Fulham beaten as Worthing reach cup final – Lancing hold Rams – Wick beat Seaford and Hailsham

Lancing came into this game nursing a sense of injustice after successive defeats by one goal against East Grinstead and Cray Valley. Dean Cox had instilled a belief in his team that they could match anyone in the league.

There would be no sterner challenge than facing top side and leading goalscorers and high-spending Ramsgate, for whom recent signing, the much travelled Frenchman Youssef Bamba, was on the team sheet.

For Lancing Ashley Mutongerwa, Owen Spicer and Tyrese Mthunzi came into the squad. Gregor Shaw continued in goal.

Lancing won the first corner four minutes in when Marcel Powell got on the end of a measured pass inside the full back from Finn Daniels-Yeoman. Mthunzi got his head to the corner but headed over.

It was the Lancing keeper who was first called into action, making a good save from Bamba. Tijan Jadama looked a threat bursting through the middle but got underneath the ball and his effort sailed over the bar.

Powell got beyond his marker and get in a dangerous cross which came off a defender dropping for Mthunzi, who reacted with a well struck volley but straight into the arms of keeper Josh Bexon. Reece Hallard picked out Powell, who again delivered another fine cross which was cleared.

Mutongerwa was booked on 13 minutes for preventing a free kick being taken. Shaw came to his side’s rescue when he stretched to turn a long range low drive from Jack Paxman behind for a corner.

Then Lancing got themselves in front. Mutongerwa smashed the ball goalwards. It clattered the underside of the bar, rebounded into play and Mutongerwa had a second bite of the cherry burying the ball into the roof of the net.

Ramsgate looked dangerous whenever they advanced into the final third. Bamba let fly from 25 yards but Shaw got down well to keep his shot out. But

Mo Juwara linked up with Hallard and he laid the ball off to Mutongerwa , who shot on the turn with his effort being put behind for a corner. Daniels-Yeoman set up Mutongerwa breaking forward but he was unable to get a shot away.

Lancing had further chances but Bamba was a danger man for the Rams, testing Shaw with a hard low drive. Just when it looked that Lancing would go in at half-time with a lead, Jerald Aboagye hit the byline on his right flank and pulled the ball back into the penalty area. It ran behind two Rams’ forwards but reached Paxman unmarked at the edge of the box. He had time to calmly sidefoot the ball into the bottom corner.

Early in the second half Juwara was spoken to by referee Chris Williams for a foul – and when he erred for a second time 12 minutes into the half the referee had little choice but to issue a caution.

Lancing continued to take the game to the Rams and for the visitors, Roman Liburd and Jadama both came close to scoring but Shaw was proving difficult to beat.

Olopade came on for Riley-Snow and Gil Carvalho replaced star man Bamba for the Rams.

Darius Goldsmith came on for Lancers skipper Finn Daniels-Yeoman.

Will Berry, Marcus Allen ,Owen Spicer and Juwara maintained their concentration levels and held firm. The Rams came closest to breaking the deadlock with a shot which grazed the outside of the upright.

Spicer twice came to his side’s rescue, and on 87 minutes Mutongerwa made way for Tyrone Madhani. As the 90-minute mark approached the Rams had their final effort to snatch a winner but Shaw denied them with an excellent save.

This was a hard earned but well-deserved point for Lancing and was a tribute to a hard-working and competent performance throughout the team. This should give the side a real boost as they enter the latter stages of the campaign.

Faversham are next up – they are well down in the table but picking up a win against Chichester City sends out a warning signal.

Mthunzi was named MoM.

DAVE WILMOTT

Fulham Women 1 Worthing Women 2

League Cup SF

An exciting Cup semi final at Fulham: at 38 minutes, a foul on Sophie Humphrey in the box resulted in a penalty that Captain Gemma Worsfold calmly slotted home into the bottom corner.

This was shortly followed by a deflected cross finding Georgia Tibble at the back post who, with lightning reactions, lobbed it into the other side of the goal to get her 10th goal of the season.

Despite a goal for Fulham early in the second half, the scoreline finished at 2-1, seeing Worthing triumphantly through to the final.

​Yapton Res 6,Brockham 3

WSFL Div 3 Cup QF

Two goals from Connor Jones in the first 15 minutes set the pattern for Yapton's convincing victory.

Callum Hadaway sent in a curling shot from 20 yards for 3-0 and Brockham's best period brought them two goals before the interval.

Yapton stretched their lead to 6-2 with a Haydn Aldred penalty, Jones' hat-trick goal, set up by Jack Sevenson, and a strike from Frazer Beaumont. Brockhm snatched a late third.

Faversham Town 1 Chichester City 0

Isthmian south east

Chichester’s nine-game unbeaten run came to an end with defeat at Faversham Town.

Michael Ademiluyi scored the only goal on 20 minutes, curling the ball beyond an unsighted Kieran Magee to give the hosts three precious points in their bid to beat the drop.

Etienne Frimpong was given a debut for Chi at left back in an otherwise unchanged starting XI from the one that thumped fourth-place Whitehawk 4-1 midweek at Oaklands Park.

