Eastbourne Borough reach Senior Cup final after penalty drama with Peacehaven

After 120 goalless minutes, Jack Skinner’s sudden-death spot kick put Eastbourne Borough into the Sussex Senior Cup Final on Wednesday night – and broke the hearts of brave Peacehaven and Telscombe. Early on in the contest, the Sports had passed up enough scoring chances to win three or four semi-finals.

But their Southern Combination opponents refused to roll over and, on a clear pin-sharp night at the Lancing HQ of Sussex FA, they had earned their right to the spot-kick shoot-out. Four apiece scored, one apiece saved – before the next Peacehaven strike flew high into the night sky, and then Skinner – the nineteen-year-old loanee from Adelaide via Woking – buried the winning penalty into the bottom corner.

Drained but triumphant, Borough were through. Drained and devastated, Peacehaven – who play their football three levels lower than the Sports – simply sank to their knees. The Sports lined up without the injured trio of Franklin Domi, Kiran Khinda-John and Charlie Walker – who was missing out against the club where his free-scoring exploits began some five or six seasons ago.

Borough should have been ahead on just seven minutes, Dean Cox picking out Greg Luer with a perfect pass, but the striker slid his shot wide. Then Stephane Bombelenga’s skilful run won a corner, from which Steven James saw his header cleared off the line.

Peacehaven were settling to a pattern of lots of hustle with long-ball breaks, but without producing a clear sight of goal. Meanwhile the Sports were playing their football to fine margins, and all too often a measured passing move ended with an over-ambitious pass. Even so, Borough were moving smoothly through the gears, but without the finish. Cox cut in from the left with a swerver that Lawrence Sanded clutched securely.

And as the pressure built, Stephane Bombelenga could not quite turn in Tobi’s perfect low pass, knocking his finish wide of the front post. Then in stoppage time Luer just failed to convert from an identical position. Just two minutes into the second half, it needed a flying Franco Ravizzoli save to deny Wiltshire from putting Peacehaven ahead.

The game was opening out now, with the Tye still persistently trying for the long-ball break and Borough looking less comfortable than before the interval. Matt Cheeseman’s scorching shot on the turn drew an excellent low save from Ravizzoli, and for almost the first time in the chill West Sussex evening, the Haven were scenting blood.

A marginal offside flag denied Kane Wills as he seized on a Ferry through pass, and then Mike West finessed his way behind the defence but could not pick out a red shirt. But still Peacehaven grew in stature: having ridden their luck early on, they were now looking like equals and not underdogs. As nerves frayed and a single goal seemed likely to settle it, Curtis Ford whacked a great chance too high on 82 minutes for Haven, while a minute later Kane Wills bobbled a perfect chance into the grateful arms of Sanded.

Then, right on the 90 minutes, referee Barrie Small claimed centre stage, awarding Peacehaven a penalty for a tame challenge by Gayle on Ford. But normality was restored as Jake Brocklebank stroked his kick wide of the left hand post. Extra time was slugged out with more fatigue than football, and there was a sense of inevitability as we approached a penalty shoot-out.

The Haven were first elated, as Lawrence Sanded saved Greg Luer’s shot – but then utterly deflated when – eight penalties later – young Skinner stepped up to fire the Sports into the Final. Elation and deflation: Cup football at its most unforgiving...