Fosters started the game well, with their no.8 firing an early shot wide of Edward Wooten’s post inside the opening minute. The Motormen though grew into the game and after good work by Vinnie Durrant down the left, won a throw-in. Billy Sendall launched a brilliant throw into the box, which saw Glen Golby head the ball onto the back post where Max Moore was on hand to head clear just as Nathan Gordon looked willing to head the ball home.

Shane Stamp was making his first start of the season and he was looking to show that Terry Spillane was right to start him. Good play by the winger down his flank caught the hosts off guard and the winger was unlucky that his cross into the area was unable to be headed on by Ryan Murray who couldn’t quite make contact with the ball to guide the ball home.

Surprisingly after a spell of pressure defending in their own half, Fosters went ahead when a straight ball in midfield found Jon Christian whose superb control and 10-yard run created the time and space needed for Dave Pigdon to latch clear and poke the ball under Wooten to score.
It was a poor goal for the Motormen to concede, but credit must go to Pigdon for the finish which just crept over the line.

Redbridge were not happy and immediately made amends to get back on level terms before half-time. Stamp looked increasingly likely of creating a chance and he was beginning to link up well with Gordon up front. A lovely bit of play by Stamp presented the striker with a chance outside the area but his shot on the turn was saved by Fosters keeper Mitch Swain.

Tommy Spillane then put in a lovely ball into the area from the left which Gordon headed wide at the back post. It was a chance that the former-Ilford and Tilbury man would have expected to take and one that the Motormen’s coaching staff would have expected him to score, given Gordon’s quality in the area.

Good play by Gordon and his strike partner Ryan Murray helped win a freekick 25 yards from goal with three minutes remaining in the first-half. Durrant coolly stepped up to bend the ball around the wall and into the bottom corner to get Redbridge on level terms. It was a brilliant goal by Durrant and his second of the season after his winner away to Ware.

HT Cockfosters 1 Ware 1

After half-time, Redbridge never let the hosts settle and showed their class over their Step 6 opponents’ right from the restart. Two minutes into the half Stamp almost put the Motormen ahead but he was unlucky to see a header at the back post go over following a peach of a delivery from Spillane.

Gordon then saw a shot from the edge of the area saved by Swain before Murray unluckily saw a header at the back post directed for Gordon in the six-yard box to go over when the tall forward was off balance at the back post.

There only looked one winner in the game and despite Fosters doing their best on the break, Wooten in goal never had to make a real save to make – although to his credit he did well to cope with any crosses into the area and never spilled the ball once.

With just over 12 minutes left to go, Redbridge’s pressure was rewarded when good play by Dan Trenkel and Murray fed in Stamp inside the area, who bravely controlled the ball under pressure before being hacked down by Kevin Williams. It was a clear penalty and a credit to Stamp who had been a constant threat down the right flank all day for the Motormen.

Ben Bradbury who was top scorer for Tilbury last season stepped up and confidently placed the penalty past the outstretched arm of Swain for his first goal of the season. It was a cracking penalty by the winger who is accustomed for being someone with a cool head for taking penalties.

Redbridge held onto secure their passage through to the next round. It was a much-improved second half performance by the team, but one in which there are still areas of improvement that will need to be worked on over the coming weeks as Spillane and his coaching staff look to improve the consistency in the team.

Redbridge: Edward Wooten, Billy Sendall, Tommy Spillane, Aarun Best, Glen Golby, Nathan Gordon (Mitchell Das 63), Shane Stamp, Dan Trenkel, Ryan Murray, John Bricknell (Ben Bradbury 76), Vinnie Durrant.

After the game I caught up with our manager Terry Spillane and got his thoughts on our comeback win. To hear the interview in full go to http://www.mediafire.com/?ek99c4grv1ez049 and download the interview.