Match Report: Would you Adam & Eve It

Evesham Uniited 1-2 Uxbridge

After a few near misses recently, Uxbridge finally picked up three points on the road, with a 2-1 win over Evesham up in Worcestershire on Saturday. The game saw new signing Jordan Stepney come into the back line, but otherwise this was the same team who had picked up seven points from their last three matches. There was a large contingent of travelling Red Army fans cheering the team on, coming from places as far and wide as Devon, Somerset, Milton Keynes - and even Cowley! - despite a few public transport hiccups on the way - the day would prove to be a good one for those who made the trip.

In truth the first half was a bit of a non-event, the match being played in sunny but windy conditions, with the pitch playing “good to soft” it was a scrappy first forty five. Neither side were able to exert any real control, although Evesham’s Ethan Dunbar was already proving a handful, and keeping Laurie Shala honest with a snapshot on 10 minutes which the Uxbridge keeper got fully behind. He also shot just over the bar a few minutes later as The Reds tried to contain the lively attacker. In fact the first chance of any note for the visitors wasn’t until the 33rd minute as a fine low cross into the box evaded everyone, including Jo Lawal, who was unable to get to the ball first, and the chance had gone. Neither keeper was really forced into a save until right before the break, when George Moore did superbly to win the ball and out muscle the defender, he fed Cole Brown on the edge of the box, who hit a rasping shot, which Alex Harris in the Evesham goal did well to parry over the bar and the half ended in deadlock.

HT 0-0

Evesham started the second half on the front foot, with Jamar Smith shooting into the side netting early on when he did well to escape the Uxbridge back-line. The Reds though began to take more control of the match as the half wore on. Stepney went close to a first Uxbridge goal on the hour mark, but his header went just past the post. It was then that Evesham’s best player, Dunbar was replaced. It was then time for the now obligatory “keeper injury” midway through the half, which has now developed into some kind of unofficial timeout - something which many think needs to be looked at - It didn’t the home team on this occasion though as soon after the visitors made their own subs as Liam Prior-Tack replaced Nnams Nwachuku & Kai Hobbs replacing Cole Brown. Both substitutes would make almost instant impacts. Firstly on 76 minutes George Moore’s cross fell perfectly to Harry Rush on the right hand edge of the box, and he fizzed in a cross that Prior-Tack stooped to head into the far corner with Harris stranded in the Evesham goal, to send the Uxbridge fans behind the goal wild. It got better just five minutes later as Rush again got into the box for a cross which he headed back to Hobbs to smash the ball home with a fine first time finish, with Harris again unable to react. 2-0 up with nine minutes to go - surely Uxbridge would be able to hang onto the victory this time. Well with a minute to go The Red Army might have just started to panic as a corner from the right was headed home by Ioan Richards to reduce the deficit to one goal. As it turned out Evesham were unable to to create any further chances, and The Reds took all three points home for the first time this season - and sitting in a lofty fourth place in the league.

Cup action next as we travel to Enfield Town on Tuesday evening for a Middlesex Senior Cup 2nd Round tie

FT 2-1

Att: 354

Uxbridge: Shala, Brown (Hobbs), Bocarro, Fearn, Stepney, Nnadozie, Lawal (Tanner), Rush, Nwachuku (Prior-Tack), Moore (Thorpe), Keita (Giamattei)

Credit to Michael Kammelard for today's headline!