MATCH REPORT SAT 19SEPTEMBER 2026

GLADWISH CHALENGE TROPHY

LETCHWORTH GC EAGLES 1 MILTON KEYNES COLLEGE 0

A much-changed Eagles side from midweek struggled to create any threat to their opponents from division 2 of the Spartan South Midlands league in the first half, with both keepers doing little more that catch crosses and take goal kicks. The second half did improve but it required a penalty for the Eagles to go through to the next stage of the competition.

Eagles applied early pressure on the MK goal with a succession of corners, and the visitors were limited to a shot on goal which was straight at Jordan Hudson until the 24 minute when they nearly scored the opening goal. The ball was played into Eagles penalty area and reached a MK forward a few yards from the Eagles near post. He wriggled a low shot from a tight angle through a clutch of defenders, and the ball hit the foot of the post before rebounding into play and being booted up field by Austin Christie.

Eagles played attractive football in midfield but made little impression in the final third of the field. On the half hour in a rare threat on goal a shot was charged down for a corner, but the corner sent to the far post was headed wide of goal. A shot from outside the penalty area was sent high and wide of the visitors goal. Both sides sent misplaced passes to give possession to the opposition, and just before half time another poor pass out of defence by Eagles was intercepted by an MK forward, but his shot from the edge of the penalty area went well wide of goal.

Eagles started the second half with a low cross from the touchline into the Mk penalty area which a defender hacked over his own crossbar. Later a shot by Jan Maertins went wide of goal. An MK free kick from 25 yards distance went straight to Hudson standing on his goal line as both sides struggled to find a goal. That came when Rory Gillham was fouled in the penalty area and Eagles were awarded a penalty. Maertins sent the keeper the wrong way and planted the penalty firmly in the centre of the goal.

Eagles then seemed to move up a gear as the game reached its final stage. George Evans pulled a low shot wide of goal from the edge of the penalty area, and in a frantic few minutes a corner was headed over the MK cross bar, and Theo Nobbs headed another corner against the MK cross bar. As Eagles pressed forward MK College created an excellent chance to equalise but a shot from near the penalty pot s well saved by Hudson.

 Eagles continued to create more chances to score. A shot was blazed high and wide of goal from a tight angle, and a cross was headed wide of goal from just outside the goal area. In the final minute  the MK keeper made a great save to push away a lot shot from the edge of the penalty area  as Eagles tried to finally get a goal from open play and seal the result.