UCL Review 2012-13_9a2d718c

LEAGUE KNOCKOUT CUP REVIEW: SPALDING WIN IN STYLE

Four of the league’s new clubs featured in the Preliminary Round draw and three of them made winning debuts in the competition. Martin Wormall scored twice in Harrowby’s 3-0 win over Wootton while AFC Rushden & Diamonds outgunned neighbours Whitworth with extra time goals from Deven Ellwood and Jack Wisniewski giving Diamonds a 5-3 victory. Another high scoring affair saw Oadby draw 4-4 with Raunds before progressing in a penalty shootout. Only casualties among the new boys were Shepshed, beaten 3-1 at Yaxley who had Ricky Hailstone and Luke Hipwell on target in extra time. Cogenhoe notched up the biggest Preliminary Round win, going nap against Buckingham, while St Ives kicked off their defence of the trophy with a 4-2 win over Blackstones, Karl Gibbs netting twice. Luke Bewers and Andy White gave Rothwell Corinthians a 2-0 verdict at Burton Park while the surprise of the round saw Harborough go through 2-0 at Boston Town with goals from Craig Jacobs and Jake Bettles. There were only four inter divisional ties in Round One, and the only giant killing was Oadby’s 2-1 success at Huntingdon with goals from Ollie Brown-Hill and Che Adams. A second Diamonds derby ended in shootout defeat to Wellingborough while two Tom Liversedge goals helped Cogenhoe win 4-2 at Potton and a TJ Nightingale goal in extra time saw Spalding subdue Northampton Spencer. Perhaps the surprise of the round was a 1-0 Rothwell Corinthians win over Sileby, Tom Judge the matchwinner, while Jean Dakouri’s hat trick gave Long Buckby a 5-2 verdict at Desborough only for Buckby to be expelled for playing an ineligible player! Two Adam Rothery goals helped Yaxley surprise hosts Newport Pagnell 4-2 while a lone Ricky Miller goal gave St Ives a 1-0 win at Irchester. A Craig Parker brace helped Holbeach beat Deeping 4-2 in the round’s top tie while newcomers Quorn progressed 1-0 at Sleaford, Liam Turner on target. Eynesbury, Bugbrooke, Thrapston and Rushden & Higham progressed at the expense of Division One rivals ON Chenecks, Olney, Harrowby and Bourne respectively while 2011 winners Peterborough Northern Star needed a shoo1tout to go through at Stewart & Lloyds. AFC Kempston were 3-1 winners at Harborough with Mark Bunker, Drew Phillips and Ash Windridge scoring in the final tie of the round. Second Round ties saw four inter divisional meetings and there were two upsets. Callum Noble’s extra time goal gave Thrapston a single goal success at Wellingborough while Jon Stevenson, Nick Pollard and Jake Duffy were on the scoresheet in Oadby’s 3-1 success at Quorn. Two ties went with the formbook, Andy Tidswell scoring twice in a 4-2 Holbeach success at Eynesbury and Adam Scotcher doing likewise in Peterborough Northern Star’s 5-1 romp against Rothwell Corinthians. David Cobb scored twice in holders St Ives’ 4-1 home defeat of Desborough, while Spalding saw off Cogenhoe 3-1 with Tony Battersby, Lee Canoville and Jamie Thurlbourne on the mark. Daryl Lawman and Craig Harrower scored in the space of minute to take Rushden & Higham through 2-0 at Bugbrooke while Yaxley needed a penalty shootout to progress after sharing four goals with AFC Kempston. The opening quarter final saw Oadby overcome fellow Division One hosts Thrapston 4-1 with Jon Stevenson scoring three, but they were the only lower grade side to progress as Rushden & Higham exited 4-2 to St Ives who had David Cobb on target twice. Spalding breezed past Peterborough Northern Star 4-0 with Lee Beeson, Dan Cotton, Lee Canoville and TJ Nightingale sharing the goals. The only upset of the round came at Holbeach where the Tigers’ double hopes were dashed by Luke Hipwell’s extra time goal which gave Yaxley a 1-0 Carters Park success. St Ives booked a place in a fourth successive final with a 3-0 home win over a shadow Oadby squad, Dan Banister netting twice in the first half before Guy Last completed the scoring. Yaxley almost produced another shock as Alex Lyon’s goal put them ahead against his old club but Miles Chamberlain rescued Spalding in the last minute and they held their nerve better in the shootout winning the penalty contest 3-0. Two days after being pipped to promotion by their final rivals, Spalding bounced back in style to beat St Ives 4- 0 and take the trophy to the Halley Stewart Field. Lee Beeson’s header from a corner after 27 minutes arrived against the run of play, but thereafter there was only one winner. Jamie Thurlbourne converted a Jack McGovern pass after 35 minutes and five minutes later Dan Cotton latched onto a Luke Kennedy flick to extend the Tulips’ advantage to three. Cotton turned provider a minute into added time to set up a Kieran Doherty tap in at the far post.

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