Somerset Trojans 1

Southampton Rangers 0

An extra time strike from Malachi Jones was enough to settle a scrappy game at Somerset Cricket Club yesterday.

The Somerset Trojans midfielder reacted quickest to Ras Burrows’s blocked shot, firing the ball past the prone figure of Jason Smith, the Southampton Rangers goalkeeper, for the game’s only goal.

A dull 90 minutes was littered with lacklustre and uninspiring football on both sides, and with neither team able to stamp their authority on proceedings clear cut chances were at a premium in a game full of woeful passing and poor finishing.

Still both sides had opportunities to take the lead either side of the hour mark, with Leo Burgess, the Trojans midfielder, denied by Smith, and Shaquille Bean, the Somerset goalkeeper, having to make a fine save to keep his team in the game.

The start of extra time began with a renewed sense of urgency with both sides pushing for the win, rather than having to face the lottery of penalty kicks. Neither were able to break the deadlock until Jones’ strike moments before half time of extra time.

Ras Burrows raced in from the right wing into the box and fired a blistering shot on goal, only to see his effort blocked by Smith. The ball ricocheted to an onrushing Jones who calmly dispatched his shot past the sprawled out keeper to put the Trojans in the driver’s seat.

Undaunted by going behind, Rangers continued pressing down the flanks, and created their own opportunities by firing in a barrage of balls from both wings, only to have Trojan defenders repeatedly turn them away.

If not for their own lack of finishing on occasion, they might well have seen their goalscoring fortunes change.

Ultimately, Rangers ran out of time leaving Trojans to progress to the semi-finals