Midland Floodlit Youth Cup 4th round
Evesham United Youth 5 – Bedworth United Youth 1 (after extra time)
Evesham’s youth team continued their progress in the Midland Floodlit Youth Cup with a hard fought victory over their Western division opponents, Bedworth United, on a very cold November evening. The match started brightly for both teams where Evesham’s keeper, Callum Marshall was called upon to make a save within the first minute, while Brad Stalley hit a shot wide following good work down the wing from Will Middleton in the 3rd minute. Bedworth’s keeper then made a sharp save to tip over a strike from Declan Juliff.
It was the away side who took the lead in the 25th minute when an advantage played by the referee saw Marshall forced to make a save, but unfortunately a Bedworth striker was on hand to follow up and tap in the rebound.
Things improved for Evesham as the first half drew to a close, with further chances for Juliff and Tom Leonard.
The second half saw a lot of midfield action, but very few chances as Bedworth defended well and broke up the Evesham attacks. It looked as though it was going to be a frustrating evening until with just 2 minutes to go, a late challenge in the Bedworth box resulted in a penalty being awarded. This was confidently dispatched by Leonard despite the pressure. This moved the game into extra time for the second successive cup match.
During the first period of extra time the Evesham attack seemed to gain in speed and focus as the Bedworth defence appeared to tire, and a great run from Dan Tustin on the right saw the ball eventually break for Ewen Dunbar who scored from close range to give Evesham the lead for the first time in the 95th minute. Further chances were created but not finished off in the first period, as Bedworth still pushed forwards.
The crucial 4th goal was scored just after the restart when Dunbar was again in the right place to score from a corner. From then on it was clear that only one team were going to win, and Evesham continued to press in search of more goals. A tired tackle from a Bedworth defender saw another penalty awarded and Dunbar stepped up to complete his hat-trick. Not content with three goals, he was then the first to react to a Brad Izod cross to head the ball in and score his 4th goal of the evening. The whole team all contributed fantastically to the outcome of the match as the youth team moved into the quarter finals of the cup.
1. Callum Marshall
2. Brad Izod
3. Will Middleton
4. Tom Ravenhall
5. Conor Colman
6. Reece Warmsley
7. Ewen Dunbar
8. Brad Stalley
9. Declan Juliff
10. Tom Leonard
11. Sam Lucas
14. Ed Petts
15. Dan Tustin
16. Nathan Lewis
17. Charlie Smith
