BRICKS BUILDING FA VASE HISTORY
HADLEY reached their first FA Vase quarter-final with a thoroughly professional defeat of Sutton Common Rovers at Gander Green Lane.
Two teams who really didn’t need the enforced break as they were flying before Christmas took a little time to settle down and nothing of note happened in the first 15 minutes.
Both teams had penalty shouts for handball turned down as shots flew against the static arms of defenders at close range. Had either been given, it would have been desperately harsh.
The first chance fell to the visitors when Shaz Anwar saw his shot blocked by a defender and Brad Marriott was denied by a brilliant save from Michael Eacott on the rebound.
Six minutes later Sutton Common took the lead with a beautiful strike from Kyle Henry. He lost his marker and met a low right-wing cross with a sweet strike that flew past Luke Ward.
Hadley began to get a bit frustrated as decisions went against them and they saw Cam Ferguson booked for a handball and Paul Wright likewise for a foul on the always-dangerous Danny Fernandez.
The Bricks’ dangerman, Solomon Ofori got the better of Aaron Goode and was only stopped by a foul from the centre-half which earned him a booking.
Efforts on target were few and far between with the defences on top, but Hadley’s Alex Tenola saw a low shot saved by Eacott and just before half-time Anwar looped a header just off target.
In first half stoppage time, Luke Alfano was brought down by a clumsy challenge and Alfie Bartram confidently converted the penalty to level the scores.
Four minutes into the second half, Sutton Common had a great chance to equalise when Ollie Twum was brought down in the box. Fernandez’s penalty was brilliantly saved by Ward, who gathered the ball in time as the striker looked to follow up on the rebound.
Just past the hour a long throw from Marriott was only half-punched by Eacott and the rebound fell to Anwar. He wasted no time in curling the ball past the defence inside the far post.
Dwane Duncan came close to extending the lead after 68 minutes before Luke Alfano did exactly that after 78 minutes. Jordan Edwards had just replace Alex Teniola when he had a shooting opportunity.
Eacott produced an excellent save, pushing the ball wide of the goal, only for Alfano to steal in beyond the far post and guide a near header just inside that upright.
Having made their three substitutions, Sutton Common raised their energy levels and pressure, but Hadley, who now take on Binfield in the next round, never looked like conceding again.