To be fair visitors Redhill never really troubled the Mead especially when their main threat Richmond Kissi received a straight red card for an ugly looking lunge at Lewis Tozer after the Thamesmead skipper had mis controlled when attempting to clear clearing.
The home side sealed their place in the next round with two goals in ten minutes either side of the hour mark courtesy of Tyrus Gordon Young and Jon Main’s penalty.The home side had the best chance early on when Gordon-Young blasted wide, before Main forced Redhill keeper Chris Duffy into the first of his smart saves by first blocking the strikers first shot before doing well to smother the rebound.
The visitors were again indebted to their keeper when Duffy this time did well to deny Sean Roberts before the game turned completely following Kissi’s reckless lunge left referee Crysett with little choice other than to brandish the striker a straight red card.Gordon-Young could have put the home side in front before half time after creating a great chance for himself he forced the Redhill keeper into another good block, before Theo Fairweather Johnson hit a deep ball in from the right that had Duffy back pedalling for all that he was worth as the keeper just did enough to claw the ball to safety.
So 0-0 at the break, and early in the second half, the Redhill stopper was almost left red faced by Main. The prolific striker was played in from the right, and his shot on the turn seemed to have gone through Duffy but the keeper was very fortunate to have taken enough pace off of the ball that he had time to turn and dive on the ball before it crossed the goal line.
Thamesmead continued to ask questions as their visitors were pushed further and further back – Gordon-Young and Fairweather-Johnson had shots blocked, before a James Donovan header (from Jack Hopkins right wing corner) was bundled away; Main saw a shot blocked before Roberts was denied by a last gasp challenge before finally, finally the deadlock was broken.
And the deserving Gordon Young was the one to break the deadlock and how. Beautifully played in down the right hand side, the Thamesmead number nine took the ball in his stride and drilled home beyond Duffy’s left hand and into the net. As is often the way in games like this once the deadlock is broken, goal number two followed very quickly and again Gordon young played a huge part.
With the ball seemingly drifting out for a corner in the right back position, the Thamesmead striker disposed the Redhill full back Bradley Duke who had been trying to see the ball out of play, and as Gordon Young turned towards goal, Duke hauled him down giving the referee no option, and Main confidently stroked the ball into the net albeit off of the Duffy’s left hand, and that was effectively that.
Thamesmead did have further half chances with Hopkins heading wide and sub Rob Carter unlucky from 25 yards with a shot that drifted wide, but by then Keith McMahon’s side had their first home win of the season and were in Monday’s draw for the second qualifying round for the first time in five years and incidentally will be looking to get to the third qualifying round for the first time in the Clubs short history!
THAMESMEAD – Rob Budd, Jack Hopkins, Antone Douglas, Dean Pennant, Lewis Tozer, James Donovan, Sean Roberts, Danny Phillips (Dan Ailey 80), Tyrus Gordon Young (Rob Carter 78), Jon Main (Michael Power 69), Theo Fairweather Johnson
Subs not used – John Scarborough, Danny Moore, Richard Butler & Daniel Carpanini
REDHILL – Chris Duffy, Brendan Duke, Sean Kelly, Ryan Briggs, Jon Difford, John Boswell, Niall Egan (Matt Robinson 59), Kissi, Mitford (Gordon HT), Bingham (Gregson 69)
Subs not used – Leyton Regan, Joshua Bonnett, Gustavo Sousa Mota & John Bernal
Referee – Mr A Crysell
Assistants – Mr T King & Mr S Tate