Upminster 1s ran out 4-0 winners against Old Loughtonians 3s, keeping the hosts bid for promotion alive.
Both sides entered the game with strong league positions, knowing a victory would move either side into 2nd place. It was a cagey opening, with hosts Upminster happy to keep the ball as Loughts set up with a well organised press. An early Loughts card gave Upminster the numbers advantage, and the hosts capitalised – Alex Mitchell bundled the ball over the line after a brilliant attack down the right side by Tom Dance, to hand Upminster a deserved 1-0 lead at half-time.
Upminster continued to probe after the break, accumulating a number of attacking short corners in their favour. Their lead was finally doubled, again by man of the match Mitchell, after Jamie O’Dell found defender of the match Tobi Dunlea out wide on the left, who sent a reverse across the D for a clinical back post deflection.
Discipline from both sides would make the final 20 minutes a bit of a scrappy affair, as Upminster lost Harry Jenkins and Lyndon Ford to rare green and yellow cards respectively. Josh Cipa was next to follow with his customary weekly green card. This was mirrored by Old Loughtonians however, with the away side contributing to an incredible 12 cards in total between both teams.
As tempers threatened to boil over Upminster held strong as Tendo Kimuli stretched the lead to 3-0, improving his already brilliant goalscoring form at home. After receiving the ball isolated with three defenders around him, Upminster’s striker brushed off the first two with a silky V drag before sliding a neat reverse into the bottom left of the goal – sending the crowd into raptures.
The match was put to bed late on as Cipa made up for his earlier card with a goal of his own; a classic case of right place right time to scuff in Upminster’s fourth.
