Catholic started brightly and created the first notable opportunity after seven minutes. Dan Rogers found space inside the penalty area, but his effort went wide of the target.

The Essex Bhoys continued to look for an opening as the first half progressed. Thomas Kearney did well to beat his defender midway through the half, although his final pass into the penalty area fell short.

With the game heading into the break goalless, Catholic finally found the breakthrough in the 42nd minute.

Archie Armstrong did brilliantly to hold up the ball before finding Rogers, whose delivery towards the back post was met by James Warder.
The forward made no mistake, firing into the top-left corner to give Catholic a 1-0 advantage heading into half-time.

HALF TIME: Hashtag United U23s 0-1 Catholic United

Catholic continued to threaten after the restart, with Armstrong’s cross finding Warder four minutes into the second half.
Warder tried an acrobatic scissor kick, but his effort was kept out by the Hashtag goalkeeper.

The visitors eventually doubled their advantage when Ben Burrows played the ball across goal for Warder, who converted to claim his second of the afternoon and give Catholic breathing space.

Catholic continued pushing forward in search of a third. Matt Creevy released Burrows into a promising position, but his effort was denied by the goalkeeper.

The Essex Bhoys eventually put the result beyond doubt when Warder turned provider, playing Rogers through on goal. Rogers kept his composure and buried his effort into the bottom-left corner to complete an impressive afternoon for Catholic.

The final whistle confirmed a comfortable 3-0 victory at Forest Glade, with Warder’s brace and Rogers’ goal securing all three points for the Essex Bhoys.

FULL-TIME: Hashtag United U23s 0-3 Catholic United