Freddie Sears fired Maldon & Tiptree into the first round proper of the Emirates FA Cup after they overcame Flackwell Heath by 1-0 at the Drewitt-Barlow Stadium.
The 35 year old’s first-half header settled a tense affair which saw two eighth-tier sides battle it out in the fourth round qualifying.
The Jammers, of the Isthmian League North Division and who are now the lowest-ranked side left in the competition, enjoyed success early on during the encounter as Louis Dunne and captain Jack Cawley combined to cause problems in the Flackwell penalty area on five minutes.
But the visitors thought they’d responded in the perfect fashion just three minutes later, but the assistant referee ruled out Lewis Pegg’s goal for offside.
Cameron James then saw his front-post header almost nestle into the far corner, but the ball went narrowly wide.
Both sides continued to press one-another but it was Maldon who nearly made the breakthrough as Terrell Egbri’s long range shot was only parried before ex-West Ham United striker Sears was denied following in.
But Sears wasn’t to be denied for long, as he opened the scoring on 33 minutes. Courtney Senior did well to get to the edge of the box and his cross was turned in by a clinical Sears header at the front post.
The home side looked to turn the screw thereafter as only a superb block stopped James from doubling his team’s lead.
Flackwell had a great opportunity to equalise from the penalty spot just before half time, but Elliot Justham kept out Jack Shakespeare’s effort from 12 yards out after Zack Littlejohn was shown red.
The Heathens began the second 45 minutes with the bit between their teeth and threatened the Maldon goal on multiple occasions during the opening ten minutes of the half.
No words needed.@EmiratesFACup draw, Monday 6.30PM live on @TNTSport, Ball Number #64 🏆✨#Football #NonLeague #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/Phsy83OKWV
— Maldon & Tiptree FC (@MaldonTiptreeFC) October 11, 2025
Senior and Sears continued to combine, and the duo almost made it 2-0 just after the hour mark, but the latter couldn’t turn home after the former had rounded the ‘keeper and laid the ball off.
Flackwell pressed hard for an equaliser late on but a superb save from Justham kept the Southern League Division One Central side at bay and helped Maldon through to the first round proper.
Maldon & Tiptree manager Kevin Horlock said post-match: “[This win is] massive. It was something we set out to do. The owners came in and have spent a lot of time and money on this football club and rightly want to be talked about. So, the target was to get to the first round. We’ve achieved that. And now we want to go further.
“The lads were brilliant. We dug deep and found a way to win, which this group keeps doing. They never know when they’re beaten.
“[In the next round], we’d look for a winnable game at home. Or one of the big boys, the highest-ranked team we can get away, where the club gets a nice payday.
“It’s just nice to sit back, relax, and watch [the draw] as a group, and actually enjoy that excitement and hope for a good draw.”
Flackwell Heath assistant manager Paul Shone added: “We’re gutted but I’ve stressed to the players that they’ve got to be proud of what they’ve achieved. Look back on it and use it to fuel the fire.
“It’s been a great run, we’ve faced some great sides, had great experiences, and the boys have shown they can more than compete at the level above and beyond.”
Best of the rest
Elsewhere in the fourth round qualifying, ninth-tier Southern Counties East League Premier Division side Whitstable Town’s dream run ended at the hands of National League side Wealdstone, going down 5-1 at Grosvenor Vale.
Chelmsford City survived a red card and a Chippenham Town fightback to win 4-3 thanks to Louie McDonagh-Kudiabor’s 86th minute winner in the all-National League South clash.
Northern Premier League Division One West outfit Runcorn Linnets pushed sixth-tier Buxton all the way but fell to a 92nd-minute goal to see their FA Cup run end for another year.
See the full list of results here.