Emphatic 5:1 win for Thatcham Town

The Kingfishers scored five second-half goals to bulldoze past Cinderford in Saturday’s FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round tie.  A crowd of almost 300 saw the goals flow once Levi Heholt broke the deadlock after a tight opening half.

On a hot afternoon, the first half was played at a relatively slow pace as two evenly matched teams sized each other up. Chances were few and far between as Kyle Tooze was put through by Josh Baines only to fire straight at Jude Franks.  The Cinderford stopper then tipped Heholt’s 25 yard free-kick around the post.

Then the visitors missed a glorious chance to take the lead just before half-time as Tino Shumba broke down the right and centred for Jack Watts who scuffed his shot when unmarked in the middle of goal.

The second half was just five minutes old when the Kingfishers opened the scoring.  A cross from the left was half-cleared to Heholt, who took a touch and slammed it into the net from 15 yards.

Then, Luke Polding was teed up for a chance as he surged forward but Watts made a fine save. However, on 57 minutes it was two as Tooze was nudged over in the box and the forward fired the spot-kick over the diving goalkeeper.

Cinderford pulled one back almost immediately as Shumba nipped in to head home a free-kick from the left.

But the goals continued to flow as Thatcham restored their two goal cushion on 70 minutes.  Kye Williams’s industry won a corner, and Callum Willmoth’s cross was met at the far post by Andy Matthews.

The fourth arrived on 78 minutes when Heholt nicked the ball away from an unsuspecting defender in the box and was brought down.  With Tooze having been replaced, this time it was Charlie Knight who fired the penalty high into the net.

Knight was then wrestled to the ground 30 yards out which led to Thatcham’s fifth.  With the goalkeeper seemingly expecting a cross, Callum Winchcombe’s low shot caught him by surprise as it squeezed in at the near post.

Thatcham will now travel to Mangotsfield United in the Preliminary Round, after the Mangos overcame Easington Sports.