Tigers Get Vase Lift Off From Latvian

Rehia Osagie put's the Tigers 2-1 ahead (above)

Action from this afternoon's FA Vase clash

FA Vase 2nd Qualifying Rnd

Kingsbury London Tigers 5 (Osagie, 33, 52, Zarchenko, 82, 105, 118)

Takeley 4 (Amott, 11, Kennedy 63, Groves, 86, Williams 110)

Attendance 28

This afternoon's FA Vase tie at Silver Jubilee Park produced a nine goal thriller as the Kingsbury London Tigers KO'd Essex senior side Takeley, despite playing for 60 minutes with 10 men.

The Essex side playing their first ever FA Vase match wasted no time in scoring their debut goal in the competition, James Amott 11th minute strike from close range giving the visitors the lead.

The Tigers found it hard to get to grips with a well organised Takeley side, and had to wait untill the 33rd minute to draw level, Rehia Osagie angled shot from the right beating James Mai, it has to be said somewhat against the run of play.

The scores remained level at the interval, with little sign of the goal fest that was to come later in the match.

The Tigers started the second half a lot brighter and attacked with renewed vigour, Edson Cata and Renars Zarchenko a constant danger for the visitors.

The Tigers took the lead on 52 minutes, Osagie netting his brace with a deft header from a pinpoint cross from the left.

The match swung from end to end, and drama was to follow in the 63rd minute, Tigers defender, Blader Vata handled the ball on it's way past Siki Kambila in the home goal, referee Mr Engelbreston had no option but to show Vata the red card and award Takeley a spot kick which Michael Kennedy tucked away for 2-2.

The numerical disadvantage for the Tigers did not appear to hinder them and they pushed forward looking for a winner and came close when a shot crashed against the post late on.

With eight minutes remaining, latvian striker Zarchenko displayed a real moment of class, he won the ball just outside the box, turned his man and then finished with a low shot to the far post, a stunning piece of skill worthy of winning any match.

The Tigers lead lasted all of four minutes as naive defending saw the Tigers give away a free kick with just four minutes left on the clock, Chris Groves sending his sublime dead ball shot past Kambila to restore parity and send the match into extra time.

Deep into time added on at the end of the first period of extra time, Zarchenko went in where it hurts, sending the ball into the net with a brave header to restore the Tigers lead, not that he would have known much about the goal as he lay prostrate on the ground instead of celebrating.

Takeley had seemingly secured a replay when Ryan Williams brought the scores level at 4-4 with ten minutes to play, but the Tigers continued to create chances and looked more then capable of scoring again, though time was against them.

With nothing to separate the two sides all afternoon, it was perhaps fitting that a penalty would decide the outcome, and with just two minutes from a replay, Zarchenko won the ball inside the box, a neat flick found Cata who was about to pull the trigger but was felled much to the dismay of the Takeley players who had no qualms about the penalty.

The ball was dispatched by Zarchenko for his hat trick and this time there was no coming back for the visitors as ten men Tigers held on for a thrilling victory and one that sends them into the 1st round proper tie with fellow SSMFL side Biggleswade United.