County Cups

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE FansFocus.Com SENIOR CUP
 
 

HEYBRIDGE SWIFTS  3 - 3  SOUTHEND UTD

(after extra time, Southend United won 4-3 on penalties) 
 
Heybridge Swifts pushed Coca-Cola League One club Southend United all the way as the Shrimpers progressed to their first Senior Cup Final in eleven years following a nerve-wracking penalty shoot-out success at Scraley Road.

United had twice led, thanks to a Matt Harrold brace, but were pegged back by their Ryman League Premier Division opponents who took the game to the wire after Danny Barber's last-gasp leveller in extra time.

Southend claimed the early ascendancy as they grabbed the lead on 7 minutes. Skipper Harrold forced a corner after goalkeeper and the previous stage's Player of the Round Ollie Morris-Sanders pushed away his low shot and the resulting Johnny Herd flag-kick was flicked on by Zoltan Liptak into the path of Harrold who stabbed home at the far post.

However, the home side hit back on 19 minutes. Barber's driven free-kick was mis-hit but still found its way to Stafford Browne who reacted quickly to turn the ball past Shrimpers 'keeper Steve Collis from an angle.

The visitors enjoyed the best of the further first-half chances. Jamie Forshaw hit a twenty-yard free-kick inches over the top and Herd also fired high after latching onto Peggy Lokando's excellent through ball. Morris-Sanders then did well to push away Charles Ademeno's low shot after a strong run from the Southend youngster.

Heybridge took the game to their opponents after the interval. Sean Marks was disappointed to scuff a shot into Collis' gloves following a fine ball from Burrell and David Wareham hit a rasping shot just wide of the post moments later. Swifts then edged themselves in-front on 67 minutes, a great Passfield ball finding Burrell who finished brilliantly past Collis.

The lead lasted ten minutes, Harrold grabbing his second with a deflected shot finding its way inside the near post after the striker had neatly turned inside the Heybridge box.

Forshaw missed a glorious chance to put United back in front when he headed Damian Scannell's excellent centre over the bar and Swifts thanked 'keeper Morris-Sanders for taking the tie into extra time when he superbly kept out Herd's effort with just four minutes of normal time remaining.

Into extra time, Southend regained the lead on 102 minutes, Ademeno drifting in at the back post to poke home Scannell's right-wing centre. Heybridge responded well, though, and put continuous pressure on their opponents. Marks sent a volley just wide of the upright from an Alex Rowe cross and Collis held onto an effort from Burrell. This was prior to Barber's corner, with four minutes remaining that saw goalkeeper Morris-Sanders, up from the back, head inches wide of the far post.

With just a minute of extra-time remaining, however, Swifts' hard work paid off as they grabbed a deserved leveller. Barber's initial corner was blocked but, as the ball dropped back to his feet, he delivered a dangerous centre which took a wicked deflection off Liptak before looping into the corner.

United took an early lead from in the subsequent shoot-out thanks to Harrold, but Barber immediately levelled things up. Southend's Forshaw saw his kick saved by Morris-Sanders and Marks briefly gave Swifts the lead before David Wareham smashed the home side's third kick over the bar.

Burrell successfully converted Swifts fourth but Reece Henry, Franck Moussa and Tom Hopkins had given the Shrimpers a 4-3 lead before Ian Wiles hit Heybridge's decisive fifth kick against the post. This handed Southend a place in the final against Chelmsford City on 1st April at their own Roots Hall home.
 

Pictures courtesy of www.southendunitedpics.co.uk
 
Heybridge Swifts: Ollie Morris-Sanders, Ryan Hull, Danny Barber, Adam Passfield (Luke Fisher, 112), Ian Wiles, Daryl Bourgeois, David Wareham, Adam Gillespie, Sean Marks, Stafford Browne (Alex Rowe, 83), Gary Burrell. Unused Substitutes: Craig Ewing, Adam Brotherton, Jamie Bowyer.

Southend United: Steve Collis, Anthony Grant, Johnny Herd, Franck Moussa, Tom Hopkins, Zoltan Liptak, Damian Scannell, Peggy Lokando, Matt Harrold, Charles Ademeno (Reece Henry, 108), Jamie Forshaw. Unused Substitutes: Ronnie Jones, Nathan McDonald, Dan Harvey, Luke Thurlbourne.

Bookings: Southend: Liptak (98, foul).

Referee: Michael Bull (Chelmsford).

Assistant Referees: Keith Yeo (Aveley) and Simon Essex (Brightlingsea).

Attendance: 273.

Man-of-the-Match: Damian Scannell (Southend United) - After a quiet first half an hour, wide man Scannell, once given more of the ball, caused Heybridge huge problems with his trickery and produced some great balls into the box.