MK Irish continued their FA Vase journey with a 2-1 victory over Irchester United in challenging conditions. Playing just a short distance from Wellingborough, whom Irish had beaten in the previous round, the team faced heavy rainfall and thunderstorms overhead as they kicked off.
As the game kicked off under dark skies, both teams had to quickly adjust to the drenched pitch, with puddles forming and slowing the ball down. Irish started the brighter, with Ryan Smith whipping a cross into the box early on, but Hirst couldn’t direct his effort on target.
Irchester had their first real chance shortly after, creating a chaotic scramble in the Irish box. The ball pinballed around dangerously before being cleared off the line by Hirst. As Irish regained control, Shrieves showed his class by beating his marker with some clever footwork, but his resulting shot could only find the side netting.
The hosts nearly took the lead midway through the half when a well-struck effort forced a superb diving save from Ladyman to keep the scores level. Irish, however, kept pushing forward. From a set-piece, Kalek’s header looked destined for the net, only for it to be blocked at the last moment. Ryan Smith nearly capitalized on the rebound, but the referee controversially judged him to have fouled the defender. Zawe then came close from a corner, but his header went just wide.
Despite dominating possession, Irish couldn’t break through, and the teams went into the break level.
HALF-TIME: Irchester United 0-0 MK Irish
The second half saw Irish come out with renewed determination. They continued to dominate possession, and on the hour mark, they finally found the breakthrough. Shrieves, who had been a threat all afternoon, drilled a low cross across the face of goal, and under pressure, an Irchester defender turned the ball into his own net to give Irish a 1-0 lead.
Moments later, Irchester nearly equalized when their forward broke through the Irish defence and rounded Ladyman, only to strike the post. The offside flag was raised, so it wouldn’t have counted, but it served as a reminder that the game was far from over.
Ten minutes after their first, Irish doubled their advantage. Shrieves, instrumental once again, played a superb ball across the face of goal to Osei-Addo, who finished clinically past the keeper. Shrieves was taken out in the process, and while the referee could have awarded a penalty, he wisely allowed play to continue, and the advantage paid off.
Irchester were given a lifeline shortly after when the referee awarded them a soft penalty, but the Irchester captain blazed his effort high over the bar, much to Irish’s relief. As the game wore on, Shrieves continued to threaten and had another effort blocked, but Irish held firm.
With just two minutes left on the clock, Irchester pulled one back from a corner. Ladyman got a glove to the ball, but it wasn’t enough to keep it out, making for a nervy finish. Despite the late pressure, Irish saw out the remaining minutes to secure their place in the next round.
FULL-TIME: Irchester United 1-2 MK Irish
Goalscorers: Own Goal (61′), Osei-Addo (70′)
Man of the Match: Ben Shepherd
MK Irish face a local derby in the next round of the FA Vase, as they make the short trip across Milton Keynes to take on rivals Newport Pagnell Town. Newport are no strangers to success in this competition, having lifted the trophy in the 2021/22 season and reaching the final the following year. The tie will be a familiar one for several Irish players, many of whom have previously turned out for Newport, adding extra spice to what promises to be a highly anticipated encounter.
