Saturday 2nd August, 2025 | Maldon & Tiptree 5-0 Buckhurst Hill | Emirates FA Cup | Attendance : 442
By Harry Biggs
Buckhurst Hill FC exited the Emirates FA Cup on Saturday afternoon following a difficult away trip to a strong Maldon & Tiptree side.
Manager Mark Williams made five changes to the team that drew with Soul Tower Hamlets in midweek. With both Josh Banfield and Christian North unavailable, Andrew Zambrano returned in goal, having made his debut just two games prior against Ilford. Archie Hammond was handed a start after a bench appearance last time out, while Reece Lee Simpson and Youcef Tacine came in for Billy Titley and Demetri Nicolaou. At the back, Yannis Ambroisine was replaced by debutant Noor Mbaza Samuel.
First Half
As expected, the hosts dominated possession, boasting former Premier League strikers Gary Hooper and Freddie Sears in attack. But The Stags managed to create some promising chances of their own over the 90 minutes.
The first real attacking move came from Buckhurst Hill. Callum Maltese and Archie Hammond linked up well in the final third, but the opportunity fizzled out as the hosts cleared the danger.
Maldon responded with increasing pressure, and just 10 minutes in, a shot looked destined for the net, only for captain Ollie Williams to clear off the line after Zambrano had been caught out of position.
However, just two minutes later, the deadlock was broken. Gary Hooper raced through on goal and calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner to put Maldon 1–0 ahead. Moments later, the lead was doubled when Dyan Williams unleashed a rocket from outside the box, leaving Zambrano with no chance as it flew into the bottom corner.
Buckhurst Hill were then forced into an early substitution on 24 minutes after Ethan Daniels appeared to be elbowed during an aerial challenge, despite no foul being awarded. Following a lengthy stoppage, Daniels was replaced by Daniel Sayer, making his first appearance for The Stags.
Play resumed with Maldon nearly adding a third, but Zambrano produced a brilliant full-stretch save. However, just before the break, Maldon struck again. With Buckhurst Hill appealing for a foul in midfield, they were caught on the counter, and Louis Dunne made it 3–0 with a composed finish past Zambrano.
Second Half
The second half started much like the first, and just 10 minutes in, Hooper added his second to make it 4–0. Despite the scoreline, Buckhurst Hill began to grow into the game.
A golden opportunity came just two minutes later when Reece Lee Simpson unleashed a strike from outside the box. Maldon’s experienced keeper Elliot Justham was forced into action, pushing the shot onto the post to deny a goal.
Soon after, Callum Maltese drove at the Maldon defence and fired just over the bar, showing The Stags’ growing confidence.
Mark Williams made a double substitution shortly after the hour mark, with Hammond and Martin replaced by Titley and Nicolaou. More chances followed, but Justham stood firm, denying several attempts.
With around 20 minutes remaining, Simpson and Maltese made way for Padington and Kehinde. Just three minutes later, George Edwards forced another strong save from Justham, this time with a curling effort that looked destined for the bottom corner.
Edwards continued to threaten late on, this time from a free kick, but again Justham was equal to it.
In stoppage time, Maldon completed the scoring with a fifth goal. A headed effort from Price beat Zambrano and nestled into the top corner, wrapping up a dominant win for the hosts.
Full-Time: Maldon & Tiptree 5–0 Buckhurst Hill
The referee’s whistle brought an end to The Stags’ FA Cup journey against a very strong Maldon & Tiptree side. We thank them for their hospitality and wish them the very best in the next round of the competition.
Buckhurst Hill now turn their focus back to Essex Senior League action, with an enticing trip to the Lawtech Stadium to face Barking FC up next.
TEAM :
Zambrano (GK), Samuel 🟨, Edwards, Harris, Daniels, Maltese, Hammond, Williams ©️, Martin, Simpson, Racine
SUBS :
Perry (GK), Titley (62’ – Martin), Nicolaou (61’ – Hammond), Padington (70’ – Simpson), Kehinde (70’ – Maltese), Buchanan, Sayer (26’ – Daniels)
