Shane Baptiste's side couldn't have got off to a better start on Wednesday night, as they ramped up the pressure on the Wivenhoe Town goal early on. David Gokou, returning to the side after a short period out, was causing chaos and hit the post with eleven minutes on the clock, after some great work from Dion Johnston allowed him to pick out the perfect cross to find our number seven.

Mike Agboola had placed a header just over the bar before Alex Kozak's shot across goal went narrowly wide as the chances rained down on the visitors' goals. Eventually, the breakthrough finally came on the brink of half-time. Gokou reacted quickest to pounce on the Wivenhoe defender's heavy touch, and he slipped in Johnston, whose powerful first-time effort found the bottom corner in the third minute of first-half stoppage time.

The second half began just as the first had ended. At the break, Shane Baptiste made two changes, giving 16-year-old Mason Tea his first-team debut for The Woods, with Marko Protic also coming off the bench. And it was that man who was straight into the thick of the action. Shortly before the hour mark, Protic rose highest inside the six-yard box to head home Malaki Toussaint's corner and double our lead!

Opportunities to further extend the lead continued to fall the hosts' way, whilst down the other end, Pharrell Chinyere didn't have to make his first save until the 73rd minute. With ten to go, Gabriel Ipanga, a second-half substitute, drove forward and cut inside before unleashing a beautiful curling effort into the bottom corner to make it three and seal the win. Less than ten minutes later, Protic added his second of the night and our fourth, reacting quickest to a loose pass before dinking it over the goalkeeper, running around him to pick up the ball and tap home into an empty net.

Wivenhoe did pull one back in the fifth minute of stoppage time, and a marvellous goal it was too, as Harry Miller thundered an effort into the top corner, but ultimately, it wasn't enough for the Thurlow Nunn League Division One North side, with Woodford progressing into the Second Round of the BBC Essex Senior Cup rather comfortably.

Starting XI: Chinyere (GK); Mitchell-Nelson (C), Benoit (Tea - 46'), M. Agboola (Stanford-Daniels - 63'), John; Toussaint, Kebi, Christou (Protic - 46'); Johnston, Kozak (Mengou - 63'), Gokou (Ipanga - 63').

Unused substitutes: N/A