U18S MAKE HISTORY BY REACHING THE SECOND ROUND OF THE FA YOUTH CUP

Needham Market Under-18s made club history with a 4-0 home victory over Erith Town, reaching the Second Round Proper of the FA Youth Cup for the first time ever.

Luke Betts' side started brightly, as Evan Gledhill converted Brad Smith's cross in the fifth minute for an early lead, with Flynn Bobby (25') doubling the lead before the break. The winger finished a fantastic team move to make it 3-0 just before the hour mark, with Oscar Wakeling (89') rounding off a historic night from a corner.

Needham created a good half chance in the fourth minute. Gledhill received a long ball before threading Kellen Fiddy through onto the right-hand side whose cutback to the striker was intercepted.

The young Marketmen broke the deadlock a minute later, Smith's exquisite cross to the far post found Gledhill lurking at point blank range to turn the ball home.

Flynn Bobby (9') weaved through the opposition's half smartly, feeding Gledhill whose shot was blocked.

Needham continued to enjoy good spells of possession, while Erith began to grow into the game around the 20th minute, with Needham 'keeper Charlie Skinner (22') on hand to comfortably hold onto a tame effort from outside the box.

Gledhill (24') meanwhile saw a neat attempted lobbed effort following a long ball smothered by the keeper.

Flynn Bobby netted a second a minute later, while James Coton (27') was fed close to goal on the right-hand side whose shot was blocked, although a dangerous low right wing cross just evaded Gledhill running in at point blank range seconds later.

Olly Reynolds (30') blocked a goal-bound shot off the line, while Fiddy (31') met a right wing corner at the far post only for his curling strike at the top right-hand corner to be headed off the line.

Good work from Bobby and Palmer earned a corner, as the latter beat a defender down the left-hand side only to see his low cross deflected wide for a corner in the 41st minute.

Clever play from James Coton (44') saw the winger win possession high up the left wing, who drove onto the edge of the area to shoot - which was comfortably held by the keeper at his near post.

Skinner tipped over a strike a minute later, followed by the keeper (45'+1') beating away a dangerous corner.

After the break, Jacob Connor (48') fired a 35-yard free-kick over, though Needham forced a good save out of Woody Leach in the 50th minute.

Harlyn Palmer raced onto a great ball down the right-hand side but to see his shot at point blank range smartly smothered away by the keeper.

The woodwork then denied Betts' side a 3rd on 55 minutes, Tyler Wright exploited space driving onto the left-hand side whose excellently curled strike cannoned into the gloves of the keeper off the inside of the bottom far post.

Bobby however added a brilliant third goal (59'), the winger added his second of the night as he beat the defence to Fiddy's great defence splitting pass to skillfully open the angle to fire into the bottom left-hand corner.

Erith in reply, shot just wide of the bottom left-hand corner (61'), who just couldn't quite latch onto a dangerous 63rd minute cross from distance, arriving unmarked at the far post.

While a low Erith ball across the face of goal was crucially deflected away from yellow shirts arriving and behind the far post for a 65th minute corner, the resulting corner was flashed over everyone in the six yard box and out for a corner.

Harry Hopkins replaced Coton, prior to Skinner (67') reading a low strike towards his near, right-hand, post to hold onto the ball, as Needham (69') saw a low shot saved at the near post.

The hosts (75') saw an effort headed away from goal, as Fiddy half-volleyed over from inside the penalty area.

Oscar Wakeling and Henry Vieira were introduced for Palmer and Gledhill, as the away side hunted for a goal back.

Hopkins (80') saw a shot from outside the area blocked, ahead of Reynolds and Skinner blocking and holding a fierce strike apiece from outside the area on 87 minutes.

Oscar Wakeling (89') diverted a right wing corner home at the far post for a fourth, finishing a memorable night for the football club, reaching the second round proper scoring 28 goals and conceding just one.

The Reserves entertain Haverhill Borough, with Simon Nunn's Under-23's away to Debenham LC both on Saturday (3pm).

Man Of The Match and double goalscorer Flynn Bobby said, "really pleased. A great group of boys. Buzzing, to be honest. Worked hard. It's been half-term, we're still on training throughout the week and, we deserve this, I think."

Having come close to reaching the first round proper last season, and to have went two steps further this year the winger said, "the boys deserve it. We've improved so much as a team in the last year. We were a new team this time last year and I think now we're really starting to gel and it's showing."

"Obviously, really happy to score but, winning is still the most important part and, like I said, there's no better group of boys that I could have done it with."

Asked about how important the defensive record that Charlie Skinner and the defence have in the competition this season he added, "he deserves it. I always see him work hard. He works hard.

"We're up three, four times a week. How often we train. I see how hard he works, and the rewards are showing for not only him but the whole team. So, he deserves it just as much as everyone else. Everyone's doing extras (training) whereas this time last year I think we were asked to do the extras whereas now I think that's all being done off our own back and, like I said, that's now really starting to show up. Like I said, the team's starting to gel. Our first year of men's football last year and I think we struggled slightly. Results showed that, but like you said, this season got off to a really good start in both the Youth Cup, the 18s league, which I haven't played in yet but the boys are doing really well, and we're doing really well.

"It's a really good team performance. Obviously, individual quality got us over the line but the way we played as a team, the way we pressed as a team, lots of work throughout the week, in possession, out of possession. That's credit to Manty, to Luke for that. We get the rewards for it and, yeah, everyone deserves this."

On who he'd like to face in the next round, he replied, "bring on whoever wants to play us. Yeah, we want a big team.

I think tonight, again, we're showing that we won't roll over for any team. We'll go into every game with the mindset of we're the favourites and we'll take it to any team. We play the way we played tonight and in each of the rounds, I don't see anyone stopping us, at least without a fight. So, yeah, bring it on."

Speaking about the impact of the 200+ crowd Bobby said, "yeah, brilliant. Obviously, really good to play in front of a lot of people. They were all behind us tonight, which I think pushed us over the line. Yeah, a really good experience for all of us."

Discussing what he'll take away from this achievement Bobby added, "I know last year, like I said, we put in the extra work, but eventually just keep at it, keep going and the extra work that you do put in, that we all put in, will pay off."