Timothy Williams rattled the woodwork around the 15 minute mark. Redbridge were awarded a free-kick after a foul on Theo Collard-Peters, the ball was floated in by Charlie Brien towards the head of the towering Morris Adu. Adu managed to flick the ball into the centre where it fell to Williams who struck a half-volley which looked destined for goal. Unfortunately it rattled off the post.

In the early stages of the match both sides were probing the defences and testing the goalkeepers, the best chance of the first half fell to the away team. From a scrappy bit of defending the ball fell to Shane Oakley, as he burst into the area he drew out goalkeeper Michael Bowditch and cut the ball back to Jack Stephenson who put the ball over from inside the box. A chance he should have taken.

The breakthrough came just before half-time. Aveley were awarded a foul in a dangerous position, the ball was whipped in towards the front post by Lee Sontag, after a few uncertain touches the ball fell to Shane Oakley at the back post and he calmly slotted the ball in. 0-1 Aveley.

Half-Time - Redbridge ‘keeper Bowditch had made some good saves to keep the away side at bay and both side had missed opportunities to increase the score-line.

Aveley came out swinging from the interval. Within 2-3 minutes of the
restart the away side had increased their advantage.
Left-back Lee Sontag burst into the box from the left wing and beat the on-rushing keeper by a delicate finish with the outside of his left boot. A fantastic finish which seemed to please both the manager and the crowd. 0-2 Aveley.

The away team started to pick up the pace after their early second half goal, as they confidently began to knock the ball around they continued to stretch the Redbridge defence.

Aveley’s right winger Junior Dadson showed some creative touches out wide with some silky skills to match. Around the hour mark his hard work paid off as he showed determination and pace as he skipped past a defender on the wing and entered the box near the right by-line. As he cut the ball back towards the Redbridge 6-yard box, Williams was brought down as he struck for goal and was awarded a penalty.

He dusted himself down and converted the penalty with a calmly placed shot into the bottom right corner, sending ‘keeper Bowditch the wrong way. 0-3 Aveley.

Steve Portway made a double substitution with around 25 minutes to go, Ike Nzuruba and Nana Asamoah on for Theo Collard-Peters and Timothy Williams. Collard-Peters showed some nice touches on the wing and both he and William showed some good link-up play with Morris Adu.

Things went from bad to worse shortly after the substitutions. Junior Dadson got his name on the score-sheet after latching onto a through ball and converted with a smart finish. 0-4 Aveley.

Justin Gardner made a double substitution just after the goal, introducing Junior Appiah and on-loan striker Jordan Cox.
Aveley were beginning to run riot and could have scored three or four more goals but were unable to capitalise on their chances with a number of individuals coming close.

As the match entered the final 15 minutes Redbridge grabbed a consolation goal, Jordan Watson found himself through on goal and finished with a neat shot that went in off the goalkeeper. 1-4.

Redbridge ‘keeper Bowditch continued to produce some good saves throughout the match with the finest of the lot coming late on. He denied Appiah a goal with a fine one-on-one save from a drilled effort.

Skipper Nicki Beale had been getting stuck in all game and was booked with a few minutes remaining after a strong challenge, shortly after Aveley’s Kamara was also booked.

Charlie Brien cleared a number of shots off the line in the dying minutes to limit the score to 1-4.

Full-time – The Motormen had been outgunned for a lot of the match, their quality of service in the final third lacked any real threat. Redbridge arguably had the better chances and possession in the first 20 minutes but as the game progressed Aveley’s quality began to show. The score-line could have been a lot worse for Redbridge.

Positives to take into the next match – Morris Adu showed some good link-up play in the centre and provided a considerable threat in aerial challenges. Michael Bowditch made some fine saves and Theo Collard-Peters got into some good positions on the wing before being replaced.

By Lewis Edwards

Click here for Adam D's interview with our joint-manager Del Robinson from after the game.