HALSTEAD TOWN 7 BRAINTREE TOWN RESERVES 0

Thurlow Nunn League First Division Knockout Cup

Halstead Town booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Thurlow Nunn League First Division Knockout Cup as they eased to victory against local rivals Braintree Town Reserves at the Milbank Stadium.

In truth, the final outcome never really looked in doubt as Halstead’s edge up front meant they were always a danger going forward and they stretched away in the game’s latter stages.

Although Braintree did give them some moments of concern, especially as they looked to hit their hosts on the break and will have felt aggrieved not to have at least got one back in a more encouraging first half.

The game started with Halstead on the attack and Braintree keeper Larry Aldridge had to fend off early efforts from Kieran Driver and Michael Runicles as his goal came under siege.

However, they weathered that storm and a break down the left almost caught the hosts out when Joe Jones’ shot on the turn flashed just wide of the target.

It was a brief respite, though, as in the eighth minute, a cross from Tom Cook found Driver unmarked in the middle and he rammed the ball home for the opening goal.

It was a setback for the young Braintree side, but they responded well and tried to stick to their game plan of moving the ball quickly with neat inter-passing and using their pace out wide and through the middle.

What they didn’t have, though, was Halstead’s clinical edge up front and the hosts looked threatening every time they went forward.

Aldridge had to make another good save low to his left from a fierce drive by Cook and it wasn’t long before the Humbugs took a 2-0 lead.

Marcus Warren showed great strength to win the ball out wide and he laid it off cleverly for Driver to calmly take the ball on and bury it into the net to double the advantage after 20 minutes.

It almost became 3-0 after 34 minutes when Warren showed good strength again to set up an attack that ended with him heading towards goal and only a reaction save by Aldridge denied him.

Despite all the pressure on the Iron goal, Braintree showed they were still a threat on the break, though, and when the ball found James Norris in a wide area, he drove a shot across the home goal that was just inches wide of the target.

It stayed 2-0 at half-time but that scoreline lasted just ten minutes into the second half as Halstead went further ahead from a corner.

It was their two central defenders who combined for the goal as Nick Wilderspin put a ball across the goal to where Ricky Spriggs was waiting to fire home his team’s third of the night.

The persistence of Michael Runicles then made it 4-0 six minutes later as he battled on the edge of the Iron box until he had crafted an opening and slammed his shot high into the roof of the net.

By this point, Halstead were running rampant against a tiring Braintree defence and Driver just missed out as he lifted a lob over the bar.

A foul out wide soon offered the next chance for a goal, though, and it was one that Halstead took as Warren’s free-kick was glanced in by substitute Gary McIlwaire.

They then went and added a sixth from another free-kick – once again out wide but a bit further out from the visitors’ goal – and it was Warren doing the damage again.

This time he needed no assistance as his kick carried on the wind and caught Aldridge unawares as it dipped under the cross bar and just out of the Iron keepers grasp.

Despite the result being well gone, Braintree, to their credit, didn’t give up and Jones forced home keeper Joe Fowler into a smart low save in the dying minutes, but the late goal came at the other end.

A Jordan Hutchings corner found its way through a scrum of players and McIlwaire was well-positioned to head in Halstead’s seventh of the night.to wrap up a comprehensive win.

Halstead Town: Joe Fowler, Pat Geddis, James Walker, Nick Wilderspin, Ricky Spriggs, Jordan Partridge, Tom Cook (Chris Bryan), Jake Brown (Gary McIlwaire), Michael Runicles (Jordan Hutchings), Kieran Driver, Marcus Warren.

Subs not used: Charlie Pleace, Jules Simon-Parson.

Braintree Town Reserves: Larry Aldridge, Reece Farley-Hearn, Mark Dallinger (Troy Featherstone), Charlie Webb, Jack Hurley (Matt Travell), Jake Thompson, James Norris (Bailey Jones), Keiron Elliott, Alfie Manley, Joe Jones, Tommy Hayes.

Subs not used: Lewis Hanley, Tom Baker.

Referee: James Pope