Battling Brancepeth back from the brink
Sunday 18th February 2007
League Cup Quarter-finals
Croxdale 3
Smith, Stewart, Roffe
New Brancepeth 4 (after extra-time)
Wilkinson 2, Watson 2
NEW BRANCEPETH squeezed through to the semi-finals of the League Cup with a brilliant battling performance at Croxdale.
The Division Two side to bounce back from three goals down at half-time to draw level before full-time – and then they clinched the game with just three minutes left before the dreaded penalty shoot-out loomed.
Division One side Croxdale raced into what seemed to be an unassailable 3-0 lead with goals by Andrew Smith, Andy Stewart and Ben Roffe.
Carl Wilkinson pulled one back for Brancepeth before Eddie Watson grabbed another quick one.
Wilkinson netted his second, the equaliser, to send the game into extra-time – and Watson added his second to book their semi-final place and complete a superb comeback.
“There was 11 man-of-the-matches for us!” said Brancepeth’s Brian Stewart. “We showed tremendous team spirit. I knew once we got the first goal we just had to keep going. It was an awesome performance by the lads.”
Meanwhile, Division Three side Castle dumped Division One side Tudhoe United out of the competition to join Brancepeth in the semi-finals.
Kevin McMullan, Paul Gargett and John Cunningham all scored for Castle, while Paul Leadbitter and Aaron McGarr scored Tudhoe’s goals.
And a fuming Tudhoe boss James Curley blasted: “It was one of the worst Tudhoe displays I’ve ever seen as manager, Castle totally deserved to win, they wanted it more than us.”
Hunwick Joiners are also in the semi-finals after a 4-1 win at the North Briton with goals by James Melville (2), Andrew Howard and Shaun Nicholson. Marc De Lucia scored the Brit’s goal.
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