EDGEHILL WIN SEVEN GOAL REPLAY TO MAKE LAST FOUR
Player-boss Plumpton scores winning penalty
Second division side Ayton pulled off the shock of the season by knocking holders Trafalgar out of the Kenward Cup
Player-boss Mark Plumpton slotted in the winning spotkick in a 5-4 penalty shootout success after the scores had been tied at 2-2 after 90 minutes.
The visitors only had nine players to start with and the home side took full advantage with Mike Grayshan putting them ahead after fine work from the lively Tyson Stubbings after just five minutes.
Liam Salt’s top-flight side then brought their numbers up to 10 and this seemed to wake them up as they levelled through Chris Dove and took the lead with a header from
Jamie Patterson.
Ayton refused to submit though and grabbed a de - served leveller before halftime thanks to a powerful 30-yard cross-shot from Grayshan on the right flank.
After the break the hosts still created chances against Traf, who now had 11 men, but it was the visiting team who had the clearest chance to win it, being awarded a penalty 10 minutes from time.
Shaun Dodson stepped up to take the spot-kick but skied his effort over the crossbar, and in the final minute Niall Prentice shot straight at the Traf keeper when in a one-onone situation.
Dodson made up for his earlier miss by netting the opening spot- kickin the shoot- out, with Stubbings making it 1-1. Neil Thomas put Traf 2-1 up and when Prentice missed his penalty it put the holders in charge.
This advantage did not last long as Patterson’s shot was saved and Ryan Wilson scored Ayton’s third effort to bringing it back to 2-2.
Grayshan made it 3- 2 to Ayton, Joel Ramm levelled for Traf and then keeper Joe Mills put Ayton 4-3 ahead, Dove replying to bring it to 4-4 and taken the shoot-out into sudden-death.
Traf keeper Chris Ferrey missed his penalty, leaving Plumpton with the chance to fire his side to a famous victory and he made no mistake, sparking wild celebrations among the Ayton contingent.
Plumpton said: “This is the best-ever performance from any team I have managed, they were superb and gave their all.
“It is the proudest moment I have ever had in football.”
Traf chief Liam Salt said: “Even with nine men we should have probably beaten Ayton, but you have to give them credit as they worked very hard for each other throughout the cup-tie.
“We were that below-par that I cannot even think of a man of the match.”
Another shock saw second division Roscoes Bar win 2-0 at home to division one strugglers Commercial. Roscoes will now face Ayton in the semis of the Kenward Cup.
A scrappy first half saw Commercial edge the pl ay with the wind at their backs on a heavy pitch, but a couple of fine saves from Roscoes keeper George Allen maintained the goalless scoreline at half-time.
The home side came into the game more after the break and took the lead on 70 minutes when Carl Hepples played a pinpoint ball through the defence for Matty Rowley to run clear and dink over the Commercial keeper.
Five minutes later Gary Hepples squared the ball to Matty Rowley, who drilled the ball in from the edge of the area into the far corner.
With five minutes remaining Martin Hadrick’s shot took a wicked deflection off Sean Rowley and hit the stanchion of the goal and bounced back out, but no goal was given.
Roscoes Bar boss Lee Paterson said: “Overall we deserved to win, we were solid all over the pitch today.
“Allen made great saves at 0-0 but credit has to go to all the team as we never stopped battling on a difficult pitch.”
Commercial chief Geoff Osguthorpe added: “Roscoes Bar did very well in the second half and took their chances well, whereas we seemed to slip out of the game after a promising first half.”
West Pier booked a semifinal meeting with Newlands Park after a 6- 1 home win against Whitby Wanderers.
Travis Wood and Cam Dobson struck to put the hosts 2-0 up at the break, and Dobson completed his hat-trick after the break as Pier raced into a 5-0 lead, Ryan Baldry smashing in a 30-yarder for their fourth effort.
Simon Taylor latched onto a Jimmy Landers pass to fire in a consolation for Wanderers, Rob Speight adding a sixth for Pier late on.
Central midfielder Lloyd Henderson was the Pier man of the match, while centreback Steve Ross was the star man for Wanderers.