The U’s are in the hat for the Second Round of the FA Cup, after a 6-2 win at Wealdstone.
In the end, it was a comfortable victory, but they did have to come from behind as the home side were given a tantalising glimpse of an upset, as they led for six minutes in the first half.
Macauley Bonne opened the scoring but Wealdstone then netting twice in quick succession and it looked like they would lead at the break.
Bonne had other ideas and headed a leveller before the teams left the field at half time.
The U’s youngster completed his hat-trick shortly after the restart and then added a fourth for him and the U’s halfway through the second half.
Moncur made it five before Sordell smashed in a sixth, against a club he spent time at on loan from Watford early in his career.
The U’s had a host of other chances so a four goal advantage was no more than the U’s deserved but there was a real buzz amongst the home support before the game was very much taken away from them.
U’s boss Tony Humes made five changes to his starting eleven, four of which were enforced.
Jamie Jones, George Elokobi, Owen Garvan and Darren Ambrose weren’t fit and Elliott Parish, Frankie Kent, Tom Lapslie and Macauley Bonne came in.
The other change was Joe Edwards replacing Tosin Olufemi at right back.
It was the home side that got the first sight of goal, with less than three minutes gone, as Davies forced Elliott Parish into a fantastic fingertip save.
That was an early scare for the U’s but they reacted well and dominated proceedings for the next twenty five minutes.
Bonne got in at the far post but couldn’t find the target at full stretch and George Moncur had a decent shot blocked as the U’s looked for the first goal.
The best chance of the half so far fell to Callum Harriott but his first touch let him down and he shot wide from twelve yards out.
Bonne then hit the inside of the post after cutting in from the right wing position, and then had another effort well saved as the U’s laid siege to the home goal.
Moncur had another effort at goal before the U’s finally broke the deadlock in the twenty sixth minute.
It was Moncur again in the thick of things, having a shot blocked before Bonne collected the rebound.
There was still plenty of work to do, as the U’s young striker controlled, turned and drilled a low shot past North in the home goal.
It was all U’s at this stage but just over ten minutes later, they found themselves behind.
On, thirty minutes, Joe Edwards was beaten by Shaun Lucien down the U’s right and then pulled the Wealdstone man down in the box.
Jefferson Louis stepped up and calmly sent Parish the wrong way to give the home crowd hope of an upset.
That hope rose even further on thirty six minutes when a clearance hit Hudson-Odoi and flew past Parish after the U’s didn’t win the first header from a corner.
The quick fire home double didn’t change the flow of the game too much though, with the U’s getting straight back on the attack.
And they were back on level terms a minute before half time, with Bonne again the U’s scorer.
Marvin Sordell found Harroitt, who whipped a teasing cross into the box from just outside the angle of the box.
Bonne had made a run, had to check and then almost facing away from goal, deftly guided a header into the bottom corner.
There was still time for the U’s to have two more decent chances, the first of which saw Harriott’s cross shot hit Sordell and fall into the keeper’s arms.
Then Sordell had a chance that he’ll maybe think he should have converted by he put his shot wide from an Edwards’ pull back.
The half time whistle went seconds after this chance and the U’s could count themselves rather unlucky that they hadn’t profited more from the numerous chances they created.
Wealdstone would have been happy with their first half work and would have still been looking to make the giant killing headlines.
They were up against it within two minutes of the restart, as Bonne completed his hat-trick and put the U’s into a 3-2 lead.
Sordell had got free on the left and despite bearing down on goal himself, spotted Bonne inside and put it on a plate for an easy tap-in for the youngster.
Bonne could sense blood at this stage and he was denied by two blocks in in the space of four minutes as he looked to increase his and the U’s goal tally.
He managed a fourth on sixty seven minutes, getting the slightest of touches with his head to a whipped shot from Moncur.
The game looked over as a contest but there was a flicker of a fight from Wealdstone as they put pressure on the U’s defence for the first time in the half.
Parish was equal to everything though, and tipped wide and over from the best two chances the hosts could throw at him.
Former U’s favourite Scott McGleish came on to warm applause from both sets of supporters but despite plenty of enthusiasm, couldn’t upset the U’s defensive unit
Bonne shot wide as he looked for a nap hand but although his scoring was done for the day, the U’s turned the screw in the final ten minutes.
On eighty two minutes, Sordell again showed his unselfish team play by setting up two teammates in quick succession, when he could have been forgiven for going on his own.
Harroitt’s shot from the initial pull back was blocked and then Sordell set up Moncur, who shot low for 5-2.
Alex Gilbey was then denied by a great save, after his shot took a little deflection on its way goalwards.
A minute from time, Sordell got a goal that his performance deserved, smashing home after a low cross from Gavin Massey was only cleared straight to him ten yards out.
Jack Curtis came on for his U’s debut in injury time and there was still time for the U’s to hit the woodwork for the second time in the game.
Harriott, who pulled the strings for the U’s all afternoon, was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet himself but his late effort crashed off the bar before the referee blew the final whistle.
Although it was level at half time, the U’s deserved to win by a number of goals and will go into Monday night’s draw confident that they can score goals against anybody in the second round.