Melford book quarter-final place

Long Melford advanced to the League Cup Quarter Finals after winning a penalty shoot-out on Wednesday evening.

Not a great football spectacle for the brave supporters on a blustery night.

Harwich who play at a step lower than Melford proved to be challenging opponents.

Hero for the visitors was young keeper Brad Cook, who through the game made three excellent saves to keep his team in the game.

Melford went ahead on 26 minutes when RYAN GIBBS (pictured) turned his defender and his shot from the angle, took two deflections but found the net.

Whilst Melford looked slightly the better team in a lacklustre game during the first half, Harwich looked a shade better for most of the second period.

Applying great pressure in the final minutes, it was no surprise that Harwich levelled on 86 minutes.

With Melford attacking on the edge of the Harwich penalty area, a sloppy Melford pass was played straight to a Harwich player, and from that point the ball transferred quickly to the Melford penalty area, and eventually a shot from substitute  LEO CARTY found the Melford net.

In the penalty shoot out Ryan Gibbs, Josh Collins, Hassan Ally, Jake Jackson and Ben Judge converted the Melford penalties, whilst Harwich failed to replicate, with Melford going through 5…3 on penalties.

In the next round (Quarter Finals), Melford meet either Hutton or Hoddesdon at the Skyline Network Stadium. CHENOBERET

LONG MELFORD: Walker, B Judge, Collins, Whiting-Noakes, R Gibbs, J Brown, O Judge, Wingfield, Akinade, Brennan, H Brown

Subs: Jackson, T Williams, Ally, Birch, Davis

PHOTO CREDIT: www.suffolknews.co.uk