The U's eased through to the quarter finals of the Essex Senior Cup on Tuesday evening as they progressed past Redbridge with a 3-1 scoreline.

Two early goals by the home side looked like they might run away with the game, but those further goals didn't come - with the visitors getting the next strike.

Mark Cousins was never seriously tested through the game, though, and the U's grabbed a match winning third towards the end of the game to progress to the final eight.

The U's named a strong team for the Fourth Round game, with seven pros in the starting eleven.

The home side were in front after just six minutes as, a patient build-up with plenty of U's possession ended with McCloskey hitting a cross from the byline for Pavett to head home from close range.

The U's were having the better of the possession in the early stages and went searching for the crucial second goal to put themselves clear of their opposition.

That nearly came in the fourteenth minute as a cross into the box was flicked on to the awaiting Elito who set himself, only to lash the ball well over the bar with keeper Durrell happy to watch it go over his crossbar.

But that second goal did arrive two minutes later, as the U's were awarded a free kick which annoyed the visiting players, but saw Thomas smash the ball into the bottom corner well beyond the keeper's despairing dive.

Thomas found his way into the referee's book for pushing away Peddie after the two came together on the edge of the box.

The match was starting to heat up as Ashby was penalised for a heavy foul on McCloskey just inside the U's half.

Lockwood nearly set up a third just after the half hour mark with a superb cross, but it just eluded Pavett and the onrushing McCloskey, before Elito's follow-up effort was well blocked by the visiting defence.

Thomas then flicked a header over the bar from close range, before Bender went into the book as another foul was committed in a niggly fixture.

The half time interval arrived with the U's two goals to the good and they introduced striker Craig Arnott at the break as they reshuffled their eleven for the second forty-five minutes.

The visitors started the second half brightly, though, having a couple of good chances after the break without really testing Mark Cousins.

But Maybury was the next one to test the keeper, with a reactive drive to a loose ball that fizzed just past the near post with Durrell flat footed.

Ten minutes after the restart, Batth's header was cleared off the line - the defender picking up an injury in the process - before the ball was played back into the area.

As it came in, the referee's whistle blew, just as Pavett buried his header past the keeper.

Lartey came on for the injured Thomas just before the hour mark, and the game went through a spell where neither team created too many clear cut chances.

However, fifteen minutes into the second half, Read wriggled his way into the area and hit in a shot that Cousins deflected over the bar.

Sanderson completed the U's substitutes as he replaced McCloskey, and he watched on as Maybury was unable to get his foot fully over the ball as he half volleyed over the crossbar midway through the second half.

The visitors found their way back into the game when Read found his way behind the U's backline and, having set himself by the byline, played in Diaczuk to slot the ball past Mark Cousins and give the visitors hope.

Five minutes after Redbridge's goal, patience by the U's saw them twice feed the ball into the area, with Heath's low header being gathered by Durrell at the second time of asking.

The U's were the ones looking likely to get the fourth goal of the game, Arnott breaking from deep to lay the ball off to Pavett and his shot ended up flying over the angle of bar and post.

Five minutes later, Pavett got away down the right hand side and picked out a cross to the far post which Lartey headed low into the side netting.

That was followed by another chance for Arnott, where he looked destined to score in a one on one, with Durrell just getting enough to deflect it past the post.

But the young striker did increase the cushion to two goals - and gave the U's enough to breathe easy in the dying stages - as Pavett lay the ball into the path of Arnott and he finished calmly past the keeper into the bottom corner.

A winding run by Maybury then ended with a left footed shot that forced a good save out of Durrell.

But the U's had done enough to make it through to the next round.

Teams are in: Cousins, Maybury, Bender, O'Sullivan, Heath, Batth, Lockwood (Arnott 46), Elito, McCloskey (Sanderson 67), Pavett, Thomas (Lartey 56)

Subs: Cusack, Glowacki