Comfortable win for Thame over Headington

THAME United progressed to the next round of the Challenge Cup with a relatively comfortable victory against Division One East side, Headington Amateurs, on Saturday, with a final score of Thame United 4, Headington Amateurs 2.

Andy Gledhill, who scored his first competitive goal for Thame United on Saturday, against Headington Amateurs

Played in near perfect conditions, United started the stronger of the two sides and, for the first five minutes, the visitors were unable to get out of their half. However, when they did, they nearly took the lead as Josh Cockerill pushed an effort on to the post on seven minutes. With United then pushing forward, they took the lead on 23 minutes when, after good inter-play down the Thame right between Calvin Evans and Dan Jones, the latter centred the ball for Andy Gledhill who finished confidently from six yards for his first competitive goal for the Club. His second arrived only three minutes later when Jones again crossed from the right, and Gledhill headed in to the far corner. Then, on 29 minutes, United scored their third as a Jones corner was met by the head of Jon Coverley and the ball flew in to the goal.

At this stage, United were in complete control and, before the break, they could have extended the lead further, firstly through Luke Ricketts, whose effort was deflected over, and then by Coverley whose header from a Jones corner was clawed away by the visiting keeper.

As it was it remained 3-0 to United at the break and, inside the first minute of the second half, they nearly extended the league when a Jones volley from the edge of the box went just wide. Nevertheless, on 53 minutes the fourth goal arrived when Alex Kedzierski played the ball through to Calvin Evans on the right, who weaved his way across the face of the penalty, beating three men in the process, before placing the ball wider of the visiting keeper.

With a comfortable lead at this stage, United took their foot off the pedal, and former United player, Paul Hedger, pulled a goal back for the visitors on 57 minutes. The same player then scored a second on 79 minutes, collecting the ball in space on the wide right, before placing his shot wide of Cockerill and into the far corner. Despite the goals, United continued to press forward and could have extended their lead but, in the event, there were no further goals and United progressed in to the next round of the competition.

United: Cockerill, Evans, Hall, Hercules, Coverley, Lynch (Morris), Jones, Kedzierski, Gledhill (West), Gray (Hazell), Ricketts