Emirates FA Cup - First Qualifying Round Replay

Monday 5th September 2022

Beaconsfield Town FC 0 Walton and Hersham FC 1  after extra time 

At Holloways Park - Crowd 232 

 

 

Ram of the match - Kyel Reid 

Beaconsfield Town finally ran out of resistance in the 115th minute of a gripping cup replay at Holloways Park on Monday night.

The admirable Ravan Constable in The Rams goal was finally beaten when substitute Ollie Twum’s calm finish after good work by John Gilbert settled the tie.

As Gary Meakin’s team ran out of legs and eventually bodies in their attempt to take the tie to penalties or nick one on the break.  In a first half of very few chances both sides canceled each other out as they fought to impose themselves on the tie. Jerome Ecclestone making his latest seasonal debut for The Rams at right back effectively shackled Walton’s outstanding contributor from the first encounter Jordan Adeyomi. The full-back also provided the weapon of his prodigious long throw-ins which caused problems for the visitors which they dealt with without ever looking particularly comfortable. Given the unconvincing way that Walton defended crosses in the first game it was a legitimate tactic but in hindsight may have been better used sparingly, to keep the visitors on their toes. 

Both sides created half chances without troubling either keeper the best of which probably fell to Dan Bradshaw, lively throughout, who delayed his shot and was eventually blocked away. 

 

Half Time 0-0 

 

The second half continued in a similar style but began to open up as the players tired. As early as the 48th minute Walton keeper Liam Allen saved brilliantly,  low at his far post after Kyel Reid's glorious cross was met perfectly on the slide, Six yards out by Sean Frazer but as the half wore on Constable was the busier keeper. 

When Both Minhas brothers were lost to injury Walton took over and at times Constable seemed that he was keeping them out alone. 

 

With ties between these sides increasingly developing a history of last gasp finishes the visitors almost snatched it in the 92nd minute but were denied by an astonishing double save by Constable stretching full length to claw a looping header from under the bar before recovering to close down and block Max Blackmore’s follow up effort. 

 

Full-time 0-0

Walton continued to dominate in extra time as Beaconsfield stripped of most of their attacking threat battled manfully to create anything. For Olly McCoy, forced into an unfamiliar target man role and an earlier than planned return from the foot injury that kept him sidelined until now.

Constable again stood firm producing two Reaction saves from close-range efforts as Walton pressed. The big keeper was enough to keep the sides level at the turnaround and it was Beaconsfield who created the first golden chance to take the tie and again it was the outstanding Kyel Reid who provided the chance fighting and dancing his way down the left before picking out sub Olly McCoy with time and space at the far post but McCoy could not provide the finish that Reid’s efforts deserved and his effort flew wide. 

Three minutes later fellow sub Twum applied the calm touch at the other end and put Walton through.

Harsh on Beaconsfield who gave their all in increasing physical adversity but a fair reflection of the evening as a whole.  

 

 

The Rams will now lean heavily on physio Phil Gray and his team as they fight to have enough fit players to face Hartley Wintney at Holloways Park on Saturday afternoon.  

 

Beaconsfield Town: Ravan Constable, Jerome Eccleston (Sub: Shaun McCauley), Olly Sprague, Liam McDevitt,  Mark Nisbet [Sub Luke Neville] , Sam Togwell , Aaron Minhas© (Sub: Scott Donnelly),  Sean Fraser (Sub: Adam Martin),  Nathan Minhas (Sub: Olly McCoy), Dan Bradshaw, Kyel Reid

Subs   , Kayne Connor, Jack McKenzie

Walton and Hersham : Liam Allen, Devon Tanton, Dominic Ogun, Alex Kelly, Charlie Nicholas, Joe Hicks ©,  Harry Mills (Sub: Arsen Ujaki), Taurean Roberts (Sub: Ollie Twum),  Max Blackmore,  John Gilbert, Jordan Adeyomi (Sub: Joe Pratley-Jones) 

 

Subs.  Reece Brewster, Flynn Bolton, Jude Molloy.