid the ball off to Andre Wright who was waiting to smash the ball home and restore the visitors lead. The Reds looked to Jo Lawal as an outlet, and it was his good work on the half hour as he beat 3 men in the corner, to get to the line and pull a cross back to Moore, whose low shot was well blocked by a scrambling Evesham defence, leaving Uxbridge to go into the break trailing at home at half time for first time since the Gloucester match in early November.

HT 1-2

Uxbridge emerged for the second half with renewed intensity. But they were nearly caught out early on as Marco Underwood produced a fine full-stretch save to tip a curling effort from Churchley around the post. The save proved crucial as ten minutes later, George Moore showed good strength by holding off his marker and threading a ball perfectly into the path of substitute Jack Lee, who kept his composure to fire a low shot under the keeper to level the match at 2-2. Uxbridge looked the much more likely side to find the next goal. Moore forced a sharp parry with a low, fizzing drive just past the hour mark. The Reds pressed on for a third, firstly Frank Keita fired a shot over the bar after he had worked some space on the edge of the box, then a few minutes later some excellent work from Troy Perez-Duah feeding the ball to Harry Rush, who came close to being the late hero, sent a rasping drive just inches wide of the upright. Still Uxbridge created chances with a dangerous low cross in the 83rd minute from Moore narrowly evading the outstretched leg of Okine-Peters. Evesham seemed happy to settle for the point, with the obligatory late “injury” to goalkeeper Alex Harris being used to fine effect to kill the hosts' momentum and regroup for the final minutes. In the dying embers of the match, Lee found Moore once more, but the final cross-shot drifted just wide, leaving both sides to settle for a share of the spoils.

FT 2-2

Att 333

Uxbridge: Underwood, Brown (Lee), Martin, Fearn, Jones, Nnadozie (Rush), Lawal (Keita), Perz-Duah, Okine-Peters, Moore, Prior-Tack (Boorn)