West Bergholt

Epping missed their chance to advance to the quarter-finals of the County Cup in what can only be described as an 'eventful' match. The visitors took the lead after only 10 minutes when West Bergholt forward Craig Bannister turned Dave Costello on the edge of the Epping penalty area and shoot past keeper Jonathan Thomas. Epping levelled within 10 minutes when a short corner was played to Phil Bulled who shot from the edge of the box for his first goal of the season. However, West Bergholt again took the lead 5 minutes later through Darren Revie. Epping had the chance to level again before half-time when they were awarded a penalty for a push on Leon Rolle, however, Adam Connolly's tame spot-kick was easily saved by the visiting keeper. The first 20 minutes of the second half were relatively uneventful, compared to what was to follow, with Epping failing to capitalise on their possession. Then the match imploded, as far as Epping were concerned, when an off-the-ball incident saw Danny Hopkins receive a red card. With Epping down to 10 men the match looked beyond them, but to their credit, the 10 men showed great resolve to nick a goal back through Leon Rolle. Then with minutes remaining Ashley Conlan scrambled an equaliser to take the match into extra-time. Despite the man advantage, West Bergholt looked to be on their knees and Epping scented a possible victory. Richard Hilson and Ash Conlan then had chances to score and Epping keeper kept the home side in the game with two one-on-one saves and an acrobatic tip over the bar. However, it wasn't to be Epping's day when a poor clearance fell to Bannister who from 20 yards out curled an excellent shot around Thomas to seal the win There wasn't time for Epping to mount a response as the referee blew up almost straight after. The Gaffer said "This match was a big disappointment for us, not just because of the result in a competition that I felt we could have gone a long way in, but more so because of the indiscipline throughout the side that ultimately cost us victory. It wasn't just the incident involving the sending-off, there was an accumulation of issues which were not acceptable to myself or the other coaching staff and these will be addressed. Some players need to pull their socks up with not only their performances on the pitch, but their attitude and how they conduct themselves. All in all, not good enough!"