Cuppers Round-Up: Homerton Shock Girton

Get the latest results from the second round of Cuppers football

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Every week The Tab brings you match reports and results from the big games in college football

Girton 3 – 3 Homerton (Homerton won 3-0 on penalties)

The game dubbed “The Battle of the B-listers” was dominated by dodgy refereeing decisions as Second Division Homerton produced the upset of the round, overcoming First Division high fliers Girton on penalties.

Homerton went into the game very much the underdogs but made a good start and had a few early chances to break the deadlock.

However Girton showed their pedigree, opening up a 2-0 lead, thanks to goals from two of their Blues players. Jack Hylands opened up the scoring with a 35-yard screamer before Matt Cook volleyed home a second.

The second half was marred by controversy, largely thanks to the referee provided by Homerton. Indeed he proved to be the crucial twelfth man for his side, controversially awarding Homerton a goal after his assistant had flagged for offside.

The momentum was now very much with the underdogs and in the dying seconds of the game they grabbed a dramatic equaliser to force extra time.

The tension was, at times, unbearable, but Girton retook the lead as skipper Andy Stone cooly slotted home. Yet Homerton were not to be denied. With just minutes to play they were awarded a “soft” penalty. This was duly despatched, sending the tie to penalties.

Homerton stopper Dave Rose, who had previously never faced a penalty, proved to be the hero of the day, saving all three Girton spot-kicks. His team-mates Alex Mitchell, Alex Seal and Ryan Stevens all held their nerve to seal an historic victory over their arch rivals.

Homerton will face Catz in the quarter-finals, whilst Girton can now focus on getting their league campaign back on track.

Catz 6 – 3 John’s

Current holders Catz eased past their Division One relegation rivals, with Blues striker Matt Stock proving to be the difference between the sides. Man of the match Stock scored four and claimed two assists as he made a mockery of the John’s defence.

With Catz 4-0 up after twenty minutes the game seemed dead and buried. John’s rallied, showing the dogged determination they will need if they are to avoid the drop to Division Two, and fought back to 4-2. If Jamie Spencer had capitalised on a golden opportunity, an incredible comeback could have been on the cards.

However the loss of Blues fullback Chris Maynard hit them hard and as they pushed men forward Catz were able to pick them off and cruise to a comfortable victory.

CCCC 3 – 4 Trinity

Trinity made a seemingly straight-forward tie look far more difficult than it needed to be, squeezing through by just a single goal.

Lowly CCCC, who ply their trade in the lowly Division Four, more than matched their more illustrious opponents for large parts of the game. Unfortunately they just fell short of pulling off one the biggest upsets in Cuppers history.

Trinity, hot on the heals of leaders Downing in the league, will have high hopes for success in the competition. They will face the winners of the Fitz-Jesus tie in the quarter-finals.

Fitz P – P Jesus

This had promised to be a scintillating encounter with both teams in the upper echelons of the First Division and packed with Blues players.

However, with the Varsity game fast approaching, the risk of injury to key University players such as Kerrigan and captain Johnson on the icy surface was deemed too high and the match was called off.

The replay is likely to be a highly interesting encounter, as both sides will be forced into fielding significantly different XIs if it clashes with a Blues game. The side which comes out on top should go a long way in the competition.

 

The remaining four ties were all postponed, suffering from the sub-zero temperatures which hit Cambridge over the weekend:

Long Road v Sidney

Darwin v Downing

Churchill v Emmanuel

Caius v Selwyn

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