By Peter Dudley, author of Pedro's Local Footie Fix blog [pedroslocalfootiefix.blogspot.com] and co-presenter of the Grassroots Football Show on East London Radio.

Newbury Forest netted five at The Terrence McMillan Stadium in Newham against Fire United to progress into the Second Round of the Thurlow Nunn First Division KO Cup, setting up a tie at Burroughs Park against White Ensign.

Both sides have had difficult starts to the season, the hosts are bottom of the Eastern Senior South division having lost all four games, whilst Forest have just a point from their six games so far, and with both having the worst goal differences in the league you fancied goals in this one.

Apart from a couple of wayward efforts from the hosts, the opening fifteen minutes yielded very little in the way of goalmouth action, before the visitors then saw a very good chance saved.

And then in the 18th minute Forest grabbed the lead when a loose ball inside the box was poked home by Dean Nevill, and then just two minutes later Nathaniel Cole intercepted a wayward clearance to burst into the hosts box and fire beyond the keeper to double the visitors lead just like that.

Just past the half hour mark Cole turned from hero to villain for the visitors as he was sin binned for dissent, meaning ten minutes off the field, so could the hosts capitalise on this?

Well they did go close a couple of times whilst he was off the field, firstly seeing a corner sliced across goal by a defender, and then secondly missing a golden chance at the back post when it seemed easier to score.

Forest then sent a header wide at the other end before Cole returned after his ten minutes on the side-line, and he saw the hosts have another couple of efforts on goal but were unable to turn these into goals, and it meant the visitors held a 2-0 lead going into the break.

Half Time Fire United 0 Newbury Forest 2

Forest quickly increased their lead after the break as in the 49th minute a ball across to Holder saw the striker mis-kick an effort across goal but thankfully for him and the visitors Adam Adomakoh was on hand to slot home from the left side of the area and you felt the visitors may go on and score a bucket-load.

Fair play to the hosts though as they and the visitors continued to play decent attacking football, it was a pretty good watch and the home side were giving it a good go despite the 0-3 scoreline.
The home side then saw a couple of decent effort pass them by, before Forest then saw a chance of their own saved before the follow up effort was blocked by a sprawling defender as the game had around twenty minutes or so to go.

Fire then missed another brilliant chance but found visiting keeper Bradley Simpson in the way, before the rebound was somehow blocked wide by the visitors as they looked to earn a rare clean sheet. The visitors seemed to be going through the motions somewhat, although with a 3-0 lead with ten remaining this could be forgiven, but had the hosts had an end product then the scoreline could have been different.

Forest though woke up again for the final few minutes and netted a fourth with seven to go and it was a peach from skipper Freddie Anderson who thumped home from thirty yards out, and then in the first minute of stoppage time lovely attacking play from the visitors ended with Hashim Ahmed finding the bottom corner and putting the gloss on Forest’s evening as they progressed into the next round.

Full Time Fire United 0 Newbury Forest 5

Terrence McMillan Stadium

Match details

Match date

Kickoff

Attendance

Player of the match