NEEDHAM Market boss Danny Laws put on a brave face after a crushing penalty shoot-out defeat at Chalfont St Peter on Saturday.Laws had just watched his Needham Market side lose 6-5 in the spot-kick lottery and his first thoughts were for teenager Jonathan Sparkes, who missed the vital kick.

Mike Bacon

NEEDHAM Market boss Danny Laws put on a brave face after a crushing penalty shoot-out defeat at Chalfont St Peter on Saturday.

Laws had just watched his Needham Market side lose 6-5 in the spot-kick lottery and his first thoughts were for teenager Jonathan Sparkes, who missed the vital kick.

“The big keeper has done great to save Sparksey's kick,” he said.

“And what can you say? The young boy is brave enough to stand up and be counted and I admire him for it.

“In the dressing room the boys said if it hadn't been for Jon we wouldn't have been playing here anyhow. He was the one who scored the winner in the last round against Dereham.

“His day will come, just like it will for many of these boys. Most are in their early 20s, they have got some superb years ahead.”

Laws acknowledged the sending-off of skipper Mark Bailey didn't help Needham's cause, but he refused to blame Bailey for any recklessness.

“Binnsy (Mark Bailey) is a fully committed footballer. You know what you are getting with him. I didn't think it was a straight red, the guy nipped in just ahead of him and Mark caught him. But I thought we dealt with it well after he went off, it just messed me up a bit because I was about to put on another attacking player and obviously down to 10-men I couldn't. We've had the chances to win this game and we haven't taken them, simple as that. But I wish Chalfont all the best in the next round.”

Needham entertain Ipswich Town Reserves in the Suffolk Premier Cup semi-final at Bloomfields tomorrow night and Laws knows that could be just the tonic his team needs.

“Ipswich Town are at our place on Tuesday. We are the holders of the Suffolk Premier Cup and we would like it to stay that way.”

Bailey meanwhile had few complaints about his dismissal, even though one fan did try to attack him as he walked down the tunnel.

“I genuinely went for the ball,

he just nicked it away from me,” Bailey said.

“The lads are understandably all very down right now, but we will have to get ourselves back up for Tuesday.”