ROMULUS upset the form book by edging past high-flying Westfields to a earn a last-eight berth in the Midland Football League Cup.

Either team could have won a fast-paced and open match but in truth, the Roms warranted victory by displaying extra grit when it mattered most.

The hosts, boosted by the arrivals of striker Aaron Lloyd and midfielder Theo Llewellyn from Alvechurch, had looked fluent during the opening exchanges and took the lead 12 minutes in.

Andre Gonzales cut inside and drove towards the box, playing a crisp one-two with Lloyd before his deflected shot looped over deceived Westfields keeper Kieran Blackburn.

The joy lasted a minute, though, with home skipper Cameron Lee caught in possession by Mark Magee who kept his composure to stroke around Raaj Gill from close range.

Undeterred, Romulus soon regained the lead when a half-cleared set piece was seized upon by Llewellyn who drove a half volley through the crowd with 16 minutes on the clock.

Chances continued to arrive with Luke Keen’s free-kick clearing the crossbar and then seeing another stinging shot charged down.

Westfields also looked dangerous with Magee scuffing off target when well placed and Carlos Moreira denied on the goal line by Lee’s last-gasp recovery with Gill beaten by the 28th-minute lob.

The tempo remained swift without further chances until half-time but the game soon opened up again after the restart.

The visitors levelled within three minutes when a simple lofted ball saw Magee win his race down the right before lobbing Gill who made an ill-advised dash from his line.

It took Romulus only three minutes to hit back from the first equaliser and history repeated itself in bizarre circumstances.

Lloyd was in the thick of a tussle for a corner that Blackburn appeared to push against his own defender Paul Hurrell with the ball bouncing into the net. Amid the uncertainty, Lloyd was credited with the goal.

There was no let up in the pace but the chances dried up until the final quarter of an hour when Llewellyn’s low free-kick found Lloyd at the near post to force a fine block from Blackburn and fire agonisingly wide on the rebound.

Westfields enjoyed a late flurry with Alex Hainault guilty of missing a good chance, nodding wide of the far post from an inviting Craig Jones free-kick.

The pressure grew but there was only one more scare for the hosts when Ben Hayes flashed across goal with less than four minutes to go.

Romulus: Gill, Degville-Cross, Hirst, Fuller, Lee, Llewellyn, Gonzales, Ashby, Lloyd, Delaney (Taylor, 71), Keen (Dudley, 68). Unused subs: Clarkson, Dunkley.

Westfields: Blackburn, Butler, Plane, Kahaki, Hurrell, Hainault, Jones, Moreira, Magee (Antwi, 77), Miller (G Hayes, 84), B Hayes. Unused subs: Smith, Havard (g/k).

Attendance: 60.