Hayes & Yeading dominated possession against neighbours Uxbridge in Tuesday evening’s Middlesex Senior Cup tie coming away with a slender 2-1 victory in part due to wayward shooting coupled with staunch defending from the home side.
United carved out a good opening in just the sixth minute when Tom Collins collected De’Reece Vanderhyde’s cross, made space to shoot, only for his shot to be blocked on the way to goal by teammate Louis-Rae Beadle. Minutes later a Dean Inman volley from Rhys Murrell-Williamson’s free-kick, again looked goal bound, before being blocked by a defender in the six yard box with Matty Harriott’s follow-up going the wrong side of the post.
The ball continued to remain pretty much in the Uxbridge half, Beadle threaded the ball into the run of debutant Mason Spence who weaved past two defenders into the box, beat ‘keeper Paul McCarthy only to be denied by the ball striking the post.
Collins went close again after good work from Harriott and Murrell-Williamson set him through on goal before McCarthy was brought into action just before the half hour mark, diving to his left to catch a Lewis Ferrell flick from Harriott’s centre.
The home side’s first real view of Calum Kitscha’s goal came just past the half hour mark when skipper Danny Julienne received the ball inside the box on the right, his driven shot going across the six yard box and wide.
Soon after Craige Tomkins hit a similar effort with identical results before United took over again. Spence and Beadle combined to create a good chance for Harriott but he placed the ball the wrong side of the upright before finally breaking the deadlock a minute before the break. Murrell-Williamson cut in from the right and found Ashleigh Artwell, he rolled the ball to his skipper who took a touch before planting a low shot across McCarthy and in off the far post.
Number two could have come within seconds when Murrell-Williamson’s 12 yard effort looped up of Danny Brooker only to go over thanks to a combination of McCarthy and the crossbar.
The home side started out the second period with seemingly a new lease of life and five minutes in United required an excellent diving save from Kitscha as he went full stretch to his left to push away a 25 yard drive from former United man Lewis Cole.
Shortly after Uxbridge went close again as a Tomkins effort only just cleared Kitscha’s goal although this gelled United into action as Spence threaded the ball to Collins who took his shot first time, firing the ball under McCarthy’s dive to double United’s lead.
Either side of the hour mark both sides went close to increasing the scoreline. First to try was Harriott whose 25 yard free-kick took a deflection but was well saved by the diving McCarthy while at the other end a snapshot from Reds skipper Danny Julienne was well held at the foot of the post by Kitscha.
With a quarter of the game remaining the home side reduced the arrears when a deep cross found former United legend Kieran Knight who lofted the ball back into the middle where Kevin Ayodele smashed the ball home off the underside of the bar.
Neither side really looked like troubling the scorer after this apart from a 20 yard strike from Lewis Ferrell that again drew a fine save from McCarthy who did well to push the swerving shot away to safety.
Report by Kevin Watts.
United Man of the Match: Ashleigh Artwell.