Ryman North: Redbridge 1 Heybridge 0; Barkingside 2 Cray 5

Ilford Recorder: Luke With netted for Barkingside against Cray (pic: George Phillipou/TGSPHOTO)Luke With netted for Barkingside against Cray (pic: George Phillipou/TGSPHOTO) (Image: �TGS Photo tgsphoto.co.uk +44 8450 946026)

Charlie Portway’s 71st-minute goal earned Redbridge only their second league win in 16 Ryman North matches at Oakside.

But Motormen are running out of time in their battle to avoid the drop as they are 11 points adrift of safety with only six matches remaining in the season.

Redbridge went into the match on a positive note having ended a nine-match losing streak when beating Tilbury in their Essex Senior Cup quarter-final tie in midweek.

The penalty shoot-out success, after the tie ended 1-1, earned Motormen a trip to Heybridge in the last four next Tuesday and they had their first chance of note on the quarter-hour mark of this dress rehearsal, but fired over the crossbar.

George Cole sent a free-kick just past the post at the other end on 24 minutes and the visitors forced a couple of corners and had penalty appeals waved away during a spell of increasing pressure.

And Cole went close to breaking the deadlock just before the hour with a shot from the edge of the box that flew just wide.

Redbridge opened the scoring 19 minutes from time, though, as Portway found the net for the ninth time this season.

And it proved enough as Niklas Freund, son of former Tottenham midfielder Stefan, held firm in goal to preserve his clean sheet.

The two sides meet again at Scraley Road on Tuesday, with the winners going on to face Concord in the final of the Essex Senior Cup at Dagenham & Redbridge’s Victoria Road ground next month.

Redbridge: Freund, Sackey, Jaffa, Parish, Burgess, Kabashi, Gent (Hunt 81), Belindir, Portway, Coxi Sebastfao, Espirito Santo (Cornelius 87). Unused subs: Hocking-Rising, Good, Knight.

****

Barkingside ended up well beaten by high-flying Cray Wanderers at Cricklefield Stadium, but the final scoreline did not do them justice.

Side had seen their three-match unbeaten run ended by a 1-0 defeat at Heybridge a week earlier and only seven minutes had been played at Cricklefield Stadium when Leigh Bremner put the visitors ahead.

But Gursel Gulfer’s were back on terms nine minutes before the interval as Andy Greenslade found the back of the net and the second half was only three minutes old when Luke With put the home side ahead.

Barkingside, dreaming of a third win in five outings, held the lead for 16 minutes until Bremner pounced for his second goal of the game to square matters once again.

And Cray took the lead for the second time on 73 minutes as Aryan Tayabshsu struck.

Bremner completed his hat-trick eight minutes from time to give Cray a two-goal cushion and end Barkingside’s hopes of salvaging anything from the match.

And the visitors added some late gloss with a fifth from Ray Powell in the 88th minute.

Defeat leaves Barkingside next to bottom and eight points adrift of safety with six games remaining, with a Good Friday trip to Thamesmead up next.