Match Report: Reds Too Canny For The Geordie Boys
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
Having secured their step 3 status on Good Friday, Uxbridge put in a professional performance to comfortably see off nearby neighbours Hanwell Town on Easter Monday. There were some enforced changes to the team, with George Moore, Jack Lee, Cole Brown and Harry Rush all missing out, Josh Boorn, Casey Bocarro, Avan Jones and Frank Keita coming into the starting eleven - with welcome returns to the bench for Kai Hobbs and Ada Okorogheye.
With the match was played in glorious spring sunshine and in front of a bumper bank holiday crowd of 449, there was more than a hint of a pre season friendly feel about proceedings - however Hanwell keeper Sam Beasant was soon awoken from any slumber, as within the first minute a wayward header back to him from one of his defenders, almost caught him out and he had to scramble across his line to grab the ball at the last minute. Uxbridge though were seeing plenty of early the ball looking to exploit the wings. In the 14th minute, a well-placed corner from Bocarro fell perfectly for Ciaran Martin, but his drilled effort rose just over the bar. Gabe Cuthbert was the next to threaten at the 21-minute mark, dragging a shot wide after some more excellent build-up play from Martin. The deadlock was finally broken in the 30th minute, as once again Martin broke dangerously down the left flank before cutting a precise ball back to Josh Boorn. Just as he prepared to pull the trigger, he was hauled back inside the area, leaving the referee with no choice but to point to the spot. Troy Perez-Duah stepped up under pressure and coolly tucked the penalty home, marking his fourth goal from the spot in as many games. The Reds headed into the interval with a deserved 1-0 lead, while Hanwell were left searching for answers.
HT 1-0
The second half saw Hanwell Town attempt to find a way back into the contest, but their finishing remained wayward. They did get the ball in the net on 50 minutes, but it was correctly ruled out for offside, then a snapshot from Eddie Cooper in the 54th minute sailed well over the bar, followed by another wide effort from Seidou Sanogo just after the hour mark. Uxbridge, meanwhile, remained a constant threat on the counter. Jo Lawal and Avan Jones combined beautifully in the 58th minute to tee up Jerimiah Okine Peters, whose shot was desperately blocked and cleared over the bar by a scrambling Hanwell defence. Okine-Peters went close again in the 64th minute, fizzing a low drive across the face of the goal. The decisive blow arrived in the 68th minute. After a corner was partially cleared, the ball was recycled back to Perez-Duah, who delivered a pinpoint cross into the heart of the box, where Cuthbert rose like a salmon at the back post to power a header into the back of the net. Uxbridge looked comfortable all afternoon, although In the 70th minute, Reds keeper Marco Underwood was called into action, producing a vital parry from a close-range snapshot to preserve the clean sheet. Despite a late flurry of corners and blocked shots from the visitors around the 75th minute, the Uxbridge backline stood tall.
The final whistle confirmed a vital three points for the Reds, leaving the Geordies heading back across West London empty-handed. Next up for Uxbridge a tough looking trip to fast improving Taunton Town on Saturday 11th April.
FT 2-0
Att: 449
Uxbridge: Underwood, Jones (Brown), Martin, Fearn, Cuthbert, Bocarro, Lawal (Okorogheye), Perez-Duah, Okine-Peters (Prior-Tack), Keita (Hobbs), Boorn (Bullard-Jeffrey)
