Windsor and Eton get the better of trophy holders Kennington Athletic

Windsor & Eton 4, Kennington Athletic 1

Windsor & Eton have shown they are up for the cup as they defeated Kennington Athletic rather convincingly at Stag Meadow on Saturday afternoon.

Goals from Jude Van Spall, Fiifi Carter (two), and James Clark ensured the progression of Matt Angell’s men in the Berks & Bucks Charles Twelftree Trophy, notably at the expense of last year’s champions.

It wouldn’t be disrespectful to say Windsor could have won by a greater margin too, as they had numerous chances throughout this clash which were either squandered or narrowly saved.

, ’ …

Manager Matt Angell reflects on Windsor & Eton’s performance against Kennington Athletic this afternoon.@WindsorEtonFC @angellm8te pic.twitter.com/15J4pinWlQ

— Joshua Browne (@JoshuaB_BM) October 14, 2023

Kicked off at 2:32pm in support of World Mental Health Day (Tuesday, October 10), this contest began at fast speed with Angell’s side registering three swift shots.

First, Carter saw his effort blocked bravely by Cal Stubbs, Jemel Johnson’s strike soon after was saved by Nick Hill before Johnson had another bite of the cherry but disappointingly headed the ball wide from yards out.

It looked like Kennington were going to immediately punish the home side with a goal of their own in the ninth minute, but George Armstrong was alert to save Henry Chesterman’s cross/shot.

Next, Carter whistled the woodwork before Van Spall – with the goal at his mercy – spooned the ball over the crossbar in the 15th minute to leave Angell clutching his head in frustration.

The chances to open the scoring kept falling Windsor’s way with Johnson fumbling twice before the half-hour mark.

As the old adage goes, ‘you don’t take your chances, you get punished’, and that’s exactly what happened to the hosts in the 37th minute as Josh Nicholls brought a long ball down superbly and slotted it into the back of the net.

Fiercely motivated by their supporters, Windsor piled the pressure on Kennington in the dying embers of the first half and believed they should have had two penalties after Johnson went down in the box and the ball later struck a Kennington defender’s arm.

Nevertheless, their pressure bore fruitful as the hosts restored parity in the 43rd minute, Van Spall tucking the ball in to make amends for his big miss earlier.

Into the second half, Windsor got themselves in front from the spot – Carter coolly dispatching the penalty – before their lead was extended through Carter again, the forward rounding Stubbs this time before thumping home.

A goal-line scramble denied Windsor their fourth goal in the 69th minute before Armstrong was quite literally up in arms as the home side’s defenders allowed a Kennington forward to breach into the box and get a shot off.

A cross flashed across the box in the 81st minute served a warning of Kennington’s never-say-die attitude, but this tie was put to bed in added time by Clark, not long after Isaiah Chase-Kelly had several attempts to grab himself a goal.

The victory means Windsor & Eton are yet to taste defeat this season in all competitions. Next up for the side is a Berkshire Trophy Centre Senior Cup match against AFC Winkfield (Saturday, October 21).