In a game of very few chances at Mayesbrook Park on a windy Saturday afternoon, it was a solitary striker from top scorer Lee Barney that saw Paul Hughes’ Hayes & Yeading side progress to the first qualifying round of this season’s Buildbase FA Trophy with victory in Essex over host side Barking FC.

Despite the game barely having a goalbound effort in the full ninety minutes, in part due to the windy conditions and a rock hard pitch, there were surprisingly 3 early half chances. A chance apiece within seconds of each other on four minutes saw the home side’s left-back Jordan Peart break away down the flank, his cross on the run being deflected toward the United goal with Jack Smith doing well to push the ball away to safety. Seconds later a United free-kick by Scott Bridges taken from a central position was played to the far post where a stooping Lee Barney got his head to the ball but it looped over the Blues goal.

Two minutes later a Blues free-kick from the centre circle was played into the United box by Ryan Cosson, the part cleared ball dropping nicely to Manny Ighorae but despite being well positioned, his volley was well wide of the target.

With the wind playing havoc with the United passing game and the home side seemingly happy just to launch the ball forwards at great height, it was fully 20 minutes before another effort resembling a chance came and this saw United a fraction from taking the lead when Roddy Collins rose to meet a Bridges corner kick, his header beating Eman Olajide in the Blues goal only for Ighorae to clear the ball off the line to safety.

The deadlock was broken just after the half hour mark with a fast hitting United move that saw skipper Liam McDevitt launch the ball forwards to Lewis Toomey, the United striker outstripping his marker and taking the ball around the on-coming Olajide before having the speed of thought to pick out an unmarked Barney in the centre and he ran the ball into the net with ease for his 12th of the campaign (above left).

A couple more half chances came the way of United before the break. Ed Asafu-Adjaye’s cross from the left side almost caught Olajide out but the ‘keeper held onto the cross despite banging the ball against his own crossbar as he caught it. A couple of minutes later a quick Smith free-kick was fired upfield to Jalloh who turned past his marker and hit a curling shot that was aimed for the far post but did not find enough bend and went wide of the target.

If those present thought the first half was a mundane affair, the second sadly was to get even worse with United’s defence dealing well with long punts forwards and successions of long throw-ins from the hosts while creating little of our own as a forward force.

On 55 minutes a nice ball forwards to Ighorae saw Collins do well to track the wingers advance before getting in a perfectly timed block to take the ball away for a corner that his defensive colleagues dealt with comfortably.

With the ball spending more time in the air than on the ground, the next 30 minutes were a somewhat turgid affair for the watching spectators although United did forge a couple of late chances while never really looking threatened at the other end.

On 84 minutes, Bridges collected the ball from Toomey but fired over from fully 25 yards and then a minute from the game going into stoppage time Toomey combined with Toby Little own the left side, he pulled the ball back nicely to Bridges on the edge of the box but his drive took a deflection off a defenders intercepting boot and the danger went away as did the game from the hosts as the referee soon brought proceedings to a close with United moving into the next round of this seasons premier non-league knockout competition.

Report by Kevin Watts.

Photos by Ray Peploe.

United Man of the Match: Liam McDevitt.