FA County Youth Cup Quarter Final
played at East Riding FC - on 26th January
In the previous round of this National competition, the Suffolk team had to come from behind to defeat a very good Durham team 2-1, and now in the quarter-final tie they repeated the feat – this time defeating a fine Sussex team by the same score. In both matches, a half-time substitution of the main striker had a big impact; at Durham, Gammon replaced Lorimer, and against Sussex Lorimer replaced Gammon!
Before the match, an injury to defender Manning required a change at the back, with Marsh coming on to play his part in what was to become a game of 2 halves! The home side had the better of the first half and in the 5th minute, Marsh headed of his line, only for Wilkinson to collect the clearance and rattle the Suffolk crossbar with a thundering volley from the edge of the box. Suffolk did well to recover from that early scare and denied the home team too many clear cut opportunities. It took until the 24th minute before another chance was to be created, but Koroma shot just over the bar. Suffolk were rarely seen in attack, and 2 minutes after this miss by Koroma, his team deservedly went ahead when a mistake in midfield by Bloomfield allowed Wilkinson to progress down the left, and his low cross was met at the far post by Rees who knocked the ball over the line from close range.
Sussex continued to press, and with 10 minutes left in the first half, Rees dispossessed Smith in the box, but keeper Ross did well to smother the danger by diving at the forwards feet. The visitors then produced their best spell, which resulted in shots from Garnham and Sargent being charged down by a well organised home defence. Sussex finished the half on top, however, and the Suffolk defence survived 2 more scares as first Rees put the ball in the net, only to be ruled offside, and then he produced a nice cushioned header to set up Koroma, whose shot just cleared the bar.
The second half was to prove quite different as with the aforementioned change up front, Suffolk took the game to their opponent’s right from the start. They practically set up camp outside the home penalty area and proceeded to try to find a way to the net. In the 57th minute, it was Bloomfield who found the way; his wonderful determined drive down the right took him to the by-line, where he was dispossessed by a defender. His determination won it back, and he was able to squeeze a cutback for Read to tap in and rekindle the hope of continuing in this competition. Further chances came and went as the visitors were now playing with more confidence. However, the home team produced what was to be a final surge just after the hour, and a hanging cross from Dodd which dropped just over the bar, followed by a close range effort from Koroma straight at Ross were reminders that the game was still not won. A wonderful free-kick from Seaman from well outside the box was met at the far post by Bailey, but he drove into the side netting.
Henderson for the visitors was now emerging as a thorn in the side of the Sussex defence, with his constant harrying and direct runs cause plenty of problems. Mid-way through the half, his fine turn and shot in a crowded penalty area went just over. In the 75th minute, it was he who scored the winner, as a corner from Seaman was delivered with too much swerve for the keeper to claim and Henderson prodded the ball into the net with his chest at the far post. 10 minutes later he showed great skill to control a high cross, but he shot straight at the keeper. With the minutes ticking away, a corner from Read was whipped in low, and surprised everyone – including the keeper. However, keeper Adams recovered enough to use his feet to clear off the line. Then Douglas and Henderson combined well down the right to set up Read, but he shot way too high. In the final minute, Ross had to look lively to preserve the lead, by twice punching clear as the home team through everyone forward. However, as the final whistle went, it was Suffolk who finished on top and they now go forward to the semi-final. Over the 90 minutes, they were the better team – they made better use of the ball in the second half than the home team had done in the first, and showed a greater determination to win. This means Suffolk have eliminated Sussex 3 times in 4 seasons from this competition, and now reach their third semi-final in 4 seasons – this after only ever reaching 1 semi in the history of the event.
This year, their opponents in the semi-final will be West Riding – who defeated Wiltshire in their quarter-final, and are the holders of the trophy having beaten Suffolk in last season’s close final. This time the match against West Riding will be in Suffolk, on the 1st March, and we look forward to gaining revenge over the holders.
Click here for further review of the match, including Manager Andy Gould's comments