Thamesmead Town 2-1 Great Wakering Rovers - Mead frustrate Rovers to earn place in next round

THAMESMEAD TOWN 2-1 GREAT WAKERING ROVERS
FA Cup (Sponsored by E.ON) First Qualifying Round
Saturday 13^th September 2008
Kevin White reports from Bayliss Avenue

THAMESMEAD TOWN won through to the next round of the F.A. Cup in front of the ITV cameras with a 2-1 victory at Bayliss Avenue.

In a largely uneventful opening, it was The Mead who looked like they would go ahead on twelve minutes.

Rikki Cables hard and low shot was saved by the diving Richard McKinney in the Rovers goal. He could only parry the ball in to the path of Peter Smith who fired the ball to the empty net from six yards out. Somehow, McKinney recovered and scrambled to his left to some how block the goalbound shot.

Chris Conneally was called upon a few minutes later to make the vital save for Thamesmead, tipping over well from an over head shot from Dan Jones.

Then on 20 minutes, it was The Mead who would take the lead. Cable displayed his usual flair to leave a defender for dead at the byline to pull the ball back to Harbingi Grant, who had plenty of time in the middle of the Rovers area.

He didn't have to think twice as the ball reached his feet in space as he fired the ball hard and low past Mckinney in goal.

An equaliser arrived on 40 minutes as Dan Jones broke through with the ball to feet on the edge of the Mead area. His powerful shot was parried upwards by a leaping Conneally, only for the ball to loop over him and bounce across the line as a despairing Lee Coburn attempted a goal line clearance.

The score would only remain level for another 90 seconds as the Rovers defence was left flat footed by Grant. He proceeded to place a pinpoint cross to the head of Richard Dimmock in the middle of the area who got his full weight behind the ball to power home what would eventually be the winning goal.

Thamesmead were happy to sit back and soak up pressure, which they did well, in the second half to frustrate Rovers.

Mead did threaten on the counter attack, with Cable, Dimmock and Grant linking up well and Pedro Knight putting in a great performance in the middle for Thamesmead.

Two wins in a week with commanding performances, one in the league and now in the FA Cup will further bolster confidence going in to next Saturdays league game at Ilford.

Thamesmead Town: Chris Conneally, Curtis Williams, Peter Deadman (Danny Moore 68), Rob Tarrent, Lewis Towzer, Lee Coburn, Peter Smith (James Brown 65), Pedro Knight, Richard Dimmock, Harbingi Grant (Lew Watts 81).

Booked: Rikki Cable

Attendance: 78