Broadbridge 1, Newhaven 2: Bears suffer semi-final heartbreak in RUR Cup

The Dockers edged to victory in the semi-final clash through a second-half winner by Lee Robinson after a fiercely-competed first half.

The Bears led after just two minutes as full-back Stuart Chester slotted home, but a Joe Dryer stunner midway through the half evened things up.

And as the rain fell at the Sussex FA headquarters in the second half, it was Newhaven that won through to face either Lancing or Chichester City.

In an action packed start, Dryer’s ball down left looked to put Robinson away as he stepped past Stuart Chester, but the full-back recovered and the defence stood strong on the edge of the box and eventually cleared.

Heath took the lead just seconds later as Stuart Chester closed down a back-pass by Newhaven left-back Scott Dartnall to Jake Buss and simply rolled the ball home from the right of the area.

On 15 minutes, Heath centre-back Dan Attwater picked up an early booking for flying into Lee Robinson in the games’s first real tackle.

At the other end, Heath put on some assterted pressure as Buss pushed wide a deep Piers McDermott cross and, from a succession of corners, Tom Lyons failed to get enough on a header and another flag-kick flew across the area without a touch.

The East Sussex side meanwhile look dangerous on the counter-attack as they targeted a low ball inside the full-backs, but again they lacked a final idea in the box.

They put that right on 23 minutes as the Dockers pinched the ball off Jack Lyons and Robinson laid back to Dryer from inside the box. The winger then whipped a delightful effort across goal from 23 yards and in off the underside of the bar.

Just past the half-hour mark, Robinson lobbed home over Michael Chester after breaking onto a long ball from Dartnall, but he miss-timed his run and was well offside.

On 36 minutes another promising move saw Shaun Findlay intercept a cross-field ball, cut back for McDermott, but Tom Lyons could only header his decent cross off target.

Another long ball from centre-back Ryan Knight again put Robinson away, but as he looked to skip away he couldn’t get the ball out of his feet.

On the stroke of half-time, Scott Weller cut in from the right and curled a left-footed effort over the bar, while Andy Waddingham couldn’t get enough on a free header from a corner.

The second half struggled to get going and the first real chance saw Jack Lyons’ looping header on 61 minutes appear to be tipped over the bar by Buss, but a goalkick was given.

At the other end, Robinson again looked to profit from a long ball and twisted and turned with Martin Flack before firing the ball across the goalmouth.

With 20 minutes left, a bit of indecision in the Dockers’ defence saw Findlay win the ball and he bore down on goal, but his effort from just inside the box was always skidding wide.

But Newhaven did lead two minutes later as good work from substitute Olly Davies set-up Robinson on the right of the box and his finished across Michael Chester into the bottom corner.

Heath substitute Jake Holmes had an effort blocked after a knock-down from Tom Lyons, while the Dockers’ blushes were spared as a defender’s clearance whistled past the post.

The final chance for Heath to find a leveller saw McDermott crash a free-kick into the wall and the follow-up blocked away, despite late action at either end came to nothing.

Broadbridge Heath: M.Chester, J.Robinson, Flack, Attwater (Howard 86), S.Chester, Findley, McDermott, Waddingham, J.Lyons (Holmes 65), Weller, T.Lyons. Unused subs: Legrange, D.Robinson, Bason.

Newhaven: Buss, Sidwell, Knight, Kneller, Dartnall, Jallow (Davies 65), Boddy (Millis 80), Sowter, Rhodes, Dryer, L.Robinson. Unused subs: Edwards, I.Robinson, Woolven.

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