MIDDLESEX CHARITY CUP SEMI-FINAL

Uxbridge 4 Cockfosters 1

Uxbridge will defend their Middlesex Charity Cup crown after Matt Woods early double helped ease them past gallant Cockfosters last night.

Woods struck twice in the opening 16 minutes before further goals from Craig Tomkins and substitute Callum Madigan completed a comfortable win for the men of Honeycroft.

Tony Choules’ side will now meet the winners of tonight’s semi-final between Bedfont & Feltham and Wembley at Vale Farm on May 5.

Reds’ boss Tony Choules made three changes from Saturday’s win at Aylesbury with Mark Smith, Max Hubbard and Kieran Knight   coming in for Dwayne Coles-Parker, Emanuel Otira and Madigan respectively.

Luke Durnin saw an early effort pushed aside by Rourke Pickford before Woods struck for the first time with just three minutes on the clock.

The striker received the ball on the edge of the box and with the marking slack had time to slip before curling his shot just inside the far post.

The visitors were close to a quick response when Peter Hopcroft’s outstretched boot came within inches of turning in Phil Kane’s excellent cross, but Knight drove one good chance wide at the other end prior to woods doubling his and the home side’s tally on 16 minutes.

The predatory front-man saw an initial effort blocked behind for a corner, but when the set-piece was only half-cleared Hubbard played him in again on the edge of the box. The visitors had not learned from the first occasion and again gave Woods too much room to turn and drive home a shot that left keeper John Armand helpless.

The game was settled by 60 seconds of action shortly before the interval. First it could easily have been 2-1 as Hopcroft’s neat body swerve took him beyond the Uxbridge defence, but his shot was beaten out by Pickford.

As play switched to the other end Craig Tomkins picked up a loose ball to thrash home a 25-yard screamer with his left foot and effectively end the contest.

If that was the best of Tomkins, the worst was seen on the stroke of half-time when he showed his right foot was for standing on, ballooning a shot from seven yards out high over the bar with the goal gaping. He was promptly substituted for the second half giving Frenchman Jean Hugues Batera a debut in midfield.

Madigan came on for Carter 11 minutes into the half and took just three more minutes to make it 4-0 with a sweet hot from just outside the box.

Knight was denied a fifth when Armand blocked his effort from an acute angle, the follow-up shot beating the keeper only to be kicked off the line by Kane.

Cockfosters did get a deserved consolation when Hopcroft headed substitute Adam Ali’s cross inside the far post, but Uxbridge almost added a fifth at the end when the impressive Lewis Wallace produced a sprawling save from Armand.

The win means Uxbridge will be unbeaten for the whole of March if they can avoid defeat at home to playoff chasers Kettering on Saturday.