Tuesday 3rd November 2009, Scraley Road, Kick-Off 7:30pm, Essex Senior Cup supported by BBC Essex Round Three.
Heybridge gave Chelmsford a late scare at Scraley Road, recovering three quarters of their four-goal deficit in just the final 20 minutes, though Glenn Pennyfather’s visitors ultimately maintained their advantage to move into the draw for the last sixteen of the competition.
City had installed themselves as near certainties to claim the tie when they raced into a 4-0 lead just beyond the half-time interval through Anthony Cook, Ricky Holmes (2) and Rob Edmans. But a successfully-converted penalty from Liam Coleman triggered a fight-back of sorts which resulted in Sam Adejokun notching a brace of his own which had the Blue Square South team biting their nails by the end.
The Clarets sprinted out of the blocks early when Cook put them in the ascendancy inside the opening 2 minutes. Holmes burst down the left before cutting back to the winger adjacent to the penalty spot and he side-footed home via a heavy deflection. By 22 minutes this advantage was doubled as Michael Haswell overlapped Ricky Modeste, also on the left, prior to squaring to Holmes who turned and fired low into the net.
Heybridge caused Clarets goalkeeper Ashley Harrison concern with a number of close shaves, including an effort cut just wide of the angle and a number of crosses which went unconverted but Holmes was again the scorer at the other end in the 36th minute, a long ball finding Edmans who in turn passed inside, leading to a first-time bullet third.
A minute prior to the hour mark Edmans himself got on the score sheet with the visitors starting to run away with proceedings. The tall striker latched onto a deep through ball and guided across the face into the bottom left-hand corner past goalkeeper Ollie Morris-Sanders. However, a 70th-minute penalty, given for an adjudged handball by Cook, was neatly converted by Coleman.
This game Heybridge a fresh impetus and ten minutes later they added a second, an acrobatic finish coming from the unmarked Adejokun who got onto the end of a free-kick near the half-way line. Adejokun then provided further cause for concern for the visitors with a headed goal four minutes from the end and Wayne Bond’s team could have forced extra time if their subsequent one-on-one with Harrison had have been capitalised on, though Chelmsford held out and moved into the Fourth Round.
Heybridge Swifts: Olly Morris-Sanders, Wayne Semanshia (Ben Hull, 81), Jake Gibson (Ryan Hull, 45), Luke Fisher, Phillip Goodwin (Nathan Smith, 45), Liam Coleman, Steven Bourne, Gareth Street, Sam Adejokun, Nicholas Muir, Reece Harris. Unused Substitutes: Temitope Arojogun, Aaron Hosford.
Chelmsford City: Ashley Harrison, Ryan Batchford, Michael Haswell, Mark Haines, Simon Glover, Matthew Lock, Ollie Berquez, Anthony Cook (Junior Fatai-Somuyiwa, 78), Rob Edmans, Ricky Modeste, Ricky Holmes. Unused Substitutes: Max Johnson, Stuart Latimer, Steve Ward, Lewis Batchford.
Bookings: Heybridge: Harris (foul).
Referee: Adrian Oldershaw (Brentwood).
Assistant Referees: Steve Connor (Braintree) and Simon Essex (Colchester).
Attendance: 201.
Man-of-the-Match: Ricky Holmes (Chelmsford City): Netted twice, set one up and was a constant nuisance to the Swifts defence. The tricky winger was playing ‘out of position’ up-front, but it didn’t show as he completed an accomplished performance.