Third Round Review

Humbledon Plains Farm 1 v Home & Bargain 3
After their impressive win at Oyster Martyrs in round two, I was tipping champions Humbledon Plains Farm as favorites to go all the way to this season’s final. However, retaining the Sunday Cup is an incredibly difficult feat – it’s only been done twice in fifty years – and the wait for it to be done again continues, following Home & Bargain’s fantastic victory in the North East.

Playing the cup holders away is about as bad a draw as it’s possible to receive, especially when you consider that a number of the Humbledon team play their Saturday football for Washington in the Northern league and this game was played on Washington’s ground.

Home & Bargain, who ply their trade in the Liverpool Business Houses league, took the lead through prolific scorer Chris McGann in the first half. Champions Humbledon levelled early in the second half. McGann was on hand to restore the scousers lead and Phil Bowman clinched a famous win, when he added a third with just ten minutes remaining.

Barnes Albion 1 v Haunchwood Sports 0

2013 finalists Barnes Albion of the West Middlesex league made it through to the last 16 but were pushed all the way by debutants Haunchwood Sports from Nuneaton, who narrowly lost in extra time.

Haunchwood started brightly as they took the game to Barnes Albion. They had a goal disallowed for offside and a penalty appeal waved away. Barnes best chance came just before half time, but their failure to convert a clear opportunity, meant the first half ended goal less.

Barnes put Haunchwood under a lot of pressure in the second half but could still not break the deadlock. Haunchwood nearly won it with just three minutes remaining, when Matt Brown went through on goal. Barnes were indebted to their keeper, who pulled off a fantastic save, to keep them in the game and to send the tie in to extra time.

The only goal of the game came in the 115^th minute. Barnes took a short corner and an Adam Willis shot deflected off the boot of Kyle Baxter and past the despairing Carl O'Neil in the Haunchwood goal.

Alder 1 v Chapeltown Fforde Grene 3

I made the 140 mile round trip to watch this match, in what was my 15^th Sunday Cup game in the Liverpool area. I’d not been to the Alder Sports & Social ground before and I was surprised to see what a good condition the pitch was in, given the atrocious weather of the previous week. It was a bit heavy in one goal mouth but the rest was perfectly playable.

Alder, of the Liverpool Business Houses league, enjoyed the majority of possession in the first half, without really creating too many chances. It was still goalless by the half hour mark but just six minutes later, the home side found themselves 2-0 down!

Eder Ruiz slid the ball under the advancing Alder keeper, with what was Fforde Grene’s first shot on goal on 30 minutes! A back header from Daniel Sheriffe saw the Leeds side double their lead on 36 minutes.

Alder pulled a deserved goal back just five minutes after the restart but despite being the best team in the second half, they could not draw level and a quick Fforde Grene counter attack in the 91st minute put the result beyond doubt, when Shaquille Clarke-Adams completed the scoring and earned his side a trip to Hetton Lyons in round 4.   

Lambeth All Stars 1 v OJM 2

Lambeth of the Morden & District league opened the scoring in the 28th minute when teenager Kadeem Ajeon split the OJM back line with a through ball to captain Daniel Jones, who buried the ball in the corner of Daniel Roberts’ goal. Roberts was part of the Norton United team, who made it through to the first round proper of this season’s FA Cup.

OJM, from the West Midlands based Warley & District league, fought back and equalised in the 65th minute through Rico Taylor. OJM sealed the win in the last minute of stoppage time, after a tactical change saw the introduction of Stourbridge’s strike pairing of Luke Benbow and Kayleden Brown and it was the latter who fired home the winner from a corner.

St Josephs (Luton) 1 v The Windmill 5

The five hour journey from Devon to Bedfordshire clearly did not affect The Windmill, as they recorded a comprehensive victory over four time finalists, St Josephs.

They raced into a 3-0 lead by the interval and all though St Joseph’s pulled one back in the second half, it proved to be nothing more than a mere consolation. Adam Carter struck a hat-trick for the Plymouth side and he also set up Ryan Richards to score. Jordan Walton completed the scoring.

Windmill joint manager Mike Walton said it was the best display he had seen from a Plymouth side at this level, as his players were firing on all cylinders from the first whistle.

The Windmill will be hoping to repeat this success in the fourth round, as they face a similar journey to meet Crawley Green, who like St Josephs, are members of the North Home Counties league.

Kennelwood 2 v Queens Park 3

Queens Park of the Birkenhead league have a good Sunday Cup pedigree and have competed in the competition for over 20 years. They reached the last 16 for the fifth time, as they managed to squeeze past their debutant hosts from the Liverpool Business Houses league. Dale Wright and Ste Groves were on target for Kennelwood.

New Salamis 5 v Thurmaston PWMC 1

New Salamis of the London based Kopa league marched in to the fourth round, with a comfortable win over Thurmaston, their visitors from the Leicester Alliance.

A goal from Chris Xiouris in the third minute gave them a dream start. Xiouris was the right man in the right place, when he converted a cross from the right hand side. It was 2-0 nine minutes later, when Stuart Zannori tapped home, following a scramble in the Thurmaston defence.

The prolific Deniz Mehmet extended the lead, when he took on three players before slotting the ball home and giving the Salamis a commanding 3-0 half time lead.

Steve Velandia added a fourth goal straight from a corner and Deniz Mehmet scored the goal of the game, when he surpassed his earlier effort, by dribbling past five players and smashing the ball into the roof of the net.

Crawley Green 2 v Black Horse 1

Brendan Hicks gave debutants Black Horse of the Redditch & South Warwickshire league the lead in the 12^th minute, in their tie at Crawley Green.

The Bedfordshire side were back on terms, when they equalized in first half stoppage time. The second half was equally close, with plenty of end to end play, but it was the home side who took the lead on 80 minutes and they managed to hold on, despite some late pressure from the visitors.