Brentwood beaten in Senior Cup.
The U’s have made straight forward progress into the next round of the Essex Senior Cup.
Most of the damage was done as the non-leaguers Brentwood tired in the second half, but it did only take Clinton Morrison five minutes of the first to give the U’s the lead.
The lead was doubled before half time, with John-Joe O’Toole striking across the Brentwood keeper.
Brian Wilson, Karl Duguid and Freddie Ladapo took the score to five before subs Drey Wright and Freddie Ladapo got in on the act.
Wright ran through unchallenged to slot his shot under the keeper, and Ladapo headed home a Duguid cross.
It became eight with three minutes to go, with John-Joe O’Toole getting his second with a firm shot into the bottom corner.
Joe Dunne picked a strong side for the game, with all eleven of the starters having experienced first team football.
That experience showed from the off, with the U’s controlling possession and opening up their opponents at will.
A corner from Karl Duguid after five minutes saw Clinton Morrison hold off a challenge and head home to start off the scoring.
Ben Coker was in the thick of the action in the early stages and was creating chances for himself and others, one resulting in a free kick that Andy Bond had blocked.
On twenty minutes, the U’s doubled their lead with a slick passing move resulting in John-Joe O’Toole drilling his shot across the keeper and into the bottom corner.
Ian Henderson and Marcus Bean then had shots saved, with Henderson quickly having two more efforts.
The first went narrowly over the bar and the second, a header, was tipped acrobatically over the crossbar.
Just before the break, O’Toole had sight of goal but couldn’t find the target from just inside the penalty area.
Billy Roast came on as a substitute during the half time break, replacing Matt Heath who was coming back from injury.
In the second half, the U’s didn’t have the volume of shots they managed in the first, but the finishing was more clinical as the non-leaguers tired.
It did take them until just after the hour mark to add a third though, and Mark Cousins had to make a smart save before then to keep it at 2-0.
For the third goal, Drey Wright was denied but the ball fell to Coker to cross and Brian Wilson volleyed home at the far post.
Two minutes later, it was four as Karl Duguid struck home from the edge of the box and only another two minutes passed before it became five.
Andy Bond hit a shot from the angle and after the keeper spilled the ball, Freddie Ladapo tapped into the empty net.
Drey Wright then latched onto a great through ball from Marcus Bean and calmly slotted his shot under the advancing keeper.
The last five minutes saw the U’s score twice more, with Ladapo and O’Toole getting another goal each.
Ladapo headed home a Duguid cross and then O’Toole repeated his earlier effort, drilling a shot into the bottom corner.
It was an extremely professional performance by the experienced U’s side and any number of the players on show could feature at the weekend against Walsall.
U’s: Cousins, Wilson, Okuonghae, Heath (Roast), Coker, Bond, O’Toole, Bean, Duguid, Henderson, Morrison.