Rusthall 3 Wick 0

Match 21/18/1614 - Sunday, 12th August 2018 - FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round

Rusthall (1) 3 Cameron 14 Carey 52 Strachan 90
Wick (0) 0
Attendance: 185
Played at Tunbridge Wells

Admission: £4 Senior
Programme: £1.50
Mileage: 36/1,045

Rusthall comfortably eased their way into the Preliminary Round of the FA Cup and in so doing earned themselves the enhanced prize money of £2,250. A further £960 will be won even if they were to lose at Bostik South Cray Wanderers in the next round. Proof indeed on how important financially even a short cup run can be to non-league clubs. Visitors Wick banked £750 for not making it past the Extra Preliminary Round!

This tie had to be moved to neighbouring Tunbridge Wells because of ongoing drainage work on the pitch at Jockey Farm. But, on the positive side, the Sunday afternoon fixture attracted 185 people, a good turn out.

After an early scare in which Rusthall’s goalkeeper, Callum Christie saved well from Wick’s David Crouch, Rusthall took the lead after 13 minutes. Tom Cameron was superbly put through on goal by Alex Carey to clinically finish with the aplomb of a proven striker rather than a wing back.

Rusthall should have put the game to bed in the first half as they created, and wasted, a bevy of chances with Carey at centre of everything. They ended the half with a 30 yard drive from Cameron that came back from the bar.

Six minutes into the second half, Rusthall finally converted one of their chances to double their advantage. Jordan Anderson retrieved a cross on the left, cut the ball back to Carey who found the top corner from the edge of the box.

Wick offered very little and the only surprise was that it took until the last minute for Rusthall to add a third. Regan Corke, who had put in a string of crosses from the right, finally found a man on the end of one giving substitute Callum Strachan a tap in.