MK Irish traveled to face Shefford Town & Campton, making a few forced changes due to minor injuries to key players. Despite a strong start and a comfortable lead, a late fightback from Shefford ensured a nervy finish, but Irish held on to claim an important 4-2 victory.
In a fairly uneventful opening 20 minutes, Shefford had the first real chance of the game, working a neat move down the right before cutting the ball back to the edge of the area. The Shefford player took a touch and attempted to curl an effort into the top corner, only to see it clip the bar and go over.
Irish responded well, with Boyce proving a constant threat down the left. He floated a cross into the area, which fell kindly to Osei-Addo, who controlled and poked the ball past the keeper, but it lacked the power to cross the line and was cleared away.
Moments later, a Shrieves corner from the left found Kalek, who rose highest but saw his header rebound off the post before being cleared. Boyce continued to cause problems down the flank, driving into the box and hurdling a sliding challenge—a moment where he could have gone down to earn a penalty. Instead, he squared it to Osei-Addo at the near post, who swiveled and fired at goal, only for the Shefford keeper to spread himself well and make the save.
Irish’s persistence finally paid off in the 32nd minute. Another Shrieves corner was not cleared, and Kalek did superbly to hold off his marker, control the ball, and flick it back across the face of goal for Osei-Addo to tap in from six yards.
The returning Kelsey delivered a dangerous ball into the box, which Ryan Smith met on the volley, but his effort was straight at the keeper. Irish continued to apply pressure, with Shrieves and Osei-Addo linking up well in a neat one-two on the edge of the area, but Shrieves’ left-footed strike lacked the power to trouble the keeper.
Just before half-time, Irish doubled their lead in spectacular fashion. In the 42nd minute, Shrieves curled a corner directly into the net, catching the Shefford keeper off guard to make it 2-0.
HALF TIME: Shefford Town & Campton 0-2 MK Irish
Irish wasted no time in extending their advantage after the break. On 49 minutes, Shrieves cut in from the right and saw his deflected effort saved by the Shefford keeper, but Osei-Addo reacted quickest to smash the rebound into the top corner.
Just six minutes later, Irish made it 4-0. Boyce found Shrieves in space on the right, who whipped in a dangerous low ball across the six-yard box. Osei-Addo met it at the far post to complete his hat trick with a simple tap-in—his three goals coming from a combined distance of around 18 yards.
Shefford looked to respond and were inches away from pulling one back when a long free-kick dropped to a Shefford player inside the box. His shot, however, skimmed the top of the bar and went out for a goal kick.
The hosts did eventually get on the scoresheet in the 77th minute in spectacular fashion. A long-range strike from 25 yards out was superbly tipped onto the bar by Ladyman, but the ball bounced down and just over the line to make it 4-1.
Four minutes later, Shefford were awarded a penalty, adding tension to the final stages of the match. A ball down the line saw Ladyman rush off his line to challenge the Shefford forward. Though he appeared to pull out of the tackle, the referee judged there to be enough contact for a penalty, which was converted to bring the score to 4-2.
With momentum shifting, Shefford nearly set up a grandstand finish when a long ball over the top split the Irish defense, leaving a forward one-on-one with Ladyman. However, the Irish keeper stayed composed, timing his movement well before getting down low to produce a crucial save.
The final whistle soon followed, confirming a well-earned 4-2 victory for Irish. Despite a dominant first 70 minutes, Shefford’s late fightback ensured a nervy conclusion, but Irish held firm to secure all three points.
FULL TIME: Shefford Town & Campton 2-4 MK Irish
Man of the Match: Kelvin Osei-Addo
Goalscorers: K. Osei-Addo (32′, 49′ 55′), G. Shrieves (42′)
