East Preston lift Sussex RUR Cup

The only goal came with just seven minutes remaining when Joe Shelley latched on to Rob Boddy’s pass down the left and was clipped in the penalty area by Martyn Flack as he crossed the ball. Referee Duncan Brooker pointed to the penalty spot and Shelley fired home the spot-kick, low into the bottom right corner.

Division-lower Broadbridge Heath pushed for a equaliser but Tim Martin headed over from close range, before they had a half-hearted penalty appeal waved away in the closing seconds when Michael Wood went down in the box.

Clear chances were few and far between in the match. Heath keeper James Fisher made comfortable saves from a Fred Foreman free kick and a low Craig Grantham shot in the first half, while Heath’s Jamal Sultan was a constant threat down the right in the opening 45 minutes.

EP went close two minutes into the second half when Jordan Clark’s free kick to the back post was headed against the underside of the bar as EP’s Grantham and Shelley went up with Heath’s Flack.

Grantham then had a volley easily saved by Fisher, before Heath went close on 69 minutes when Martin’s low shot from the edge of the penalty area from Sultan’s pass was well saved by EP stopper Ben Rose, diving across goal to his right.

EP got the only goal with seven minutes left, before they held on under pressure in the closing stages to lift the cup.

East Preston manager Dominic Di Paola said: “We’re really happy to have won.

“Cup finals are often really rubbish and it was always going to be unlikely that we’d have a final like we did last year when we beat Littlehampton (5-1).

“The most important thing was the win. We had nothing about us as we were so tired from all the games we’ve had to play, so just tried to scrap it out.”