Lakenheath 3-2 Buckhurst Hill
Isuzu FA Vase 2nd Round | Saturday 12th November
Buckhurst Hill’s FA Vase campaign hit the buffers on Saturday at Lakenheath. The hosts trailed to a Suley Zuhdu goal at the break, but a rousing second-half performance saw Samuel Hawley, Luke Young and Thomas Thulborn all-notch for the hosts. The Stags were able to pull one back via Nathan Sollosi in the 90th minute but there was not enough time left for Buckhurst Hill to find an equaliser.
The game certainly opened up in a flurry of activity. Suley Zuhdu had a free kick in the 4th minute that Charlie Beckwith tipped over, while Daniel Blockley had to punch clear a corner and then had to dive to his right to keep out a low Thomas Thulford shot.
The deadlock was broken in the 13th minute when Henry Day delivered a free kick towards the back post where Zuhdu was waiting to direct a diagonal header into the net.
Having set up the goal, Day then put in a solid header to clear a cross that was making its way across the Buckhurst Hill goalmouth. And the Stags had to be constantly wary of their hosts who were able to break away at speed.
However Zuhdu went down under a challenge, but the referee turned away both the Buckhurst Hill claims for a penalty and those from the hosts who were calling for Zuhdu to be booked for diving, resulting in a few meaty challenges now been put about as both teams battled for supremacy.
As the half wore on it was to be the hosts who were to have the best of it with a host of chances. The first fell to Thulborn who dinked a shot over the bar, and then Kane Manels got a touch on a corner that was heading towards the bottom corner until Blockley made a diving save. The Stags stopper saved a Thulborn shot in the 40th minute, then the hosts spurned a good opportunity when Ross Bailey could only aim a shot wide soon afterwards. Nathan Sollosi did manage one final run before the half was out, getting as far as the Lakenheath penalty box before Casey Phillips put in a timely tackle.
Seeing as the hosts had ended the first half on the front foot meant that the Stags had to come out with some fresh impetus at the re-start and won two early corners that needed Beckwith and his defence to deal with.
However, the hosts drew level via Samuel Hawley in the 54th minute. A good cross was headed home and it was now game on.
A corner for Buckhurst Hill needed the hosts to put bodies on the line before getting the ball clear, while at the other end Blockley pulled off a fine save to keep out a Lee Hammond free kick which then saw some frantic moments around the box before the ball was finally scrambled clear.
The half-chances continued with Ezekiel Bademosi then managing to get away from his marker and advance into the box, but then have his shot parried by Beckwith in the 70th minute. Luke Young then had a diagonal shot clawed off the line by Blockley.
A handball in the box offered the hosts a penalty in the 77th minute and Young, who had been a total nuisance since being substituted, then made himself even more unpopular with the Buckhurst Hill fans as he thumped the penalty home to give the hosts a 2-1 lead.
Soon afterwards the hosts almost increased their lead when a Sam Peters free kick eluded Blockley and struck the post. Luckily for the Stags there were no Lakenheath forwards following up and so the ball rolled safely away.
The Stags had a glorious chance to level the tie in the 80th minute when a ball across the box fell to Bademosi but he could only aim his shot wide. But the Stags did win a few corners as they looked to get back on terms.
Things took a turn for the worse in the 88th minute when Thulborn unleashed a shot that sailed over Blockley to make it 3-1. However, two minutes later Nathan Sollosi drilled a shot home to pull a goal back. Sadly though there was little time left to push for an equaliser and after a tough battle, the Buckhurst Hill Vase campaign came to an end in Suffolk.
Buckhurst Hill: Daniel Blockley, Liam Foster (Fehinti Falola 82′), Alfie Harris, Max Nicholson (Will Halford 60′), Henry Day, Conor Tyrell, Ezekiel Bademosi, Joshua Banfield, Hassan Nalbant, Suley Zuhdu (Capt), Nathan Sollosi.
Scorers – Suley Zuhdu (13′), Nathan Sollosi (90′).
