Youth soccer round-up

United book place in semi final

Cuckfield Cosmos Utd 3

Marle Place Rangers 0

United won a tight cup quarter final at a cold Whitemans Green on Sunday. Both sides were well organised and only a Toby Wiles goal separated the teams at half time. Tireless running from the forwards eventually paid off when Wiles bagged his second after the keeper could not hold a Luke Derrick shot. A superb save from Oliver Payne maintained United’s advantage before subsitute Jack Upton sealed the win with a neatly taken goal.

Honours even for Athletic

Lewes Bridgeview 2

Cuckfield Cosmos Athletic 1

A hard fought first half produced no goals as defences were dominant. View started the second half on top and took a 2-0 lead before a stunning finish from a tight angle on the left edge of the penalty box by Athletic striker Corban Ahir gave the away side hope. With time running out Athletic pushed forward but were unable to force an equaliser.

Lewes Bridgeview 0

Cuckfield Cosmos Athletic 2

Again a hard fought first half saw both sides cancel each other out and turn around level at 0-0. The Athletic midfield trio of Harvey Dickens, Will Kemp and Finley Naude took control of the game in the second half and their persistence paid off when Corban Ahir coolly chipped the keeper from a one-on-one. Athletic continued to press and Ahir, picking up a loose ball just inside the opponents half, scored with a shot from distance. After that View looked a threat on the counter attack but Athletic defenders Jack Bordoli and Lucas Keay, together with keeperJames Probets, were in no mood to let the hosts back into the match.

Southdown girls bounce back

Southdown Girls 9 Rustington Raiders 4

Southdown Girls bounced back from a narrow 3-2 defeat at Newhaven with this victory over Rustington at the Brooks. Southdown got off to a flyer, with Natasha Rothwell going close on a couple of occasions in the opening minutes. Mia Pordage put them firmly in control, grabbing four first half goals. There were also a couple from Alisha Mainwaring, the pick of which was a first-time shot from the edge of the box after a corner from Anna Humphreys. Ella Matthews popped up with another to make it 7-0 at the break. Southdown were ruling the roost with some great midfield work from Leonie Sargent and Gemma Hebditch, together with solid defending by Molly Lacey and Mia Davies. Hannah Drage had not been seriously tested but Rustington came out fighting in the second half and slowly began to claw their way back as Gemma Hebditch, taking over in goal, was left cruelly exposed. Suddenly it was 7-4 but somehow Southdown gathered themselves and closed the game out with goals by Anna Humphreys, who later hit the bar, and Mainwaring.

under 11

Cosmos in third successive final

Cuckfield Cosmos 1 Southdown Rov 0

Cosmos are through to their third successive League Cup final after a tense encounter with the league leaders. In a game of few chances, Rovers threatened first and it needed some last-ditch tackles from an in form William Rogers to keep them at bay. This lifted Cosmos and it was MoM Rogers who broke the deadlock on 15 minutes when put through by Christopher Dunley. The introduction of powerful George Creavy created more chances leading to half time but Cosmos failed to kill off the tie as the visiting keeper was in excellent form. After the break Southdown really piled on the pressure, particularly from dangerous corners, but the Cosmos defence stood firm as they held on for the win.

Oli’s hat-trick sets up win

Perrywood Cougars 1

Marle Place Wanderers 5

Mixed performances over the two days of the previous weekend included a 3-0 victory over Cougars, who were no doubt looking for revenge in this swift return at their own Horley ground. In a well refereed contest, Place keeper Alex Rhys-Williams pulled off a fine save and then central defender Ollie Carr produced a fine tackle to thwart a dangerous break by the hosts. These proved defining moments, as Place then took the lead when defender Yomi Makayi rifled his shot into the roof of the net after a spell of sustained pressure. Tom Pughe-Morgan’s slide rule pass was then converted by Oli Appaya to double Place’s lead and although Perrywood continued to threaten on occasions, they fell further behind when MoM Tom O’Donaghue’s through ball presented Pughe-Morgan with No 3. In the second half, Appaya made it 4-0 after a mazy run and although the Cougars pulled one back, Appaya tapped in at the far post after the keeper had parried to complete his hat-trick and the scoring. This was a great team effort as acknowledged by managers William Rhys-Williams and Lee Dersley.

Under 16

Place drop their first points

Chailey and Newick Colts 1

Marle Place Wanderers 1

Place dropped their first points of the season. Jack Wilkins went close a couple of times early on before Ads Chilcott slipped the ball through for Jacob Hemsley to produce a nice finish on 12 minutes. The hosts then responded, utilising long wind-assisted kicks from their keeperto put Place under pressure.It was no surprise when they equalised on 22 minutes. Just before half time Place had a great opportunity to equalise after a superb run and cross by Josh Arnold but no-one was able to apply the finishing touch. Playing down the hill in the second half Place applied most of the pressure but despite hitting the woodwork three times they just could not find a second goal.