Ten-man Crane Sports defeated higher league opposition in Team Bury, as the SIL Senior Division leaders won 2-1, in a feisty Suffolk Senior Cup game at Ram Meadow.

First-half goals from Mo Fike and Tye Webb, either side of Dan Hammett’s equaliser for the Thurlow Nunn First Division side, were enough for Iain Radnor’s men to set up a home tie against Woodbridge Town in the quarter-finals on March 7.

Cranes had their backs to the wall for the majority of the second half, especially after Nathan Woolard saw red for a challenge on goalkeeper Craig Brand, just before the hour.

They rode their luck at times and Hammett missed a glorious chance to level late on, firing a tame effort straight at goalkeeper Kevin Holland from close range, after some good work from Alfie Bedingham.

Holland earlier denied Hammett with a superb reflex save, while the striker also saw a header cleared off the line by Melvyn Clarke.

That aside, the home team didn’t capitalise on their man-advantage.

Cranes got off to a flying start and were ahead on three minutes, Fike hammering home on the goal-line, after Clarke had flicked on Chris Pratt’s powerful header.

The hosts were rattled but found a weakness in the Cranes’ backline when opting to play more direct, the pace of Hammett, Bedingham and Jake Eady troubling the visitors.

Woolard nodded a Matthew Collins header off the line, before the hosts levelled on 32 minutes.

Goalkeeper Holland’s kick was a poor one which put centre-back Craig Rumens in trouble. Hammett sensed an opportunity and after robbing the defender, ran on and beat the Cranes’ stopper from 18 yards.

Bury should have then gone ahead two minutes later but Hammett flashed an effort across goal.

Six minutes later, Cranes went back in front, the determined Webb firing home at the second attempt, following a mazy run along the byline and into the six-yard box, that resulted in his first close-range effort being saved by Brand.

That set up a niggly second half, of which the biggest talking point was Woolard’s red – the midfielder claiming his innocence after catching Brand, following a chase for a 50-50 ball.