The Crusaders crash out of the Cup

There were a number of unfamiliar names on the team-sheet as we fielded a much-changed team for this Berks & Bucks Senior Cup tie, but the side never really “clicked” and it was the Robins who looked the more lively right from the start with the speedy Seb Bowerman looking dangerous down the left wing and he opened the scoring after only 11 minutes when he cut through and slipped the ball past Marcus Beauchamp into the far corner.

We went close to equalising when the ball was cleared off the line and an Anton Rogers free-kick flew just over the bar after Louie Sores had been brought down. We looked rather lethargic and went 2-0 down when Jamie McClurg scored with a cracking free-kick after 27 minutes, but although we reduced the arrears on the half-hour we still looked below par and it was not until halfway through the second half that the introduction of Alex Wall, Gabriel Silva and Rhys Tyler that we began to put any real pressure on the visitors defence, but we did not have the composure to turn pressure into goals, although Paul Stonehouse was unlucky when his shot from out on the left clipped the top of the bar and was deflected away to safety.
We dominated the closing stages but Bracknell defended well and stopped everything we could offer to see out the 90 minutes plus another 5 minutes of injury time.
It had been a dispiriting performance and it was Bracknell who deserved to go through to the next round.

Team;Marcus Beauchamp, Nathaniel Weeks, Diak John (C), Ian Herring, Gary McDonald (Rhys Tyler), Richie Whittingham,Louie Soares, Anton Rogers, Luke Hopper, Jamal Lawrence (Gabriel Silva.) Paul Stonehouse (Alex Wall) .

Sub not used: James Clark.