Upminster’s Men’s 3rd XI beat the effects of Storm Darragh and were involved in one of the games of the season against high-flying Bengal Tigers at Redbridge. Tigers had started the day in second spot in the table, but it was Upminster who started well with skipper Martin Nutt driving his side forward and linking well with a pacey and youthful front-line. It was therefore something of a surprise when Tigers took the lead from a short corner after 15 minutes, especially as they were a man down at the time due to a player suspension. Tigers then went on to dominate possession for the rest of the opening period, but a fine double save from Upminster keeper Joseph Warren meant the home side’s lead was just one at the break.
The second half began in much the same vein, with Upminster starting well but the home side gaining a short corner after a counter attack. From that short corner the initial shot was deflected to the back post where a neat finish doubled the home side’s advantage. At that stage, the result looked a foregone conclusion, but Upminster pulled a goal back almost immediately, when a short corner of their own wasn’t cleared and Aedan Daly finished well. With Alex Billings making a number of powerful runs down the right side, and Max Malby finding space on the left Upminster began to look very dangerous, and it was no surprise when Nutt found Jamie Green in the D and the forward calmly finished to level things up. The momentum was now with Upminster, but this most unpredictable of matches took another twist with just eight minutes remaining when Tigers broke down the right and Foyz Rahman finished well at the back post. Upminster picked themselves up once more, and with an extra forward thrown on piled forward looking for another equaliser. They were rewarded two minutes from time when the ball found its way through to Green who once again made no mistake to make it 3-3. Remarkably there was still time for Upminster to create one further chance, but the ball slid narrowly wide of the post and both sides had to settle for a point after a thrilling encounter. The result leaves Upminster in seventh spot in the table while Tigers ended the day in third, with the two sides ironically meeting again this weekend in the return fixture at Coopers.