East Sussex League Cup Final
The Pilot Field, Hastings
Admission including Programme: £3.00
Attendance: 250 (estimate)
For this week's midweek entertainment, I decided to head for the Pilot Field, home of Isthmian League outfit Hastings United, to take in a local intermediate cup final, in which I had a particular interest, as I lived in the town of one of the participants, Battle, for several years.
Battle Town would be aiming for the league and cup double this evening, having won the East Sussex League Premier Division with a final record of 16 wins and a draw from their 18 league games. They have also reached the semi-finals of the National Christian Cup - in their quarter final tie away to Emmanuel Baptists in Cardiff, they came back from a four goal deficit after 20 minutes to eventually win 4-6. There was little doubt that SC Pass + Move Arrows would be the underdogs this evening, as they play a division below in Division One, and finished their league campaign in fifth place in the nine club division, following nine wins and two draws from their 16 league games, although their league campaign did not end particularly strongly, picking up just a point from their last three games. To reach this evening's final, Battle won 7-1 against Punnetts Town, 3-0 against Hawkhurst United and 3-2 against Bexhill AAC in the semi-final, all at home, whilst Pass + Move beat Robertsbridge United 3-0 at home, Rock-a-Nore 4-3 at home after extra time, and then JC Tackleway 2-3 away in the semi-final.
On a dry but slightly chilly evening, this was a fabulously entertaining cup final to watch, certainly enhanced by excellent support off the pitch for both clubs. SC Pass and Move were excitedly cheered on by members of their youth teams, spending their time either singing and chanting, or running around the ground in a snake formation and carrying arrow signs, and was surprisingly not too annoying or distracting. Battle also had good and vociferous from a more mature support. Although Battle started on the front foot, had a goal ruled out for offside on 10 minutes, and had a header from a corner quite comfortably cleared off the line on the half hour mark, it was the underdogs who took the lead in first half added on time, when a free kick was dinked into the box, the ball was headed down and then stabbed home.
And within 3 minutes of the restart, Pass + Move doubled their lead when the ball was played into Frazer Discala, whose shot on goal seemed to take a deflection on its way past the keeper. Battle pulled a goal back on 56 minutes, when a corner was met with a glancing header to send the ball into the net. That certainly woke Battle up, and they levelled the scores on 68 minutes when a lovely cross from the left was met with a good header to send the ball into the net. Yet within 2 minutes, Pass + Move went back into the lead when a corner was cleared at the near post back out to the corner taker, who whipped the ball back in and Joshua Paige rose highest to head the ball into the roof of the net. Although Battle had some half chances to level the scores once more, it looked like the game was up going into second half added on time, but when Battle won a corner, their keeper Shaun Utting came up, the free kick was played in and Utting stooped to divert the ball with his head past the keeper to send the game into extra time, with a 3-3 scoreline.
In the first half of extra time, the game started to go away from the underdogs, when Battle took the lead for the first time on 96 minutes, when an initial shot was blocked but squirmed wide for the Battle forward to strike the ball home just before the keeper could get there, and Battle opened up a two goal lead on 101 minutes, when a free kick was dinked into the box, and was stabbed home. Pass + Move still were not beaten though, and they pulled a goal back two minutes later, when the ball was floated across the box, the keeper couldn't grab it above his head, and although the first effort on goal was blocked, a follow up header sent the ball into the net.
Although both sides had further chances to score, there were no more goals in the second period of extra time, meaning that Battle did indeed complete the league and cup double. But Pass + Move can be proud to have really pushed Battle all the way, and certainly gave their large and loud following plenty to shout about.
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