Vince Paige Trophy

Despite playing a team from the league above them the Eagles matched their opponents in an equal contest.

Eagles were the dominant team for the first 15 minutes and nearly went ahead after just a couple of minutes when their free kick from close to the half way line caught the Baldock keeper out of position and back pedalling before the ball smacked against the crossbar and rebounded into play. Minutes later Eagles won another free kick, this time on the left side of the field, and the keeper failed to gather the ball cleanly. The loose ball fell to a Letchworth forward, but the shot was wide of goal. After 10 minutes Eagles won a corner which was headed over the Baldock crossbar, a few yards out from an open goal.

Baldock finally threatened the Eagles goal 5 minutes later when a corner was headed wide of the far post. This was a temporary escape because Baldock went ahead 2 minutes later after a bad Eagles defensive lapse by keeper Sonny May. A long ball was played down the centre of the field and May raced out of his penalty area to try and clear the ball instead of relying on a covering defender. In the confusion the ball was collected by a Baldock forward some 30 yards from goal and he expertly lofted the ball into the back of an unguarded net.

Play between the 2 sides was fairly even but Mark Summers went close after chasing down a long pass from halfway towards goal, but he screwed his shot from a few yards out just wide of the far post. A long throw by Eagles into the Baldock penalty area was headed just wide of goal and in added time a long free kick from half way into the Baldock penalty area found a Letchworth player, but the shot was straight at the keeper. Eagles then almost conceded a second goal when a low cross into the penalty area found a Baldock forward at the far post, but an Eagles defender was able to block a certain tap in before there was a goalmouth scramble and the ball was cleared.

There was less goal mouth action second half as the two evenly matched sides slogged out a mid field battle. A Baldock shot went high and wide of goal just after the restart and replacement Eagles keeper Adam Seymour had to make a good save to push a shot wide of his goal. Eagles later survived a scramble in their goal area but finally conceded a second goal  when a free kick from the left touchline was met with a glancing header on the edge of the goal area to give Seymour no chance of stopping.

Eagles increased the pressure on the Baldock defence and in the final minutes were unlucky not to get a goal back when a cross into the penalty area was headed against the crossbar and rebounded into play. The keeper then made an excellent save to push away a shot from the rebound. Eagles did finally get their reward in the last few minutes of added time with an excellent goal. The move started down the right side of the pitch. Ollie Humphryes shrugged off an opponent to cross the ball hard and low into penalty area where it was met by a firm low shot into the net by Charlie Austin, but it was too little too late to save the game.