Match Report: Reds Sail home with Three Points

Gosport Borough 1-2 Uxbridge

Uxbridge secured their step 3 status for next season with a fine 2-1 victory over play-off chasing Gosport Borough down on The Solent on Good Friday. Backed by a large vocal away contingent - who had earlier participated in the supporters v supporters match - this was Uxbridge’s seventh match unbeaten since the 4-1 reverse at Farnham in February. With George Moore still struggling with injury there was a start for Jack Lee up front, with new loan signing Gabe Cuthbert from QPR coming into the back line alongside CJ Fearn.

The match began with high energy as both sides looked to find an early breakthrough. In the 8th minute, Jack Lee nearly put the visitors ahead, failing to connect cleanly with a sharp cross from Jo Lawal under heavy pressure. Uxbridge were then indebted to goalkeeper Marco Underwood in the 15th minute, as a goal-bound header from Joe Oastler was parried away at full stretch to keep the scores level. As the half progressed, Uxbridge began to exert some level of control seeing plenty of possession, with Lawal proving a constant threat, the Uxbridge forward doing superbly well on 34th minute to set up Cole Brown who cut inside but curled his effort just wide. The pressure finally told in the 38th minute, Lawal again at the heart of things, who played a sublime one-two with Liam Prior-Tack, who received the return ball and coolly slotted home into the far post to give the Reds a 1-0 lead. Uxbridge nearly doubled their advantage just a minute later when Lawal cut in from the right and unleashed a fine strike that took a deflection and rattled the crossbar with the keeper well beaten. Gosport looked short of ideas, but despite further efforts from Prior-Tack - with a low shot lacking power - and Troy Perez-Duah - who looped a shot wide on the turn - the visitors headed into the break with a deserved one-goal cushion, that could have been more.

HT 1-0

The second half started perfectly for the Reds. In the 49th minute, a cross from Lawal fell to Perez-Duah whose blocked shot via the defender’s hand on the floor resulted in Uxbridge’s 3rd penalty in 3 games - as before Perez-Duah stepped up and calmly dispatched the spot-kick low into the corner to make it 2-0. It was all seemingly plain sailing for Uxbridge, however, the momentum shifted in the 63rd minute. Immediately following an injury to Harry Rush, who had to be helped from the field, Gosport took advantage of a momentary lapse in concentration, as Adam Tomasso scooped over a cross to Ben Greenwood who nipped in at the back post and tucked the ball home from close range to halve the deficit. The goal then sparked a period of sustained pressure from the home side. In the 65th minute, a Gosport header from Dan Wooden flew just over the bar as they searched for an equaliser. Uxbridge though remained dangerous on the break, and in the 79th minute, Jeremiah Okine-Peters appeared to be clattered by the home keeper Lucas Thomas as he rushed out of the area, though the referee saw things differently waved away the confident appeals for a foul. The closing stages were a test of Uxbridge's defensive resolve as Gosport began to pile on the pressure - although Perez-Duah saw a late effort well saved, while CJ Fearn went close with a flicked header from a corner. As the clock ticked into five minutes of added time, The Red Army held its breath as Gosport threw everything forward and Greenwood lunged at a low cross into the box, only to send it wide of the post. Eventually the referee blew the whistle for full-time and Uxbridge could celebrate the win, and the knowledge they will finish the season in their highest ever position in the football pyramid.

FT 2-1

Att: 982

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

Match Gallery here - courtesy Emma Neumann-Russell