Lincolnshire 1-4 Essex (9/12/09): Essex moved confidently into the last 16 of this national competition with a good win away to Lincolnshire, going 1-0 up inside 2 minutes with a well-worked goal converted by central defender Lemar Lemonius.
A poor defensive header in the 4th minute fell to Tyrone Scarlett who scored with a composed finish to make it 2-0 inside the first 5 minutes. Essex were comfortably dominating most of the possession and should, in truth, have gone further ahead before half-time, creating a number of good scoring opportunities. However, it wasn’t until the 37th minute that Lincolnshire had their first shot on-target, bringing out a good save from Lamar Joseph-Johnson.
The game was effectively over in the first minute of the second half when Ryan Stalley headed over the keeper from close range to increase the lead to 3-0. Aaron Matthews then capped a strong performance by completing a mazy run inside the penalty area before scoring low inside the near post. Lincolnshire scored a late consolation goal for their efforts but it is Essex who progressed to the last 16.
Derbyshire 1-2 Essex (19/11/09): Essex progressed to the last 32 of the national knockout competition at Moorways Stadium, Derbyshire, on an open, bobbly and wind-affected pitch, making flowing football very difficult.
Essex found themselves 1-0 down but Ryan Stalley equalized from the penalty spot as the visitors gained the upper hand in the match. In the second half, Essex made full use of their squad and their superior fitness to create numerous chances, but it was down to forward Michael Thalasitis to score the decisive winning goal, making it 2-1. Essex now travel to Lincolnshire in the last 32 of the competition.
Management Team: Graham Hall, Jimmy Gilligan and Andy Tickner.