Bury win shoot-out to reach cup final
RYAN Jolland held his nerve to send Bury Town into this season’s Omni Freight Services Suffolk Premier Cup Final.
Jolland scored the decisive spot kick as Bury beat Needham Market 5-4 on penalties following a goalless 90 minutes in Wednesday night’s semi-final at AFC Sudbury.
The two sides stood level at four penalties apiece – John Sands, Callum Harrison, Sam Nunn and Luke Ingram all scoring for Needham and Cemal Ramadan, Kyran Clements, Noel Aitkens and Tevan Allen netting for Bury.
Substitute Ryan Gibbs struck the inside of the right-hand post with Needham’s fifth penalty, and Jolland then sent Danny Gay the wrong way to book Bury their place in the final for the first time since 2014.
That was the year that they defeated Felixstowe & Walton United 4-1, ironically at AFC Sudbury, the season after their last appearance in a Portman Road final.
This season’s final is poised to return to Portman Road, subject to Ipswich Town not being involved in the end-of-season play-offs, and will be held between May 8th and 11th with a 7.45pm kick-off.
Bury’s opponents will be either Leiston or Kirkley & Pakefield, who meet in the second semi-final at Lowestoft Town FC on Tuesday, March 27th.
Bostik League North Division Bury certainly gave as good as they got over the course of the 90 minutes against their Bostik Premier opponents.
Both teams had chances to win the contest in a game that was anything other than a boring goalless draw.
Bury’s Ramadan’s deflected shot hit the outside of Gay’s left-hand post in the opening period, Clements headed powerfully wide from a corner in the second and in time added on Allen struck the underside of the bar and then volleyed over.
Sands fired into the side-netting and Brendan Ocran sliced wide for Needham in the first half, Jamie Griffiths’ control let him down and Ocran’s shot was cleared off the line by David Cooper in the second.
Jolland is pictured above after converting the match-winning penalty. Photograph courtesy of Ben Pooley.
The Teams
Bury Town: Luis Tibbles, David Cooper, Joe White, John Kennedy, Ollie Fenn, Kyran Clements, Tevan Allen, Noel Aitkens, Cemal Ramadan, Ollie Hughes, Ryan Jolland. Unused subs: Ollie Dunlop, Tommy Robinson, Joe Yaxley.
Needham Market: Danny Gay, Jake Dye, Luke Ingram, Jeremiah Kamanzi, Keiran Morphew, Sam Nunn, Callum Harrison, Gareth Heath, Jaime Griffiths (sub Ryan Gibbs, 80 mins), John Sands, Brendan Ocran (sub Jack Simmons, 58 mins). Unused subs: Finlay Shorten, Keiran Turner, James Carragher.
Referee: Paul Quick.
Attendance: 250.