A round-up of the FA Cup ties from the Suffolk area.
Leiston progressed to the Third Qualifying Round of the FA Cup, for the third year running, after defeating Crowborough 4-2.
The home side got off to a great start and took a deserved lead on 12 minutes through Joe Jefford’s header from a Byron Lawrence corner.
Shortly later, Leiston would double their advantage when good link up play by Lawrence and Chris Henderson set up Christy Finch who turned well to fire past Dan Ellis in the Crowborough goal.
Leiston virtually killed off the tie just past the half hour mark when Henderson finished from distance into Ellis’ bottom left hand corner.
However, Crowborough fought back in the second half, and the threat of Zac Attwood, Sam Carrington and Reece Connoly in the attacking third for the away side saw them pull a goal back when Connoly curled the ball past Marcus Garnham.
Leiston had some good chances of their own but couldn’t convert.
Finch did restore the three-goal lead with Byron Lawrence assisting again, but with a minute of normal time remaining Crowborough netted a second when Jack Ainsley’s back pass went under Marcus Garnham’s foot.
Garnham, who made a number of fine saves throughout the afternoon, then pushed Zac Attwood’s header onto the post, with captain Tom Bullard clearing off the line in the last minute of the match.
AFC Sudbury made it safely through to the Third Qualifying Round of the Emirates FA Cup with a 3-0 victory over Bostik South side Chipstead.
The scoring started in the sixteenth minute when captain Sam Clarke neatly finished from close range for the hosts, who parted company with manager Jamie Godbold and his assistant, Andy Reynolds, in the week,
Just after the interval Adam Mills scored a spectacular goal with the ball dipping over the visiting goalkeeper and into the net.
With three minutes left a Tevan Allen goal settled the tie.
AFC, under the caretaker leadership of academy coach Danny Laws, will find out today to see who they will face in the Third Qualifying Round.
Lowestoft Town manager Ady Gallagher felt his side lacked “hunger and desire” after they crashed out of the FA Cup to Harlow Town - who played for more than an hour with ten men.
Gallagher said: “Too many players, on a consistent level, are not doing enough. They are six out of 10s across the board and it’s just cosy - some of them seem to have their slippers on almost - they are comfortable at the club and in the team.
“Today we haven’t scored and playing like that, we could go another week and still not score.”
It was the third FA Cup meeting between the two sides, with the Hawks winning both of the previous meetings 2-1.
Lowestoft made one change to the side who beat Needham Market in their last game as defender Freddie Westlake came in for the suspended Dean Leacock.
The visitors from Essex, under the guidance of manager Danny Chapman, were making their second visit to Suffolk in the space of a week – after playing out a 0-0 draw with Leiston in their previous league game.
In a game worth £4,500 to the winners, Lowestoft squandered two golden chances before the half-hour mark as Shaun Bammant’s header was stopped by a defender and Callum White shot over the crossbar from close range.
The game sparked into life on 31 minutes. Just moments after some needless pushing and shoving near the touchline, visiting player Nigel Neita was shown a straight red card for what the referee deemed a dangerous challenge on Callum White.
The midfielder was clearly wound up from the previous melee, with the Lowestoft players and management incensed with the tackle.
After the break, as the heavy rain began to fall, the Trawlerboys knew they had to capitalise on their one man advantage.
Travis Cole forced keeper Ben McNamara into a smart save on 54 minutes, as he tipped over a header from Barker’s cross.
At the other end, captain Craig Pope went close - although his toe-poke was saved by Ben Dudzinski.
As the game passed the hour mark, it was the visitors who seized the initiative against the odds.
Tommie Fagg expertly curled the ball past Dudzinski from 20 yards - his second FA Cup goal this season - to give Harlow Town a 1-0 lead.
Harvey Hodd and Josh Greenleaf were brought on for the home side, as they looked for a way back into the game.
And it was Hodd who had a real chance on 77 minutes, but keeper McNamara reacted well to smother the ball on the edge of his box.
They had another opening with three minutes left on the clock, as Freddie Westlake squared for Rossi Jarvis, but his poke towards goal was saved well by the visiting keeper.
It got worse for Lowestoft in stoppage time as Cole was given a straight red card for a foul on the goalkeeper - although the crowd and management felt it was a case of mistaken identity - with Rory McAuley seemingly the guilty party.
Gallagher added: “I am absolutely distraught to be out of the cup.
“The players need to look at themselves as today we lacked hunger and desire and I think I have been too loyal to two or three players in the side - believing that their quality will come through.”
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