Littlehampton Town put SIX past Bognor Regis Town in Sussex Senior Cup shock

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Littlehampton Town stunned higher-division Bognor Regis Town by beating them 6-1 at The Sportsfield to dump them out of the Sussex Senior Cup.

It ends the Rocks’ hopes of a third Senior Cup final in six seasons and leaves the Marigolds one semi-final win away from playing at the Amex Stadium, two years after they went to Wembley for the FA Vase final.

The result was all the more remarkable given that the Rocks went into the game on the back of seven straight wins.

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Littlehampton will play Hastings Utd in the semi-final – ay Lancing on Tuesday, March 12, with Horsham v Steyning the other tie a fortnight earlier.

Littlehampton celebrate one of their six goals that saw off the Rocks | Picture: Lyn PhillipsLittlehampton celebrate one of their six goals that saw off the Rocks | Picture: Lyn Phillips
Littlehampton celebrate one of their six goals that saw off the Rocks | Picture: Lyn Phillips

This was a dismal night for Bognor, who did have a few missing, and tt was a slow start for the Isthmian premier division visitors as they couldn't hold possession well in the opening minutes and gave the ball away far too often.

Bognor gave away two early corners as Littlehampton started brightly. Jordan Layton hit a long-distance direct free-kick and won another corner on the left. But but Kieran Douglas headed it out.

Layton went into the book for the Golds when he tripped Spencer Spurway on the left after Spurway combined with Isaac Olaniyan in a one-two move. Tommy-Lee Higgs hit the free-kick low under the wall but it was cleared. The resulting corner found Spurway on the back post but his acrobatic backheel on the volley flew well wide.

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It wasnt long before Littlehampton took the lead. A long ball over the top flew over the Bognor defence, with Douglas under pressure and appearing to duck under the ball, fell to Worthing loanee Finlay Chadwick, who fired it high over Ryan Hall and into the net on 18 minutes.Calvin Davies won a free-kick and took it himself on the right. He tried to find Higgs but the ball ricocheted back out, allowing Littlehampton a swift attack. Chadwick spotted Hall off his line but his long-range effort was caught by the goalkeeper.Bognor went further behind on 26 minutes. Player-joint-manager George Gaskin hit a strike over Hall with Ben Anderson and Douglas unable to clear the danger.Joe Rabbetts did well to win a corner after the goalkeeper spilled his save. The corner by Higgs found the head of Dan Smith who headed it into the turf and it was pushed over the bar by the keeper in a rare chance for the Rocks.Bognor did get a goal back. Another corner into the front post by Higgs saw Douglas divert the ball into the box and it ricocheted off a defender and Isaac Olaniyan was there to roll it into the net on 32 minutes.Just before half-time Douglas failed to judge the flight of the ball. This allowed Gaskin another chance but his low effort was well saved by Hall. HT 2-1Rocks subs at half-time were desperately needed and Smith and Jasper Mather were replaced by Tyler Jackson and Dan Gifford.In a Bognor opportunity, Olaniyan did well to win possession. Gifford played it back to him to win a corner. Higgs curled the ball in but after Douglas was blocked it was Anderson who slid the ball well wide of the post on the rebound. Then Higgs turned around swiftly with the ball before shooting low but he had strayed offside.Gifford did well to run across the defence with quick feet but his effort was deflected wide for a corner. Higgs' ball in was poor and flew out for a goal-kick.The Golds extended their lead to 3-1 when Douglas slipped up allowing Gaskin in for Littlehampton on 55 minutes. Douglas miscued a header allowing the player to shoot low beyond Hall.Golds’ Josh Short stroked a low shot wide and Bognor were stuck in their own half defending as the wind and rain worsened. Jackson did well to get a cross in from the left for Bognor and it fell to the feet of Higgs, who scooped it wide on the turn. Higgs went into the book for fouling Layton as he sped on to the attack.On 72 minutes, Littlehampton got their fourth as Gaskin got to the ball first and played it square to Nodirbek Bobomurodov, who smashed it high into the net from outside the box.It got worse for Bognor as Spurway slipped up in the swirling rain, allowing Bobomurodov to turn into loads of space just inside the box before diverting it low into the net on 75 minutes.And it wasn't over yet. Bognor went further behind on 82 minutes as the defence was split open, allowing Ollie Starkey a run inside before shooting off a sliding Douglas and into the net.In Bognor's final change, Joe Briffa came on for Higgs on 84 minutes but it was damage limitation time for the Rocks.More than five minutes of stoppage time were played before the referee finally blew the final whistle to end a memorable night for the Marigolds and a miserable outing for the Rocks.

Littlehampton were clinical and Bognor failed to worry the hosts for much of the game.

Rocks boss Robbie Blake will want his team to show a big improvement at their next game on Saturday when they welcome Cheshunt to the MKM Arena in the Isthmian Premier. Littlehampton get back to Isthmian south east action the same day at home to Hythe Town.

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