MATCH REPORT : Thatcham Town 0 – 3 Bracknell Town

Bracknell Town showed their clinical side to ease past the Kingfishers and progress to the Third Round of the Berks & Bucks Senior Cup.

The Robins opened the scoring mid-way through the second period and went on to score three times without reply.

Prior to that Thatcham had acquitted themselves well against their step three opponents.  But once again, despite creating a number of opportunities they failed to find the back of the net.

In the opening minutes Elliot Emm, Callum Winchcombe and Archie Denton all tried their luck from outside the area as Cam Philbey’s side applied early pressure.

It wasn’t until half-way through the opening period that Bracknell created their first opening as Rafa Ramos fired wide from a left-wing cross.

Town had the ball in the net as Emm surged down the left and Jacob Wallace converted the cut-back, however the linesman ruled that the ball had crossed the touchline.

The same two combined just before the interval as Emm struck the base of the post, with Wallace denied by Charlie Patmore’s sprawling block from the rebound.  Kye Williams then saw a goal-bound shot blocked by a defender.

Bracknell emerged early for the second half and immediately played with more purpose.  But Thatcham seemed to have weathered the early storm with Williams firing a couple of shots at goal, one of which was held by Patmore under the crossbar.

As the half advanced Thatcham received some warnings as James Sharlott made two good saves to keep the scores level.  However the visitors broke the deadlock on 67 minutes as Marcus Daws picked up a loose ball in the penalty area and fired home.

Two minutes later Bracknell made it two, when Jamal Sharp cut in from the right and fired into the far corner.

Levi Heholt had two opportunities from free-kicks on the very edge of the area but both went over the top, while Dontae Hamblin’s low strike was again dealt with by Patmore.

The visitors wrapped the game up as central defender James Taylor nodded home at the far-post after Sharp’s trickery had won Bracknell a free-kick down the right wing.

The Kingfishers will look to put things right on Saturday when Hilltop visit for a league fixture.

Attendance : 137

Team : Sharlott, Hamblin, Winchcombe, Willmoth (c), Denton, Tombs, Williams, Heholt, Wallace, Johnson, Emm

Subs on : Dodson, Shurvill, Herbert, Knight

Sub unused : Chowdhary