Ansty Sport & Sociaal FC claim Edgar German Cup after dramatic penalty shootout

Sty took the game to Hoathly in the first half at Jubilee Way, Three Bridges, with the yellow and blues grabbing the lead through a stunning Elliott Butler free kick, the midfield maestro curling the ball in from all of 25 yards.

One, soon became two, as tricky winger Mark Robinson caused havoc in the Hoathly area and was abruptly brought down, with Mark Ashby cooly dispatching the penalty. Half time came and went, as Hoathly turned the tie on its head.

Two goals in quick succession from West Hoathly saw the game go to extra time and as Hoathly’s confidence continued to grow, it was down to defenders Luke Forster, Lee Bristow and Chris Osborn to keep their chances at a premium.

As the full time whistle sounded, it would be the lottery of penalties to decide the final. Both sides continued to cancel one another out, as there were only four failed spot kicks in the first twenty.

With Hoathly missing their eleventh spot kick it was down to Simon Skillicorn to seal Anstys triumph, with the midfielder delightfully placing the ball into the roof of the net.

After the celebrations, Ansty Club Captain Nick Jones said “I am happy for everyone associated with the club, tonight has been the culmination of years of hard work and fully deserved for all involved.”

“After the heartache of the last four final defeats manager Lee Pelling deserves a huge amount of credit for tonight’s success, he has built a tremendous squad and created a special belief in the camp which is unrivalled.”

“Next season I know both the managers and the players will be keen to kick on and hopefully both first and reserve teams can enjoy further success and we can continue to grow the Ansty brand.”

Ansty: Edwards, Ashby, Forster (c), Bristow, Osborn, Smith (Skillicorn), Alexander, Monk, Butler (Dore), Robinson (Blin-Stoyle), George

Unused: Rogers, Jones

Goalscorers: Ashby & Butler

Ansty Man of the Match: Lee Bristow