West Essex strike late on to secure Premier Division Cup
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West Essex Reserves secured the Premier Division Cup on Tuesday evening, coming from a goal down to beat United London with a late winner at Dagenham & Redbridge in front of a crowd in excess of 300.
The first half was a well matched affair with West Essex having the best chance of the opening stages with an audacious overhead kick which went straight into the keeper’s arms. But United London were ahead after just eleven minutes as the ball made it’s way out to Billy Teixeira on the far side of the penalty box after a scramble and he made no mistake in slotting past the keeper to make it 1-0. Then ten minutes later, West Essex Reserves were back on terms as Lloyd Renvoize rose highest to head in a corner and level up the contest. United London had the better of the chances in the latter stage of the first half and they forced Bundock in the West Essex goal into a double save when a goal looked probable but the scores remained level at 1-1 at the break.
In the second half, the early stages of the half saw few chances as the two sides cancelled each other out and with both keepers largely untested. West Essex went closest first of all as the United London defender didn’t properly clear allowing for the ball to be squared to the onrushing midfielder who pulled his effort wide. But the key moment came just a few minutes from time as West Essex’s forward, Adam Norris, saw his finish from close range squeeze past Howson and into the United London net to hand West Essex a 2-1 win, sending their hordes of spectators into delirium!
Congratulations to everybody involved with West Essex who battled hard on the night and got their rewards in the end. Commiserations to United London who could have been out of sight with their first half chances but that is why we love the game of football.
That match ends the cup final action from the Essex Alliance League for another season, and what a thrilling set of matches they have been, lighting up the Dagenham & Redbridge stage this year. A huge thank you to our hosts, Dagenham & Redbridge, who produced some wonderful pitches to play on this season and, of course, to each of our cup finalists on playing their part. We are already looking forward to next season!
#RoadToDagenham