Great Wakering Rovers 0–2 Brantham Athletic

FA Cup preliminary round

From Burroughs Park

 

GREAT Wakering Rovers are out of the FA Cup after they were upended by lower league side Brantham Athletic.

A goal midway through the second-half from Sean Gunn and a late strike from Oliver Mann handed Brantham a deserved victory, as Rovers toiled in their worst performance of the season so far.

Rovers were the favourites ahead of the tie, against the side from the Thurlow Nunn Premier Division, but they started the match slowly. Twenty minutes into the game, neither side were able to get control of the ball, with Rovers striker Jay Nash's swing-and-a-miss the closest either had come.

James Pugsley had sent a corner crashing back off the top of the crossbar, while Mann was looking the brightest spark for Brantham. The lone striker forced Adam Seal into a flying save with 30 minutes on the clock, having robbed stand-in centre-half Dan Trenkel of the ball.

Seal denied Mann once again with his legs, although Rovers were stopped following a swift counter-attack. Tom Strickland blasted at goal but James Bradbrook was equal to it in the Athletic goal.

This came either side of two Tom Ranger efforts. The first saw him volley wide when well placed and, 10 minutes before the break, his long range effort was spectacularly tipped aside by Bradbrook.

Into the second-half, Rovers needed a spark and it was almost provided by Jay Nash, but he was denied by the goalkeeper, who then spread himself well to keep out Ranger.

But Brantham were looking more lively with each passing attack. Sean Gunn led a quick counter-attack and was only denied by Seal, who was going the wrong way before getting down to make the block.

But when the opening goal did come it was for the underdogs. A neat ball through found the run of Gunn and he finished coolly past Seal, despite loud calls for offside.

Rovers were still struggling for rhythm, and should have fallen further behind when Mann raced in down the left, only for his bobbling effort to wrong-foot Seal before drifting narrowly wide of the post.

The same man shot wide soon after, with Jamie Cole shooting side seconds after coming on.

But Mann had the final laugh as he got the goal his play deserved with a comfortable finish past Seal in injury time.

But Rovers were unable to find a way past Bradbrook and it will be Brantham who go on to play Biggleswade Town.

 

Great Wakering Rovers: Seal, Pugsley, Kent, Slater (Jacobs), Trenkel, Hepburn, Ranger, Johnson (Woodhouse), Cleaver, Nash, Strickland (Toussaint)

Brantham Athletic: Bradbrook, Joseph (Ward), Mann, Lawler, Travis, Sibbons, Bartlett (Cole), Crisell, Mann (Merritt) Dye, Dunn

 

Other results:

National League South: Bishop’s Stortford 3-2 Concord Rangers

Ryman Premier League: Canvey Island 2–0 Enfield Town, Bognor Regis Town 3–1 Billericay Town, East Thurrock United 2–2 Kingstonian

FA Cup: Harlow Town 5–1 Southend Manor, Hullbridge Sports 2–0 Maldon & Tiptree, Basildon United 1–0 Long Melford