Youth football: Chichester and Bognor lads can look forward to finals

Get involved by sending your team’s reports and pictures to [email protected]

UNDER-16

Barnham Trojans Red 1 Predators Youth 2

Predators started strongly and soon had the Barnham goal under pressure, but it was nearly the interval before Jacob Carroll gave them the lead with a strong cross-shot after he was put through by a clever flick from Toby Lauder.

They started the second half brightly with a series of attacks and eventually Scott Bingham seized on a loose ball in the Barnham area to double the lead.

A misunderstanding from a Predators free-kick allowed Barnham to play the ball into the area where a needless foul gave Barnham a penalty. They converted it and this seemed to drain the confidence from Predators as they adopted a more defensive formation to see out the game.

Only the assured defending of Matt Morris and the woodwork kept Barnham at bay.

PREDATORS: Fellows, Bingham, Brayfield, Burford, Carroll, Daniels, Donner, Hanslip, Humphries, Lauder, Morris, Simmonds.

UNDER-14

Bognor Town 8 Worthing Minors 0

Bognor dominated from the whistle with Joe Bennett, Mason Haga Hammond, Ben Hauxwell and Johnny Pardey controlling midfield and linking up well with Will Linott and Jack Parkinson, who capitalised with a great individual goal.

Bognor’s defence of Antonio Maple, Harley Bain, Kai Swanson and Rafael Lechkofski thwarted all attacks.

Hauxwell received the ball on the left and put a lovely pass through to Linott, who was able to tap the ball home.

Almost immediately, Parkinson put two more past the Worthing keeper.

Ben Greece-Harber was next on the scoresheet after a miskick from the keeper fell straight into his path for a long-range.

Pardey struck another goal similar to Greece-Harber’s strike before Parkinson added another two to his tally.

Jodey Scott presented Minors with one last chance but produced an amazing one-handed save to keep the shot out.

BOGNOR: Scott, Bain, Bull, Lechkofski, Hauxwell, HagaHammond, Wallers, Bennett, Swanson, Greece-Harber, Maple, Parkinson, Linott, Pardey, Robey.

UNDER-13

Worthing Minors Youth 0 Chichester City Colts 5

CHICHESTER have booked their second cup-final spot of the season by winning comfortably at Worthing in the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup.

The first half was evenly contested.

Tom Main was unlucky to see a volley smash against the crossba and Evans had two stinging efforts saved.

The pressure finally told on 30 minutes when a James Nicol strike from the left of the box deflected into the path of Parker, who made no mistake from eight yards out.

Within minutes of the restart, Colts were two up when Parker crossed for Craddock to take a touch before unleashing an unstoppable effort.

Two became three when Evans played in Parker, who dispatched his second of the game.

Colts momentum continued to build and four minutes later Taylor Parker added his third following another through-ball from Evans.

Minors never gave up and the Colts’ back-line had to be on their toes to thwart a number of Minors moves.

But Colts scored their fifth ten minutes from time when a well-taken Evans corner was tapped home by Craddock to put Colts into their first Challenge Cup final.

Taylor Parker was MoM.

COLTS: Williams, Newton, Hamblin, Rochester, Simmons, Nicol, Angell, Main, W Parker, Evans, T Parker, Craddock, Watkins, Jones.

UNDER-12

Bognor Regis Town Youth 5 Worthing Town Youth Red 2

Bognor (pictured above) reached the Challenge Cup final for the fourth consecutive year in a hard-fought match at Palantine Park.

Worthing started well and took an early lead before a fine 20-yard strike from Ben Taylor made it 1-1.

Bradley Stroud’s superb goal from a corner put Bognor into the lead and a tap-in from Jack Tilbury extended that lead.

In the second half, a fourth goal was scored by Stroud, followed by a long-range strike from Robson Parr which beat the keeper.

Worthing kept pushing forward and got a second.

The final will be played at Arundel FC.

BOGNOR: Boyagian, Budge, Eggleton, Fearns, Jones, Kitowski, Lush, Parr, Stroud, Taylor, Tilbury.

UNDER-11

Felpham Colts Youth 4 Avisford Youth 2

Avisford produced one of their best performances of the season as they went down fighting against the runaway league leaders.

Avisford went with a back four of Jake Longley, Wiktor Nowak, Sammy Copeland and Damien Wasowski in a bid to frustrate and deny their hosts. And for large periods of the game it worked.

After several near misses and excellent saves from Avisford keeper Luke Salter, Felpham found a way through. Layton Cummings’ defence-splitting pass found Lennox Long, who beat the onrushing Salter from the edge of the area.

The away side went close midway through the half when Matt Kill’s shot was well saved.

Felpham got a second just before the break with Barnaby Griffiths netting.

The second period saw Felpham add a third when Harry Swain’s shot across goal nestled in the bottom corner.

Salter sustained a blow to the head bravely diving at the feet of Swain. As a precaution he was replaced between the sticks by Longley, with Daniel Hall slotting into right-back.

Felpham won a penalty which Swain converted, but then came the Avisford fightback. Hall’s through ball released Matt Kill to slot home for his seventh goal of the season, then Kill pounced on a goalkeeping error to put Avisford right back in it.

The home side eventually saw the game out and an exhausted Avisford left the field at the final whistle with their heads held high.

AVISFORD: Salter, Longley, Copeland, Nowak, Wasowski, Hunter, Brian, Kill, Hall. Sub: Dignum.