Faversham started on the front-foot and City skipper Connor Cody had a cross to block 60 seconds in. A home side throw-in then caused some problems as the visitors conceded the first corner of the match which Matt Parsons whipped over only for the back four to clear their lines.

Frazer Shaw and Ademiluyi linked up but Isaac Bello headed away before Cody steered the ball out for a second corner in as many minutes that Callum Overton got clear. Under pressure, Chi had a dangerous delivery to contend with, although Shola Ayoola had strayed offside.

And then against the run of play Lloyd Rowlatt fed Kaleem Haitham after Overton flicked on and leading marksman Ethan Prichard couldn’t tuck home a measured cross from the right. Next, Rowlatt’s neat turn and pass set Prichard up for another attempt which nicked off a defender for a corner that Rowlatt took and Emmett Dunn got a connection on of sorts.

Keeper Magee was forced into a super save by Parsons in the ninth minute as Faversham pressed once more. A heavy challenge from Frimpong on Ademiluyi driving into the penalty area gave referee Howard Collins a decision to make – no pen.

Ayoola won a corner off Frimpong moments later that Parson played short to Kieron Campbell and Dunn cleared. Magee was off his line swiftly ahead of Ronald Sithole before Ademiluyi broke the deadlock with a strike which nestled in the bottom left hand corner.

Haitham did Ademiluyi just before the half hour mark, and cut inside, only for Bailey Vose to gather easily enough. Bode Anigdube sent Sithole away on a chase but Cody tidied up and an outstanding tackle by Harrison Byford on Overton at the other end prevented the Chi striker from getting to a lofted forward pass.

Rowlatt almost picked Overton; both Haitham and Prichard couldn’t quite get the loose ball under control after Bello’s throw was hacked away; and Faversham CB Olly Gray outfoxed Overton and headed back safely to Vose.

Joe Clarke sent Haitham scampering away down the left in the first attack of the second 45 for a misplaced cross and then was well-up but Haitham lost the ball this time. Magee’s crossbar came to his aid four minutes in when Sithole’s hell of a screamer somehow cannoned back off the woodwork.

Haitham and Clarke made way for Olly Munt and Josh Clack on 53 before Ryan Davidson and Ayoola duelled for a ball which Davidson won. On the hour Ayoola spurned a glorious opportunity to double the hosts’ advantage cracking one into the advertising boards rather than the back of the net.

Frimpong was withdrawn for Joe Moore with 20 to go and then Parsons got in down the left and Campbell drilled an effort over the bar.

Chi blew opportunities of their own late on as Prichard took a touch too much, Dunn had a shot blocked, and Clack headed Prichard’s cross off target.

So, the unbeaten sequence, in which Chichester scored 21 goals and kept five clean sheets, is over.

Miles Rutherford’s men return to Kent on Tuesday to visit Sittingbourne and on Saturday they face Hythe Town (3pm).

IAN WORDEN

Seaford 0 Wick 2

SCFL Division 1

Zac Harris struck twice as Wick won for the third time in eight days to maintain their drive for Division One promotion.

The former Littlehampton striker scored four times in those three matches, hitting the only goal of the game in the derby victory against Arundel and getting on the scoresheet in the 3-0 win over Montpelier Villa to take his tally for the season to 11.

Harris broke the deadlock seven minutes into the second half when he turned in a fine cutback from Tommy Farr and doubled the lead in the 73rd minute when he was gifted possession by a Seaford defender after he was closed down and pressured by Dave Crouch.

Harris raced clear and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way with a clever shimmy before rounding a defender and finding the net.

He could have finished with a hat-trick but a superb first-half strike was ruled out by a tight offside decision.

Wick manager Lee Baldwin was delighted by the away win with puts the Dragons third in the table.

‘We were without eight players who could have all started but didn’t skip a beat once we found our rhythm after 20 minutes.

‘It was a terrific performance with Zac leading the way and I was very happy with all of them. We could have scored more.

‘We’re playing well and are now in a strong position to reach the playoffs in what has been a very exciting season.’

Wick 1 Hailsham Town 0

SCFL Div 1

Josh Irish sent Wick to their fourth straight victory at Crabtree Park on Tuesday, maintaining their promotion drive with a comfortable win against Hailsham.

The Dragons striker converted from close range after the Stringers failed to deal with a 12th minute corner and the result was never in doubt as Ryan Singers and Marshall Ball controlled midfield and Julian Curnow, Jack Bingham and Nathan Hawker kept the visitors at bay at the back.

Wick are now level on points with Epsom & Ewell in second and just four points behind leaders Shoreham, although they have played two more games than the Musselmen.

‘We’re probably outsiders for the one automatic promotion place but we’ll keep fighting in case Shoreham slip up,’ said Dragons boss Lee Baldwin.

‘It wasn’t the best of games but I’m delighted we have kept a fourth clean sheet and haven’t conceded in more than 400 minutes as we chase a playoff place.'