Heybridge looked dangerous on the break and created a promising move down the right, but their low cross into the box was read well by Haworth, who cleared the danger for a corner.

The Swifts came even closer on 26 minutes with a dangerous delivery to the back post. The header beat Ladyman but was brilliantly cleared off the line by Beecher. The rebound was fired back towards goal, only for Beecher to produce a second heroic clearance to keep the scores level.

That warning sign spurred Irish into action. Neat play down the right saw Shepherd thread the ball into Zawe, whose attempted cross was blocked by the outstretched arm of a Heybridge defender. The referee pointed straight to the spot.

Meadows stepped up and calmly sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to give Irish a deserved lead on the half-hour mark.

Moments later Irish almost doubled their advantage. Meadows won the ball high up the pitch and drove into the area before playing the ball across goal, but it somehow evaded three green shirts before being scrambled away.

Seven minutes later Heybridge were level. A quick counter saw the ball worked wide and a deep cross looped all the way over Ladyman and into the far corner for an unfortunate equaliser.

Just before the break, Irish were lucky not to fall behind. A perfectly timed run beat the offside trap and sent the Heybridge forward through on goal with a teammate in support. Instead of squaring it, he opted to shoot and dragged his effort well wide of the target.

In the third minute of first-half stoppage time, Irish struck again. Brooks delivered a low cross from the right which the keeper could only palm into the path of Ryan Smith. He laid it off for Spence, whose shot was blocked on the line. Meadows was quickest to react and pounced ahead of his marker to fire home his second of the afternoon.

Half time: MK Irish 2-1 Heybridge Swifts

MK Irish picked up where they left off and extended their lead just six minutes after the restart. Spence played a perfectly weighted through ball that sliced open the Heybridge defence, and Brooks showed great pace to get there first. He rounded the keeper and slotted home for a debut goal to make it 3–1.

With a two-goal cushion, Irish began to control proceedings. Shepherd won possession in midfield and fed Meadows, who twisted his marker inside the area but fired just wide of the far post.

The game changed on 66 minutes when Haworth, already on a yellow card for an earlier foul, made a slightly late challenge near the touchline. The referee showed a second yellow and Irish were reduced to ten men.

That gave Heybridge a boost and they immediately threatened from the resulting free kick, although the header lacked power and Ladyman collected it comfortably.

Irish were still a threat going forward and came close when Brooks drove a dangerous ball across goal that Meadows met, only to see his effort blocked.

The visitors pulled one back on 75 minutes. A free kick from the right was not fully cleared and the ball dropped to a Heybridge player, who volleyed through a crowded area. The effort going through a number of bodies and crept into the bottom corner, leaving Ladyman unsighted.

Spence looked to restore the two-goal cushion with a low strike from just outside the area but dragged it wide. Irish then broke with numbers and looked to be in on goal, but the final pass was intercepted before the move could develop.

Heybridge pushed forward in the closing stages and had a half-chance from a flick-on, but the resulting shot was saved well by Ladyman. A series of long balls into the area followed, but Irish held firm and defended their box with composure to see out the win.

Full time: MK Irish 3-2 Heybridge Swifts

Goalscorers: Meadows (30, 45+3), Brooks (51)

Man of the Match: Nat Beecher

A competitive and entertaining cup tie saw MK Irish make a winning start to the season. Two goals from Meadows and a debut finish from Brooks were enough to book a place in the next round of the Emirates FA Cup, where they will face familiar opponents Arlesey Town. Despite going down to ten men midway through the second half, Irish showed great resilience to weather late pressure and secure an impressive result on the opening day.