Tunbridge Wells 3 Crowborough Athletic 0

Match 103/17/1553 - Tuesday, 20th March 2018 - SCEFL Challenge Cup SF 1st Leg

Tunbridge Wells (2) 3 Trespaderne 9,59 Harris 42
Crowborough Athletic (0) 0
Attendance: 234

Entrance: £4 Senior
Programme: £2
Mileage: 36/7,079

Tunbridge Wells completely upset the apple cart as the High Flyin’ Crows were dispatched back down the A26 with a performance of the season that gives them a great chance of reaching the SCEFL Challenge Cup Final. Crowborough, who sit second in the league but face a daunting backlog of fixtures in their pursuit of Sevenoaks for the title, may well rue their indiscipline that saw Jack Turner and Sam Crabb sent off in the closing minutes of the game.

The Wells have been improving, with the odd set back along the way, since the turn of the year, but this was a performance above anything else. It would be easy to dismiss this as a game that Crowborough could have done without, but a cup semi-final, albeit with a second leg to come?

Tunbridge Wells were resilient and had a goalkeeper on the top of his game and after building a two goal lead they were dangerous on the break as Crowborough threw caution to the wind in an attempt to give themselves something to grasp for the second leg next Tuesday.

The opening goal arrived after nine minutes when an inch perfect cross from Jon Pilbeam was met with a towering header from Jack Harris that crashed against the bar for Jared Trespaderne to tuck home the rebound from close range.

The first signs of a little niggle in the game came after Crowborough were awarded a free kick that was initially spilt by Wells ‘keeper Cameron Hall who was then hurt in the melee that followed his retrieval of the ball.

Turner went into the book following a challenge on the edge of the box. The Crows had clearly not settled into the game as their hosts chased and harried them all over the pitch.

A ridiculous booking for kicking the ball away by Greg Skinner was the only blot on the Wells’ first half which got a whole lot better after 42 minutes. Pilbeam was brought down by Sam Carrington that resulted in a yellow and from the resultant free kick, a delightfully flighted cross from Tom Davey, Jack Harris buried a header past Dan Ellis.

There were raised voices from the visiting dressing room and Crowborough came out with a renewed sense of purpose. Hall made a good save to deny Carrington and the resulting corner needed Jake Hampson to clear from the line.

On the hour, a long ball over the top by Alfie Hall was seized upon by Trespaderne to finish clinically past Ellis. The young striker certainly pushed back down the throat my assertion that he is not an out-and-out striker!

Crowborough literally now had nothing to lose and proceeded to throw everything at the Wells to reduce the deficit thus bringing Cameron Hall to the fore. His fine double save to thwart substitute Ross Treleaven from close range brought cheers as loud as any of the goals.

The referee angered the Crows contingent when no action was taken after Henry Muggeridge had been felled and further handbags ensued.

The Wells were certainly under the cosh but a break-out firstly saw Alexx Kendal have a shot blocked with the follow-up sent over the top by Trespaderne and with five minutes remaining John Shea hit a post.

Frustration for the Crows led to indiscipline and, as the game entered time added, Turner saw red following a second booking and when Crabb threw a punch a Trespaderne a straight red was shown.

For Crowborough now is the difficult balancing act of rescuing this tie with a full strength side for the second leg or resting a few with the vital Easter period around the corner. For the Wells, this was a glorious night, but with the caution that the job is only half-done.