UXBRIDGE (0) 3 J.Cleary 47 mins, Clark 64 mins, S.Bamford 97 mins

ENFIELD (2) 2 Devereux 3 mins, Bunn 40 mins

Uxbridge staged a tremendous fightback to come from two goals behind and then go on and beat Premier Division Enfield after extra time in this entertaining Middlesex Senior Cup Second Round tie. The game had started disastrously for the home side when in the fourth minute Jay Devereux curled in a free kick from the right hand side which got caught up in the strong wind and flew straight into the net to put Enfield into the lead. The goal didn’t put the Reds off their stride though and in the twelfth minute Stuart Bamford got on the end of a Jamie Cleary free kick in the penalty area but was unable to control the ball. Shortly afterwards Enfield centre back Grant Cooper limped off after a fierce fifty fifty tackle with Jamie Carter, who himself departed at half time, to emphasise the competitiveness of the tie. Uxbridge came within a whisker of equalising in the seventeenth minute when Gavin Bamford fed Dean Clark and his powerful shot rippled the side netting. Six minutes later James Bunn had a shot deflected wide at the other end whilst shortly before half time Carter came close to putting the Reds back on level terms on two occasions. Firstly his looping header from a Paul Mills cross was only just too high and then E’s goalkeeper Jerome John just managed to get to the ball before the home striker and cleared the danger with his legs. With the game very much alive and kicking for the majority of the first half it appeared to have all but ended as a contest five minutes before half time when Devereux sent in a corner to the near post and Bunn acted quickest to fire home his sides second. As the Reds came out for the second half they knew there was a mountain to climb but two minutes after the restart the climb became half as steep when Jamie Cleary ran on to a Clark pass and shot past John. Ironically the goal was almost a carbon copy of Uxbridge’s last goal in the competition, scored against Hayes last season by the same player at the same stage of the game. With a real possibility of hauling themselves back into the match, Uxbridge began to assert and on fifty-three minutes Kevin Cleary picked up a loose ball in the penalty area and shot narrowly wide. Five minutes later John couldn’t hold on to Clark’s fierce twenty-five yard free kick but Wayne Brown just managed to clear the ball away before an Uxbridge player could get a foot to the loose ball. Clark though wouldn’t be denied and on sixty-four minutes he picked up the ball in a dangerous area, appeared to have over run it and then hit a snap shot from the edge of the area which beat John and put the Reds back on level terms. With the game now there for the taking it wasn’t until the last ten minutes that Uxbridge threatened to win it. Clark forced a good save from John before Lee Tunnel broke down the right hand side and sent over a cross which flashed across the six yard box with Gill only inches away from touching it into an empty net. Then deep into injury time Enfield substitute Dave Flemming came close to giving his side the winner with a decent shot but was just off target. If either side were tired it didn’t show in extra time. Bryan Hammett’s shot was well held by Daryl Pelton at one end and then a minute later at the other, Clark headed straight at John from six yards after Mills’ cross had set up a great opportunity. However, four minutes later Clark was the creator of the goal which was to seal the tie. It was his inch perfect corner which picked out an unmarked Stuart Bamford who made no mistake with a header from six yards. Enfield had no answer and in the closing stages Clark, Stuart Bamford and Mills all forced decent saves from John. The final whistle signalled the end of an excellent performance by the Reds and for the second game running they won through to the Quarter Finals of a cup competition in extra time. If that pattern continues they’ll be a lot of tired players come the end of the season but neither George Talbot or the Uxbridge supporters will be complaining.

UXBRIDGE: Pelton, Mills, S.Bamford, K.Cleary, Weedon, G.Bamford, Walters (B.Bamford 92), Gill, J.Cleary, Carter (Tunnell 45), Clark.

Sub not used: Flanagan

ENFIELD: John, McDonald, Devereux, Geraghty, Cooper (Harriott 14), Brown, Morris (Jones 53), Lakin, Bunn (Flemming 87), Hammatt, Watson.

Subs not used: Allen, Moody