Old Parkonians 4 - 2 Old Foresters (Essex AFA Cup, Quarter Final)
(AET 2-2 after 90 minutes)

After the corresponding fixture a week before had been called off due to the flooding of Oakfield, these two local rivals lined up to contest the quarter final of the Essex A.F.A. Cup on Saturday.

Foresters started much the brighter of the two sides and were ahead in under 5 minutes, when the two centre forwards combined to convert a good move. The visitors were pressing Parks very high up the pitch - leaving them with the long ball out of defence as their escape route. Unfortunately, with the driving wind at their backs, Parks found the Foresters' keeper on the majority of these clearances. Parks' first passing move of the game produced the equaliser. Mason and Jamieson linked to release Kemp on the right wing, and his pinpoint cross was drilled across the keeper by Kuforiji from 10 yards out.

On level terms with ten minutes gone, Parks could not find any rhythm and Foresters pressed again to retake the lead. The visitors worked the ball well down Parks left, and the cross was converted with a looping flick over the stranded MacCallum. The wind was making it difficult for both sides to control the ball, and the half chances created as a result of the mistakes were not converted at either end. Foresters came closest to scoring again, and making it 3-1, the crossbar keeping Parks in the game.

Playing into the wind in the second half seemed to suit Parks much more, and with Bostock and Bernstein starting the attacks, Parks dominated possession for long periods at a time. The home side finally got a grip on the game in centre-midfield through Collins and Jamieson, and began to stifle any Foresters attacks before they proved dangerous. Throughout the half Parks threatened to level the game, Kuforiji and Chadwick both missing chances to score. Collins headed wide from a Mason cross, and it was beginning to look like the equaliser would elude the home side. With 10 minutes remaining, a Knapman corner was flicked back across the goal by Bernstein, and Chadwick was on hand to head home from close range to level the tie. A trademark Jamieson run took him past four bemused defenders, but Parks failed to convert the resulting cross. Both sides then had opportunities to win the game in 90 minutes - Chadwick driving high and wide when one-on-one, and then Bernstein making the tackle of the game in his own box to take the tie into extra time.

Parks looked the stronger side ending normal time - and it was proved the case when they scored twice in the first period of extra time. Kuroriji doubled his tally on the day, slipping the ball under the advancing keeper, from a Jamieson pass. Seconds later and the tie was over, Knapman finishing in exactly the same way, cooly sliding the ball under Foresters unprotected keeper. Kuforiji missed out on his deserved hat-trick by inches, when his 25 yard lob bounced off the top of the bar.

From 2-1 down, Parks had turned the tie around with a fine team performance. Man of the match Kuforiji delivered the game he has been promising over the past few weeks, and Knapman continued his great run of form to take Parks into the last four. Bring on the semi's (and I'm not talking about Palmer and the strippers).

Scorers: Kuforiji 2, Chadwick, Knapman
Man of the Match: Kuforiji
Celebration of the Match: Knapman - out of time U.K. hip-hop dancing.
Team: MacCallum, Bostock, Kenny, Bernstein, Kemp, Mason, Jamieson, Collins, Knapman, Chadwick, Kuforiji. Subs: Nicholls, Keogh.

This week Parks host Old Lyonians at Oakfield in a S.A.L. Division 2 fixture (2.30pm KO).

Report by TC