Bercea brace sees U15Bs through to ESFA 3rd Round
By Arun Crowe
With an injury-ridden squad and a potentially tough opponent in Windsor Boys, Hampton U15Bs had a real test in front of them, but had the 3rd round of ESFA waiting for them should they pass it.
The game began tensely, with neither side creating much, but Hampton asserted their dominance through continued possession throughout the opening minutes. Despite this, it was Windsor who came close first, hitting the crossbar from a free kick just outside the box. This warning shot for Hampton didn’t faze them however, as they continued to dominate the ball and soon got their reward, as a brilliant sweeping team move gave them the lead. They played out from defence quickly and effectively, with Balti Birts getting space to drive forward and offload to Nick Hennebry after a series of passes near the halfway line. The striker held it up well before laying it off to Robert Bercea, who drilled it into the bottom corner first-time, leaving the keeper with little chance.
Hampton went into half time full of confidence after a good showing in the first 40 minutes, and began to replicate that in the second half. Although Windsor came out with renewed energy, Hampton saw out their brief resurgence with solid defending from Maurice Rey and Yuvraj Sahota, as well as the occasional intervention from sweeper Seb Rautenburg, before going down the other end and winning a penalty.
Hennebry stepped up after a brace in the first round, but his effort was saved low by the keeper. However, Hampton won it back and recycled to have another big chance, which was handled off the line by a Windsor defender, and Hampton had another chance to put the game to bed. But the keeper managed to keep it out once more, guessing right and denying Finley Milner from the spot.
Hampton kept their heads up and continued to create chances, but couldn’t quite find the crucial second, until Jasper Bird was fouled in the box for a third penalty for Hampton. This time, Robert Bercea confidently dispatched, sending the keeper the wrong way and securing not only a brace for himself but passage into the next round for Hampton.
After being knocked out in the second round and fourth round respectively in the two years prior, Hampton U15Bs find themselves in the third round for only the second time, but with dominant performances in both matches so far, they are hoping to carry this momentum and reach the latter stages of the cup.
