Ryman North side were knocked out of cup by Hendon but impressed their boss

Redbridge joint-manager Dave Ross was proud of his team after seeing them exit the London Senior Cup last night (Tuesday).

The Motormen were beaten 1-0 by Ryman Premier outfit Hendon at Oakside with Kezie Ibe scoring the only goal of the game in the first half.

It was a pleasing display by the Ryman North strugglers, though, against their north London opponents.

Hendon have lost just one of their last nine matches in all competitions, but were given a run for their money by Ross and Ricky Eaton’s side.

“It has been a great competition for us and it was an excellent performance last night,” said the Redbridge boss.

“I definitely think we deserved at least a draw if not better. In the opening half an hour we had some really good chances and their goalkeeper pulled off some fantastic saves before they scored.

“It was a good way to go out in a way, getting beaten 1-0 by a side from league above who have only lost one in nine.

“It was a confidence booster for us and we only conceded one so we are definitely getting better and going forward it wasn’t like we didn’t create any chances.”

The Motormen were left frustrated with the goal they conceded, but have made big strides at the back.

At the weekend they only let in two against Great Wakering, which means they’ve shipped three in two games so far in March.

During February they conceded 27 times in six league fixtures so things look a lot better defensively now even if they do remain 10 points adrift from safety.

Ross added: “The goal we conceded was weak, one lad has gone round three of our players and poked it in, but he scuffed the shot to be honest.

“If we could play like we did against Hendon in every game then we wouldn’t be in the position we are now having let in over 100 goals.

“There are a lot of positives to take from the defeat and hopefully we can take that into the match with Dereham Town on Saturday.”