LONDON CUP SEMI-FINAL
After the highs of last weekend’s Hampshire County Cup semi-final win in Ferndown. The Oystermen make the short trip to Sevenoaks Road in Paulsgrove, a tough place for any side to go. We had a hard semi-final against newly crowned league champions Cross Keys Athletic.
A physical team and at times a nasty piece of work which makes them an extremely hard side to play. It was a hot Easter Sunday, and in the first half, Emsworth struggled to get into a rhythm. The Oystermen started slow but grew into the match as it went on. At half time and after a few words from the gaffer and the team having a word among each other, there seemed to be a lot better understanding of each other. The work ethic went up a level and Emsworth got the ball down and began to play some impressive football on what was a terrible pitch.
Emsworth was finding joy down the wings, especially up to the point where Braden Collins got the ball on the right-hand side cut in and cut it back to Jake Lynch who took a shot on target for the Cross Keys defender to save the shot with his hands and Emsworth was rewarded a penalty. Braden Collins stepped up and slotted home!
Emsworth are looking like the better team and is in control. Last 10 minutes Cross Keys threw the kitchen sink at it and battled hard for it. Few dangerous set pieces but in the end, stubborn Emsworth held on and booked themselves in their second cup final place in 7 days!
Man of the Match: Braden Collins
Goal scorer: Braden Collins
