Irish continued to push forward, searching for a second. Spence slipped a well-weighted ball in behind, with Meadows knowing he was offside and leaving it for Boyce to chase. Racing through on goal, Boyce fired low, but the keeper was equal to it, getting down smartly to save.

The same attacking duo combined again shortly after, with Spence playing Boyce through down the left. This time, Boyce went for the near post, but once again, the Wormley keeper pulled off an important stop.

Shrieves added to the pressure, drilling a low ball across goal, where Meadows met it, only for his effort to be blocked by a last-ditch tackle.

Despite Irish’s dominance, Wormley began to grow into the game. A quick break up the middle saw their forward drive towards goal and fire a low effort across the target, but Ladyman reacted brilliantly, diving to his left and holding onto the shot.

Just before the half-hour mark, Irish doubled their lead in devastating fashion. From a Wormley corner, Shrieves broke away down the left at pace before spotting Meadows making a central run. Shrieves’ inch-perfect pass found Meadows, who took a superb touch past the advancing keeper before tapping into an empty net to make it 2-0.

Wormley responded well and nearly pulled one back, working the ball into the area and striking a first-time effort towards goal, but Ladyman produced a superb reaction save, tipping it over the bar.

Irish continued to threaten, with Spence threading a pass through to Shrieves. The winger’s low shot from a tight angle was saved, but he recycled possession well, working the ball to Shepherd on the edge of the area. Shepherd attempted a curling effort, but the Wormley keeper gathered comfortably.

Half-Time: Wormley Rovers 0-2 MK Irish

The second half was an open contest, with both sides searching for the all-important next goal.

Wormley came close to halving the deficit when a loose clearance from an Irish defender saw the ball drop inside the area. The Wormley forward reacted quickest, poking a shot past Ladyman, but the ball clipped the outside of the post and rolled wide.

The hosts eventually found their breakthrough in the 67th minute. A mix up at the back while clearing the ball allowed a Wormley forward to steal possession. He quickly played it out to the right, where a first-time pass was threaded behind the defence. The Wormley striker made no mistake, slotting past Ladyman to set up a nervy final 20 minutes.

Then, with ten minutes remaining, Irish restored their two-goal cushion. Ladyman launched a long kick forward, which Spence flicked on to Shrieves. Shrieves drove into the box and squared it to Meadows, who seemed certain to score, but his close-range shot was miraculously blocked on the line.

However, Irish kept the attack alive. The ball was worked out to Zawe, who delivered an inch-perfect cross back into the danger zone. Meadows rose highest, flicking a header over the keeper and into the top corner, ensuring a more comfortable ending to the game.

Full-Time: Wormley 1-3 MK Irish

Goalscorers: M. Spence (5′) J. Meadows (29′, 80′)