Caister 1, Mattishall Res 0: Lee Snowling scored a dramatic and controversial last-minute goal to clinch the Norfolk Junior Cup after a bruising battle at Carrow Road last night.
Caister 1, Mattishall Res 0
Lee Snowling scored a dramatic and controversial last-minute goal to clinch the Norfolk Junior Cup after a bruising battle at Carrow Road last night.
Mattishall players were furious with referee James Turner, claiming that Snowling had controlled the ball with his hand before delivering a brilliant 30-yard strike into the top corner.
But Snowling, who has won the Norfolk Senior Cup with Gorleston, was having none of it.
“Handball? I didn't touch it,” said Snowling, a deserved winner of the Man of the Match award. “I just caught it well - goals like that come along once in a blue moon.”
It was a case of brains finally overcoming Mattishall's brawn, exemplified by the fact that Caister had one player go into the book whereas their opponents had six - and it could have been worse had the referee been stronger.
For all Caister's possession, though, they were thankful to keeper Dean Lowin for two excellent first-half saves to deny Stephen Jones and David Jardine.
Mattishall were the underdogs - playing Anglian Combination Division Four, two divisions below Caister - and they came out baring their teeth after the break, but missed chances by John Allison and Jardine proved costly.
t Caister: Lowin, Palmer (Newbury 47), Corke (Shellard 59), Clements, Fruin (Corke 65), Blake, Jarvis, Crane, Mason, Crawley, Snowling. Booked: Corke.
t Mattishall Res: Woodward, Bailes, Tufts, Alcock, Stevens, Rutland (Cross 88), Jones, Marczewski, Jardine, Allison (Secker 81), Hewitt. Sub not used: Sutherland. Booked: Allison, Tufts, Jones, Alcock, Secker, Hewitt.
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