CUP TIE
Good things come to those that wait.
And after three postponements due to the seemingly never-ending October rain, the Cranleigh U18s squad were delighted to finally get the chance to play this cup tie.
The team were determined to make the wait worthwhile and after a frantic start to the match Cranleigh started to settle in to the game and had the lion’s share of possession. And after several thwarted chances took the lead from a corner on 20 minutes, with James Hughes heading the ball into the roof of the net. With Westfield raising their game after conceding the remainder of the half was a good battle and Cranleigh did well to maintain their lead at the break.
The hosts came out of the blocks well at the start of the second half forcing a top class save from Dan Laws in the Cranleigh goal after just two minutes. Having weathered a short period of pressure Cranleigh soon picked up where they left off at the end of first half and their speed and quality of play soon saw them restoring their upper hand. Numerous chances went begging as attack after attack resulted in frustration. Striker Harry Nicholas picked up a nasty injury which saw him visit A&E, and later in the half Ryan Atalay who had come on as a sub succumbed to an identical injury, with a visit to A&E on his to do list also. With all substitutes already on the field, Atalay’s exit meant that Cranleigh had to play the final phase of the game with 10 men. But the defence were resolute in their task and with every player giving their all the team came away with a deserved victory and int the next round of the cup.
