Hastings FA Intermediate Cup Final
The Pilot Field, Hastings
Admission including Programme: £4.00
Attendance: 150 (estimate)
This evening I decided to attend my third local cup final of the season at the Pilot Field, this time between two apparently closely matched teams in the East Sussex League Premier Division.
Sedlescombe Rangers have completed their league fixtures for the season, finishing in fourth place in the ten team division, following ten wins and two draws from their 18 league games. Robertsbridge United have one game left to play on Saturday, but are assured on a fifth place finish, following eight wins and three draws. The two teams met in the league just 10 days ago at Sedlescombe, with that game ending in a 2-2 draw, however back in late September. Sedlescombe won 3-7 away. To reach this evening's final, Robertsbridge had beaten Northiam '75 2-1 at home, and East Sussex League Premier Division's runners up Bexhill Town 1-2 away, whilst Sedlescombe had beaten this season's eventual champions Sidley United 0-2 away, received a walkover when Bexhill AAC could not raise a side, and then Hawkhurst United 1-5 away.
On a dry, cool evening, Sedlescombe started the better, and inside the first ten minutes, they saw a header from a corner fly just high and wide of the top corner of the woodwork, and a flighted shot was parried by the keeper up, and the ball bounced on top of the bar. Robertsbridge came back into the game, and on 17 minutes a first time shot from a cross was well saved and the loose ball was hacked away from close to the goal line just before a Robertsbridge player could get a touch. On 40 minutes, a quick break from Sedlescombe saw their forward outpace a defender, and the eventual shot was deflected over, and after a couple of resultant corners, a scramble in the six yard box ended with the ball being cleared.
Just a couple of minutes after the break, a fairly weak shot by a Sedlescombe defender took a deflection from a defender, and the keeper spooned the ball awkwardly over the bar, and they came even closer two minutes after that, following a diagonal ball from the halfway line which found the striker six yards out, but he couldn't apply a decisive touch. On 63 minutes, a Sedlescombe curled shot from the outer corner of the penalty area drew a good save at full stretch by the keeper, but within a minute, they did finally take the lead, when another scramble in the six yard box ended with Philip Hatch, laying flat on the ground, just managed to extend his head to touch the ball over the line. Robertsbridge responded well, creating several to chances to score, before being awarded a penalty on 74 minutes, when a cross was handled by a defender. Curtis Coombes struck the ball into the right side of the goal, sending the keeper the wrong way. The game really could have gone either way, both sides creating some chances, but it was Sedlescombe who went back into the lead on 84 minutes. Following a corner, Kasey Smith volleyed a superb shot which went like an arrow into the net from about 12 yards out. That would prove to be the winner, as Robertsbridge could not threaten another equaliser, and so it was Sedlescombe who would lift the cup on the pitch shortly after the final whistle. Robertsbridge do have another cup final to contest next Tuesday, the Robertsbridge Charity Intermediate Cup Final against Punnetts Town, which will also be played at the Pilot Field, whilst Sedlescombe have the opportunity to claim a cup double, when they return here to the Pilot Field on 4th May to contest the East Sussex League Cup Final against league champions Sidley United.
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