Youthful Hungerford win on penalties

If ever there was “ a game of two halves”, this was it, as a side which included a number of academy players came back from 4-0 down at the interval to level the scores and the dominate the penalty “shoot out” to qualify for the third round of the Red Insure Cup.

Starting down the slope, the visitors were soon ahead as  our defence was in a muddle and with Oliver  Harrison off his line, Elliot Osbourne~ Ricketts lobbed the ball into the empty net after only 2 minutes .

Although Alan O’Brien broke away and put over a good cross, this was easily cleared and back came the visitors for Zak Westlake to make it 2-0 after 20 minutes and with our young defenders continually out-muscled, John Else make it 3-0 only 6 minutes later. The rout continued as Michael Hopkins scored North Leigh’s 4th. goal after 33 minutes and there seemed no way back.

What a change after the interval !. We pushed forward and had the North Leigh defence  struggling. A goal-line clearance and a great save by James Foster kept us out , but Harry Goodger headed in after 54  minutes to bring hope to our supporters,  and, Chris  Passey scored on the hour within a couple of minutes of coming on to make it 4-2.  The visitors were clearly rattled and  Dean Stow made it 4-3 after 70 minutes to put us within reach of a remarkable come-back. The miracle was almost complete when Conor Lynch made it 4-4 after 79 minutes to take us straight into a penalty shoot-out to decide the winners.

We scored  our 4 penalties, and  when Harrison saved North Leigh’s second effort and they shot wide from the third spot-kick, our  final attempt  was not needed. Amazingly we were through !

Team;Harrison, Whittingham,Thomas, Berry-Hargreaves,Horgan, jones(Passey)Stow, Collins.Goodger, Lynch, O,Brien. Subs;Rusby, Brown, Clark, Strudley