A quiet opening to the game came to life on 16 minutes when Heybridge opened the scoring when a ball into Taylor Hastings had him getting his feet tangled up before he passed wide for Chris Bryan who meant to shoot but skewed the ball back into Hastings who this time turned home a shot in what was a flukey thirty second spell between the two players. Heybridge like being in the lead and who wouldn't as it led to more possession and more build ups on goal.

The Swifts keeper was quick to get to the ball ahead of Kevin Coyle on 24 minutes after a decent cross from Hyun-Jin Lee on 24 minutes on one of the rare first half moves that Redbridge had made.

Ten minutes later Billy Hawes finished a run on Redbridge defender and former Swifts man Erdem Artun by firing over the bar and Hawes was involved in a move a minute later when his long throw was flicked on by Callander and not missed by much by Tom Broadhurst in the box.

Hyun-Jin Lee made a run on the left shortly after and managed to out run Morgan and Gibson before crossing. The ball rebounded off new Heybridge signing Michael Toner and fell nicely for Coyle who shot over the target.

Luke Callander showed quick reactions to shoot into the body of the keeper on the half hour after a Gibson cross rebounded off a defender. Swifts had made some decent openings in the half and were to end it by doubling their lead. Just a minute before the second Nathan Smith managed to come late at the far post and knock the ball the wrong side of the woodwork after a terrific deep cross from Chris Bryan but within sixty seconds another breakthrough came for the hosts as Reece Morgan slotted a pass through midfield into the path of Tom Broadhurst who caught the ball perfect to send his shot flying low into the corner of the net for 2-0.

Redbridge had a poor first half and even their bench seemed a little subdued but all that was to change. Some may start wondering if the home dressing room is the wrong shape or whether the walls are to cold as the Swifts team that left that same dressing room for the second half were nothing like the first half team that had almost put the game to bed.

New signing Michael Toner had to be replaced after just five minutes of the second half after an accidental clash of heads with an opposition player left Toner with a gash to his head. Within five minutes Swifts saw a penalty claim waved away after Billy Hawes went down in the box but this wasn't to be the biggest talking point of the second half which was still to come.

Redbridge pulled a goal back a minute after the hour mark when former Colchester United striker Kevin McLeod threaded the ball through to Kevin Coyle who toe poked a strong low shot past Sanders.

Luke Callander looked to be going all the way with his run and dribble on 67 minutes before a sliding tackle from Golby stopped him but the ball managed to run wide for Chris Bryan who blasted wide. The game swung once more on 70 minutes when a Kevin McLeod corner from the right went straight in despite the sound of the glove of keeper Sanders being heard flapping at the ball as Swifts sqaundered their two goal lead and the game now had twenty minutes left with all to play for.

When Shane Stamp lofted the ball over the top on 75 minutes it found Kevin McLeod who was able to neatly lob keeper Ollie Morris-Sanders before running away to celebrate as the turnaround was complete as Redbridge now led 3-2.

A moment of of taking leave of the senses by more than one person four minutes later as the biggest talking point of the afternoon took place when Billy Hawes crossed from the left and the ball bounced up onto the hand of defender Nathan Fletcher but appeals for a dead cert penalty fell on deaf ears and the players wondered which way Referee Mr Ramsey was looking. This decision not only incensed the home crowd but most of all Russell Pond who was sent off for his verbal burst towards the officials which left Swifts a man down and ten minutes to save something from the game.

The Swifts goalkeeper managed to keep the game alive when he beat away a 16 yard drive on 86 minutes from Hyun-Jin Lee.

Kevin McLeod almost netted a hat-trick in stoppage time which based on the first half display from Redbridge would have been unthinkable when he tackled Taylor Hastings just inside the Heybridge half and tried an audacious lob from 45 yards which was only just over the bar.

Swifts knew their time was up for the afternoon when in the final minute of six added minutes Tom Broadhurst lobbed over from a Hawes throw and bringing the full time whistle which left many disappointed at the second half showing and fuming that the Referee had failed to give at least one penalty

Redbridge: Elliott Justham, Erdem Artun, Tom Stephen, Jonathan Glowacki, Nathan Fletcher, Glen Golby, Kevin Coyle (Julian Ashby 82), Hyun-Jin Lee (Sean Crossley 94), Julian Edwards (Elie Kayembe 60), Kevin McLeod, Shane Stamp.

Report courtesy of http://www.heybridgeswifts.com/