Redbridge welcomed bottom-of-the-table Brantham Athletic knowing that victory, combined with other results, could officially confirm the visitors’ relegation from the league.

New signings Sartorius and Ryan were named among the substitutes as the home side looked to maintain pressure near the top of the table.

Brantham started brightly, winning a couple of early corners, but Redbridge soon began to dominate possession.

The first real chance arrived when a quick break released Olukoga, who squared the ball across goal towards Carvalho, but goalkeeper Roan Tucker reacted well to intercept the dangerous pass.

The breakthrough came in the 6th minute. A well-weighted pass found Olukoga in space and the forward calmly stroked the ball past Tucker to give Redbridge an early 1–0 lead.

From that point the half became almost one-way traffic. Tucker was forced into a series of excellent saves — first denying Karl Kayembe, then reacting quickly again to keep out Brown Bampoe.

A dangerous cross from Williams flashed across the six-yard box begging for a touch, while Chawner also tested the goalkeeper with a shot from a crowded area.

Despite the constant pressure, Redbridge were wasteful in front of goal. Johnson fired wildly over, while Olukoga somehow blasted wide from close range with the goal at his mercy.

It left many wondering how the home side were only 1–0 ahead at half-time.

The second period began in similar fashion. Carvalho saw a cross strike the crossbar before floating another ball into the box that Olukoga headed wide.

Brantham finally managed their first effort on goal through their number nine, but it was comfortably gathered by Nwabuko.

Redbridge continued to create chances. Chawner headed over from another Williams cross, while Kayembe also nodded wide when well placed.

The visitors, however, remained in the game and nearly punished Redbridge’s wastefulness when a rare attacking move ended with a header drifting just wide of the post.

With the score still at 1–0, the home side introduced fresh attacking options from the bench.

Carvalho later cut inside his marker after a clever clipped pass from Chawner but chose to shoot for the near corner instead of squaring the ball, allowing Tucker to make another save.

There was also a nervous moment for Redbridge when a mistake from Nwabuko almost allowed Brantham an equaliser.

As the match entered the final 15 minutes, Redbridge were beginning to look tense. A cross from Hansson-Ramis Hayrettin fell to substitute Sartorius, but he could only fire over from close range.

Brantham were then awarded a free-kick just outside the box — a huge opportunity — but surprisingly chose to pass rather than shoot and the chance went begging.

Redbridge finally secured the win with a scrappy second goal. The ball bounced around inside the penalty area before falling to substitute Ryan, who stabbed home from a few yards out to make it 2–0.

Brantham nearly grabbed a late consolation when substitute number 16 unleashed a powerful long-range strike that forced Nwabuko into a diving save. Another late effort from number 15 flew wide as the visitors searched for a goal.

report by Adam Silver