SOMERSET JUNIOR CUP: Penalty shootout heartache for Freshford
5:30pm Monday 12th March 2012 in Latest News
A VERY depleted Freshford United side, who had 10 players away on a stag weekend in Prague, hosted Perry Street & District League Premier Division outfit South Petherton for a place in the final of the Somerset Junior Cup.
But Hughie Fulton’s holders, crashed out of their semi-final clash after Petherton won 6-5 on penalties after 120 minutes failed to produce a winner.
An early morning pitch inspection surprisingly saw the hosts Brown’s Park pitch passed fit as it still resembled a cabbage patch from the previous weekend’s football.
So it was little surprise that what should have been a spectacle was turned into a farce as both sets of players were unable to play their best football in very poor conditions. Freshford had the chance to take a first half lead but the usually reliable Andy Donald missed from the penalty spot.
Freshford managed to break the deadlock in the second half when Jed Osborne put them in front.
However the cup holders were unable to keep the lead with the ever deteriorating pitch playing a big part in Petherton’s equaliser as the hosts keeper got bogged down in the Freshford quagmire as he was unable to reach the ball before it crossed the line to make it 1-1.
With extra time failing to produce a winner it came down to the dreaded penalty shoot out and that went to sudden death before Freshford lost out as the visitors went through 6-5 on penalties.
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