ACCOUNTANTS LEAGUE CUP
Saints 2 South Manchester Sports 1st 2 (South won 4-2 on penalties)

South Manchester Sports marched into the quarter-finals of the Accountants League Cup with a nail-biting penalty shootout victory overs Saints.

Having already won the Accountants Handicup, South Manchester overcame the absence of a host of key absentees to hold their nerve and return to winning ways.

Toby Levy, Mark Addis, Adam Lavin and Mark Stewart were all absent from the start and things got worse after 20 minutes when already a goal down Mike Stratton came off feeling unwell.

South had conceded in the first 10 minutes when their set-piece frailties returned to haunt them as a corner was flicked on and the opposing forward was left at the far post to hammer in the first goal of the game.

After Stratton departed, South got a foothold in the game and Harvey Kaye, who was to prove to be influential in the game, was running the Saints defence ragged. Unfortunately however after a bout of South pressure which had resulted in a south corner, Saints cleared the ball up field and an under-hit back-pass from Adam Jackson saw Saints double their lead with a seemingly impossible task ahead for South to recover in hot conditions with so many missing.

Just before half time, Kaye got in again down the right and his first time cross was knocked in by Marc Parry to get South back into the tie.

At the break the importance of the next goal was stressed to South and fortunately it was to come their way when from a short corner, Kaye hammered a right-footed shot into the top corner.

From then on the game petered out on a difficult surface where passing the ball was impossible.

So the game went immediately to penalties on 90 minutes and whilst Koslover, Parry, Yaffe and Kaye knocked theirs in keeper Conor Rabbett saved two to send South through 4-2 to the last eight where they will play PWC.

"Considering the amount of injuries to key players, we showed great spirit to come back and win the game, and we are still in with a chance of a league and cup treble," said manager Darryl Lee.

South Manchester's next match is the cup quarter-final against PWC at the Armitage Centre on April 15. KO: 11am.