Harold exit on penalties for second time in four days

11:34am Thursday 27th September 2007

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HOLDERS Ewyas Harold bowed out of the Herefordshire Football Association Charity Bowl at the first hurdle when they lost 4-3 in a penalty shoot-out to visiting Westfields Reserves after the sides had shared six goals at the end of both normal and extra time.

This was Harold's second defeat in this manner to the city club in four days. They went out of the HFA County Senior Challenge Cup in a sudden-death shoot-out against Fields' Midland Alliance side after ending extra time without a goal.

Mark Mortlock shaved the Harold woodwork early on, but the home team went ahead when Steve Radziejowski turned a cross home. Westfields then took control of the game and led 3-1 at the break.

Ben Fuller and Danny Hill struck free kicks from outside the penalty area to edge them in front, and then the same pair combined well for the third. Fuller took the free-kick and Hill found space to head the ball past Stuart Turpin.

Matt Smalley pulled a goal back from a Tommy Taylor free-kick and then Matt Pitt equalised in the final minute of normal time, to send the tie into extra time.

John Warren made a couple of good saves for the city side, and Smalley was dismissed for Harold, but there were no more goals during the extra 30 minutes.

In the shoot-out Radziejowski struck the post and Matt Norton put his effort over the bar, whilst the four Westfields players called upon found the back of the net to win a tense tie.

Tony Richards netted four times as Kington Town swept past Ledbury Town Reserves with a 5-1 win at New Street, .

Kington were on top from the start and had already squandered a couple of chances before Brian Dyer opened the scoring from a corner.

Richards latched on to a ball over the Ledbury defence and ran through to plant the ball into the bottom corner.

He had completed his hat-trick by the break, slotting in the rebound after his first shot had been blocked and grabbing his third from a corner after the home side had reduced the deficit from a free kick.

Richards got on the end of a cross and volleyed home the fifth goal in the second half to complete a comfortable passage into the next round.

On-song Sutton United maintained their blistering start to the season with a comprehensive 7-0 home win over a young and inexperienced Leominster Town side.

Ashley Rumsey and Danny Hill put them in control with goals inside the first half-hour. Leominster held out to the break, but in the second half they were grateful for a superb performance from goalkeeper Craig Hill, but still conceded five more goals.

Derek Craddock and Ben Chambers quickly doubled the tally. Shaun Davies score twice later on and Keith Holmans sandwiched one in between. Hill crowned a fine performance for Town with a penalty save from Craddock.

In a keenly-contested tie at the County Ground, Lads Club edged out local rivals Widemarsh 3-2, with the winner coming late on after the visitors had a man sent off.

Widemarsh made the early running and took the lead after 15 minutes. A free-kick on the edge of the box was deflected and Ryan Daw reacted quickly to stab the ball over the line.

Daniel Moon had replaced the injured Josh Pugh after 10 minutes and one of his first tasks for the club was to convert a penalty to tie the score.

The penalty was awarded for a Widemarsh player holding down David Olive.

Lads Club were into their stride now and took the lead on the stroke of half time. Liam Jones fed Moon down the right and his fierce cross was turned in at close-range by John Buchanan.

William Badder took advantage of some slack defending to put Widemarsh back on terms minutes after the restart. The result was in the balance for much of the second half, until Chris Gundy popped up with the winner 15 minutes from time.

There was another tight game at Fownhope where visiting Pegasus Reserves needed a last-minute winner to beat the home side 3-2.

Pegasus started brightly, Tom Bevan struck the cross-bar and then Steve Brotherwood put them ahead with a penalty after Shaun Goggins was fouled.

Glyn Evans took advantage of a defensive blunder to put Ben Porter in for the equaliser. Goggins and Paul Jenkins missed chances for Pegasus and it was the home team who went in happy at the break after going in front.

Evans dispossessed Lee Marlow on the bye-line and hit a low shot across the box and into the net off the far post.

Lee Baynam found the back of his own net within 10 minutes of the restart to put Pegasus back on level terms. The rest of the game was evenly-contested, with Bryn Watkins making a couple of superb saves to keep Pegasus in the game.

With extra-time looming, Jenkins sprang the home side's offside trap and unleashed a fierce shot to tip the finely balanced match in favour of the city side.