Reserves 1 Whitton United 1 (Reserves win 5-4 on penalties)

Having shared fourteen goals in our previous two games it was odds on that this game was not going to be high scoring and so it proved. Of those fourteen goals, we conceded one in each match in the closing moments of the games to be denied victory in both. This was especially disappointing as in one we played the whole of the second half against ten men and led in the other 3-0 after twenty minutes. This fixture saw our second appearance of the season in the CNetTraining Suffolk Senior Cup against a Whitton United side currently seven points better off than ourselves having played fewer games.

Playing up the slope with the dipping sun in our faces we took an early lead. A couple of interchange of passes saw Jac Garrard in the clear, his ball inside the fullback found Louie Bloom whose low cross as met by Toby Groom who turned a fired a shot that the goalkeeper could only help into the net. With both sides recognising that the next goal could be crucial the game fell into a rather scrappy period which resulted in James Gaffer receiving a yellow card for a rash tackle in the 30thminute. Within a couple of minutes of this the scores were level. Charlie Beckwith made a good save to push the ball around the post for a corner, from which the ball was turned in at the far post. As the half was coming to a close Charlie Beckwith again made another good save, this time with his legs as he came out to narrow the angle in a one on one situation. So the half ended as it had begun with the scores level.

An eventful second half for Louie Bloom began with his free kick from just outside the penalty area being turned around the post. Five minutes later he had the chance to put us ahead but the visiting ‘keeper repeated Charlie’s save of the first half and saved with his legs. His penultimate contribution to the game was to receive a yellow card in the last minute of normal time. In between these contributions from Louie both sides strove to breakdown resolute defences without success but as the game moved into the fourth minute of added on time our continued participation in the competition looked to be over. A powerful shot seemed destined for the back of our net as it arrowed towards the top left hand corner but somehow Charlie Beckwith dived high to his left to turn it around the post and send the game into penalties.

James Gaffer scored our first, Will Oxbrow restored our lead, Jac Garrard fired home the third, Harry Knights maintained our lead at 4-3 and Louie Bloom ensured that our visitors had to score their final penalty to stay in the competition. Step up Charlie Beckwith who once again proved our penalty shoot-out winner with another good save.