Redditch United 2 Hayes & Yeading United 1

DAVID McDermott had Redditch United officials thumbing the record books following his goal after 17 seconds against Hayes & Yeading.

United roared out of the traps with Danico Johnson playing Max Loveridge down the right to cut back for McDermott to guide the ball beyond Louis Wells.

Johnson was agonisingly close to a second within the opening five minutes but having outmuscled burly rival Manny Adebowale, his looping effort was swatted over by Wells.

Jordan Jones was on hand to thump Dylan Kearney’s goal-bound shot off the line seven minutes in but Redditch kept probing with Reece Hales firing at Wells and McDermott being denied by Harold Joseph.

Brian Evans tested Reds keeper Brad Catlow with a swerving shot from distance as Hayes & Yeading pressed before the break.

And their pressure told three minutes after the restart when Eli Bako upended Cole Brown on the edge of the box and James Harper’s floated free-kick was nodded in all too easily by Joseph.

Redditch briefly wobbled but tightened their grip on proceedings once Reece Hewitt struck what proved to be the winner on 53 minutes.

Jones caressed infield for McDermott to dummy and allow Bako to roll out to Hewitt who stepped inside to finish inside Wells’s near post from 18 yards.

Bar a couple of self-inflicted scares, United kept their visitors at bay until Joseph was afforded a free header from four yards out 11 minutes from time but Duane Courtney hacked clear.

And it was plain sailing until substitute Lloyd Macklin menacingly raced away in the fourth minute of added time but having been forced wide, the striker was denied by Catlow’s low stop.

Reds: Catlow 6, Jones 7, Kelly 6, Loveridge 7, Brown 6, Courtney 7, Bako 6, HALES 8* (Spink, 77), Johnson 6 (Thompson, 83), McDermott 7 (Washbourne, 71), Hewitt 7. Unused subs: Hazell, Roberts.

Attendance: 402.

Referee: Philip Hardisty.