Post by youngspur on Sept 14, 2013 17:44:34 GMT
This was a proper old fashioned cup tie. On a chilly, overcast afternoon, the momentum twisted one way and then the other on a greasy surface and, by the end, it was hard to escape the feeling that the best team had lost. Such, though, is knockout football.
The fun and games began in the thirteenth minute when the hosts broke the deadlock. They had been knocking on the door since the outset, with Sam Gore enduring a torrid opening at the hands of a pacy right winger and the Rooks rearguard had already been sliced open on several occasions before Ben Austen lost his man, who slotted past the onrushing Rikki Banks with contemptuous ease. Lewes looked punch drunk for the rest of the half, a series of moves faltering in their infancy because of either a misplaced pass or ball watching. Peacehaven, meanwhile, were belying their Ryman League Division One South status courtesy of one well coordinated attack after another and, in the grip of a performance Gary Wilson called 'substandard', their illustrious visitors couldn't put a foot right.
Ross Treleaven was the only change to the line up that overcame Carshalton in midweek. Nathan Crabb was foraging on his own with Fraser Logan in the hole while a misfiring Nicky Wheeler on the left flank and the two Jacks, industrious as ever, completed the midfield quartet. Word is that Peacehaven have borrowed a few players from Whitehawk, which might go some way towards explaining the verve with which they got forward in the first period.
Having reached the interval beaten but not bowed, we took the game by the scruff of its neck after the restart and were level within five minutes, Jack Dixon lashing home from the edge of the area after the ball had bounced around as if in a pinball machine following a set piece. This proved to be a false dawn, however, as the underdogs regained the lead from close range in a matter of moments. At this stage, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat seemed a mere pipe dream but a double substitution turned the game on its head. Ade Olorunda and Matt Crabb took the field and the former put himself about to good effect. With his help, the Rooks gradually wrested back the initiative and their revival was complete when Walder rifled a viciously dipping effort into the top corner from twenty five yards to restore parity. From this moment on, only one team was going to win and the winner that made it all worthwhile arrived in hotly contested circumstances with five minutes left on the clock. A Peacehaven defender was rightly adjudged to have blocked a shot with his hand after moving his hand downwards at the crucial moment. He didn't take it lying down but Dixon rendered his protests futile by striking the subsequent penalty low into the bottom corner via the goalkeeper's fingertips.
The Rooks go marching on but they'll know they've been in a game!
The fun and games began in the thirteenth minute when the hosts broke the deadlock. They had been knocking on the door since the outset, with Sam Gore enduring a torrid opening at the hands of a pacy right winger and the Rooks rearguard had already been sliced open on several occasions before Ben Austen lost his man, who slotted past the onrushing Rikki Banks with contemptuous ease. Lewes looked punch drunk for the rest of the half, a series of moves faltering in their infancy because of either a misplaced pass or ball watching. Peacehaven, meanwhile, were belying their Ryman League Division One South status courtesy of one well coordinated attack after another and, in the grip of a performance Gary Wilson called 'substandard', their illustrious visitors couldn't put a foot right.
Ross Treleaven was the only change to the line up that overcame Carshalton in midweek. Nathan Crabb was foraging on his own with Fraser Logan in the hole while a misfiring Nicky Wheeler on the left flank and the two Jacks, industrious as ever, completed the midfield quartet. Word is that Peacehaven have borrowed a few players from Whitehawk, which might go some way towards explaining the verve with which they got forward in the first period.
Having reached the interval beaten but not bowed, we took the game by the scruff of its neck after the restart and were level within five minutes, Jack Dixon lashing home from the edge of the area after the ball had bounced around as if in a pinball machine following a set piece. This proved to be a false dawn, however, as the underdogs regained the lead from close range in a matter of moments. At this stage, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat seemed a mere pipe dream but a double substitution turned the game on its head. Ade Olorunda and Matt Crabb took the field and the former put himself about to good effect. With his help, the Rooks gradually wrested back the initiative and their revival was complete when Walder rifled a viciously dipping effort into the top corner from twenty five yards to restore parity. From this moment on, only one team was going to win and the winner that made it all worthwhile arrived in hotly contested circumstances with five minutes left on the clock. A Peacehaven defender was rightly adjudged to have blocked a shot with his hand after moving his hand downwards at the crucial moment. He didn't take it lying down but Dixon rendered his protests futile by striking the subsequent penalty low into the bottom corner via the goalkeeper's fingertips.
The Rooks go marching on but they'll know they've been in a game!