MK Irish advanced in the Premier Division Cup after a solid 4-1 win over Crawley Green. Despite an early setback, Irish turned the game around with a confident display, dominating possession and showcasing sharp passing throughout to secure their place in the next round.
Irish nearly got off to a perfect start as Kelsey’s clipped ball found Spence, who attempted a first-time lob over the keeper but saw it miss by inches. Crawley Green, showing physicality in the early exchanges, took the lead in controversial fashion on 11 minutes. A potential foul on Beecher went uncalled, allowing Crawley to cross the ball into the box. A shot on goal took a lucky deflection, bouncing off the post and into the net to put the visitors ahead.
Irish responded with determination, and their efforts paid off on 28 minutes. A well-delivered corner found Spence, who managed to divert the ball through a crowd of players and into the back of the net to level the score at 1-1.
Just a minute later, Kelsey delivered another accurate ball to Spence, whose header was saved. Irish’s persistence soon paid off, and they took the lead on 31 minutes. Shrieves found Ryan Smith on the edge of the area, and Smith struck a perfect shot into the bottom corner, leaving the keeper with no chance.
Irish looked set to add a third before the break when Shrieves found Hirst at the back post, but Hirst miscued his shot, the ball instead hitting his standing leg. The rebound fell to Meadows, whose curling effort was blocked. Just before halftime, Shrieves had a low effort saved by the Crawley keeper.
HALF-TIME: MK Irish 2-1 Crawley Green
Irish continued their dominance after the break, with Zawe sending a precise low cross to Meadows in the box, but the Crawley keeper denied him again. The pressure mounted as Spence whipped a ball across the face of goal to Shrieves, who looked set to score. However, a Crawley defender’s last-ditch slide knocked the ball away just in time.
Irish finally extended their lead in style. Spence picked up the ball on the edge of the area and slipped it to Shrieves on the left. Shrieves cut inside, beat his man, and curled a shot past the keeper to make it 3-1.
Relentless in their search for a fourth, Spence nearly added to the scoreline with a curling strike from outside the area, only to be denied by an outstanding save. From the resulting corner, Coleman found Spence unmarked, but his shot sailed over.
The fourth goal eventually arrived after great work from Ryan Smith, who recovered the ball at the back post and played it back to Coleman. Showing quick feet, Coleman turned his defender before drilling a low shot into the bottom corner.
Kelsey came close to a fifth, skimming the crossbar with a long-range effort. Coleman and Kalek then linked up in a neat passing move on the edge of the area, resulting in Kalek’s low cross that flashed across goal but lacked a final touch.
Crawley Green almost grabbed a late consolation in stoppage time. A free-kick delivery caused a scramble in the box, and a goal-bound shot rattled the bar before Irish cleared the danger.
FULL-TIME: MK Irish 4-1 Crawley Green
Goalscorers: Spence (28’), R. Smith (31’), Shrieves (66’), Coleman (77’)
Man of the Match: Nat Beecher
Irish delivered an impressive all-round performance, shMK Irish displayed excellent control in their Premier Division Cup clash with Crawley Green, coming back from a controversial early goal to win 4-1. The home side’s consistent pressing and fluid passing resulted in a dominant performance. Irish will take confidence from this strong showing as they advance to the next round of the cup, The draw has already been made and Irish face an away trip to Baldock Town, the game scheduled to be played on the 10th December.
💭☘️ | POST MATCH THOUGHTS
— Milton Keynes Irish FC (@MKIrishFC) October 29, 2024
Terry Shrieves talks us through a rare Tuesday night cup victory for his team, running out 4-1 winners tonight.#NonLeague #UpTheIrish #SSML pic.twitter.com/ogXRsNITFa
