FA Cup: Redbridge 1 Burnham 3

Redbridge exited the FA Cup at the preliminary round stage after losing a half-time lead and conceding three goals in the second half to Ryman Division One North rivals Burnham.

Possession football was at a premium at Oakside Stadium and it wasn’t until the 32nd minute that the match had its first real opportunity of note.

Redbridge’s Emiel Aiken and Geoffrey Mitchell combined well on the right but when Aiken found himself with just Burnham goalkeeper Jack Parr to beat, he shot wide of the far post.

The home side had a further chance to break the deadlock in the 42nd minute when Patrick Damali was through on goal, following a counter attack from a Ramblers corner.

But Damali’s first touch let him down and Parr stole the ball off his feet.

Motormen broke the deadlock just before half time, though, after a powerful run on the left by Mitchell, whose shot squirmed through the hands of Parr and into the net.

Injuries to Hussainou Jaffa and captain Gary Henry forced Redbridge into two substitutions at the break and the disruption to the team had an immediate impact, as Ramblers equalised in the 46th minute with a header at the back post by Reiss Gilbey.

The match was becoming increasingly stretched with chances for both sides, but Burnham took charge of the game with two goals in a frantic three-minute spell.

The visitors took the lead in the 59th minute when an inviting cross by Gilbey found Luca Frankis in acres of space in the penalty area, and he made no mistake with a clinical side foot finish past goalkeeper Dean Driscoll.

And the decisive third goal for Burnham came when a long free-kick into the box was headed in emphatically by Brad Hunter.

As Redbridge pushed forward in search of goals, Burnham were happy to sit back and break on the counter.

Both teams hit the woodwork in the last five minutes, but Burnham closed out the match to earn a home tie against Sudbury in the first qualifying round and end Redbridge’s cup dreams for another year.

Redbridge: Driscoll, Thompson, Worrell, Jaffa (Carolan 46), Thomas, Henry (Holloway 46), Carlile, Aiken, Damali (Haleem 72), Mitchell, Bradbury.

Burnham: Parr, Newman (Khory-Davinson 75), Hunter, Evans, Brandon, Beale, Mead, Gilbey, Hunter, Hunt, Frankis (Sonko 79).