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CHAMPIONS! Hat-trick secured as young Dockers hold their nerve

Newhaven Under 18s 2 Alfold Under 18s 2, Newhaven win 5-4 on penalties, Under 18s League Cup

After the Newhaven Ladies success in the Eastbourne FA Cup last month, and the men’s success in the Peter Bentley Cup on Monday afternoon, it was up to the Under 18s to try and make it a hat-trick of cup successes for the club in less than a month.

As it had been just 24-hours earlier, Hassocks’ Beacon Ground was the venue for Newhaven’s latest assault on a cup competition.

However, while the men and ladies’ teams arguably went into their respective finals as slight favourites, this wasn’t the case for the Under 18s.

In Alfold, they were undoubtedly up against one of the best teams in their age groups in the county (we’ll conveniently ignore the fact that Alfold is actually in Surrey).

Champions elect of the SCFL Under 18s North Division, having amassed a hugely impressive 66 goals in just 15 games, Alfold will have been confident of making it a league and cup double.

However, Clive Blunt’s men (boys?) were certainly not there to merely make up the numbers.

Boasting a number of players in their starting 11 who have already featured in the Docker’s first team this season, including regular starter and manager’s player of the year Ryan Blunt (that's the first team manager's player of the year; not Clive's), this was always going to be a tight game.

Indeed, it was one of those players with first team experience who opened the scoring. A looping through pass from Rio Connelly sent Alex Patching away, and the lethal striker cleverly lobbed the advancing Alfold keeper with a header to give the Dockers an early lead.

The same two players then combined to double Newhaven’s advantage. Connelly found Patching who advanced ten yards before unleashing a well struck shot into the bottom corner from just outside the area.

However, when you’re playing against a team with as much attacking potency as Alfold, any lead is never enough to be secure of victory.

A goal just before the half-time whistle halved the deficit, and when the freescoring Fold youngsters equalised through a free-kick just over ten minutes into the second half, I’m sure there were some Newhaven fans who were starting to fear the worst!

Yet the young Dockers didn’t panic. In fact, they stepped up and started to once again take the game to their opponents, only being denied a winning goal in regulation time by two incredible saves by the Alfold goalkeeper.

With no extra-time, the game went straight to penalties. The Dockers had form in this format having knocked St Francis Rangers out via a shoot-out at the quarter-final stage.

Somewhat unusually, it was the very first spot kick that was to ultimately prove decisive.

Alfold took it and Roman Chiosa (another player with first-team experience) saved it.

Successful spot-kicks for Blunt (not a bad 36-hours for him), Patching, Sam Harrison and Fin Lambert followed, while Alfold netted their next four penalties, too.

It all came down to Connelly, who held his nerve to send the Alfold keeper the wrong way and spark scenes of celebrations that haven’t been seen in Hassocks since… er… well, a day earlier.

So it’s yet another cup for the Fort Road trophy cabinet.

More importantly, it’s another sign of the strength in depth at Newhaven. You can be certain that regular watchers of the first team will be seeing more than a couple of these young men in the squad next season.

The future’s bright. The futures red and yellow.

For the last time this season... Come On You Dockers!


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