Waltham Town battle hard to win a scrappy game and hence are through to the next round of the HPFL Cup.
Bishops Waltham progressed to the quarter finals of the league cup with a hard fought away victory at Lyndhurst. This was always going to be a tough game for Waltham after their league defeat at the same ground last month.
1st Half:
Waltham started the brighter of the two and shortly after the kick off Ashley Baddams broke clear but shot weakly at the onrushing goalkeeper. However it wasn’t long before the Bishops broke the deadlock with a stunning strike from their midfield captain Pete Williams. Williams shot from all of 30 yds and beat the stranded keeper with a ferocious dipping shot that took a wicked deflection off a Lyndhurst player. The lead was short lived though as Lyndhurst scored a quality goal themselves with a superbly struck shot into the top left hand corner of the net. The game then failed to live up to intensity of the opening minutes and neither side really put together many meaningful attacks. Lyndhurst could have snatched a half time lead when one of their strikers swivelled in the box but struck wide.
HT: 1 – 1
2nd Half:
The second half was certainly an improvement on the 1st and as the half progressed Lyndhurst piled on the pressure. But it was the Bishops who created the first clear cut chance when Pete Williams delivered a beautiful cross into the box which was met by young Darren Knox. Unfortunately he headed over from 6 yds when it was probably easier to score. Lyndhurst then created a couple of chances themselves but thanks to some solid defending from Ryan Leather and a great save from Adam Faulkner which he tipped onto the bar the score remained unchanged. Then one of the most bizarre moments seen at any level of football occurred when Faulkner thought the referee had blown for offside. He then ran outside his box with the ball in his hand to take the free kick only to realise that the referee had not actually given the offside. Thankfully for Waltham the Lyndhurst players sportingly passed the ball back to Faulkner from the free kick. Lyndhurst then came even closer to taking the lead when a great strike from 30 yds came down onto the Waltham cross bar and fortunately went over. And it was Ashley Baddams who again had a great chance whenever he met a cross from the left but his shot came crashing back off the Lyndhurst cross bar and somehow the score stayed at 1 all. Then Lyndhurst had a great chance to score when their striker broke clear of the defence but Faulkner came to the rescue as he came off his line and forcing the player wide giving Cooper and the other defenders time to get back and force the striker to shoot wide. As the game was nearing an end it was Lyndhurst who piled on the pressure with a series of free kicks and corners which they failed to convert and they paid the ultimate paid the price when in the last minute Tim Bennett broke clear for the Bishops and kept his cool to finish past the oncoming keeper.
FT: 1 – 2
