SE Conference Cup: UEL 11 Imperial 1

The University of East London progressed to the quarter-finals of the South Eastern Conference Cup with an emphatic victory over Imperial.

In-form Johan Caney-Bryan netted a hat-trick in the first half to make it 14 goals in seven games and Stefan Neilson added another treble having recently returned from injury.

Shahid Kasako and Jason Ngandu netted braces, with Saio Levi-Blackwood completing the rout.

UEL broke the deadlock on 15 minutes when Caney-Bryan laid off the ball on the edge of the box for Levi-Blackwood to curl his shot past the keeper.

The home side doubled their lead four minutes later after great work from Dillan Stephenson on the right flank saw the ball whipped in for Caney-Bryan to tuck into the bottom corner.

The third goal was inevitable as Caney-Bryan squared a pass to Kasako in the box which he lashed inside the far post.

And the fourth came almost from the restart, with Caney-Bryan involved once again as he was brought down 20 yards out.

Neilson stepped up and fired the free-kick inside the far post, giving the keeper no chance to put UEL into a commanding lead.

UEL’s fifth came 10 minutes before the break after a long throw-in from Stefan Wright was headed into the top corner by Caney-Bryan, who capped a comprehensive first-half in added time as he snuck in and poked the ball underneath the keeper to make it 6-0.

UEL continued the rout seven minutes into the second half as the ball fell to Neilson on the edge of the box and his shot was too strong for the Imperial keeper, whoe parried it into his own net.

Substitute Ngandu made an immediate impact as he burst away on the left, beat his defender and unselfishly cut it back for Neilson to fire home from close range.

The ninth goal came only a minute later as Ngandu popped up on the right and his shot caught the keeper off guard and crept into the top corner.

UEL were reduced to 10 men after all substitutes had been used and Wright limped off, but that did not stop them hitting a tenth as Kasako’s shot fizzed into the bottom right corner.

Substitute Vendal Nunes got a superb 11th as he burst forward from the right-back position, beating several Imperial defenders, and crossed a low ball into the box for Ngandu to tap in.

Imperial managed a late goal as UEL switched off in the final seconds, but it was little consolation as the home side set up a meeting with Chichester or Portsmouth in two weeks time.

UEL: Richie Robins, Stefan Wright, Darren Hammond, Jaden Osei-Bonsu, Nnamdi Harold-Egole (Ousmone Kone 65), Shahid Kasako, Siao Levi-Blackwood, Harry Mathews, Johan Caney-Bryan (Jason Ngandu 52), Stefan Neilson, Dillan Stephenson (Vendal Nunes 69).