Our Under-18s welcomed Newhaven U18s to The Saffrons for the SCFL League Cup First Round, eager to make their mark after exiting the FA Youth Cup earlier in the season. However, much like last week’s clash with Seaford, we got off to a slow and sloppy start. A series of misplaced passes put us under pressure early on, but goalkeeper Finn Harvey was quick to respond, rushing out to smother a dangerous Newhaven attack and steady the ship.

It took 15 minutes for Town to register a meaningful attempt, with Noah Titterton-Manos stinging the palms of the Newhaven goalkeeper at his near post. Meanwhile, Newhaven continued to press, capitalizing on some poor decisions from our lads in possession. Their number 10 forced another save from Harvey, but it was a comfortable one. We still hadn’t hit our stride.

Darcy Poole then tried to inject some life into the game. His pace and power up front troubled the Newhaven defence, though his left-footed strike was stopped by a scrambling goalkeeper.

In a familiar pattern, Town came out firing in the second half, with Darcy Poole breaking the deadlock inside 10 minutes. His goal gave us the lead and swung the momentum firmly in our favour.

We waited nearly an hour for a goal, then two arrived in quick succession. After Newhaven defended a set-piece well, a superb cross was whipped in from the left, and Ben Hanmer rose highest to thunder home a header, doubling our lead.

The game then saw a rise in intensity, with tempers flaring as Jude Jackson clashed with a Newhaven defender off the ball. After some shoving and pushing, the referee restored order and play resumed.

Shortly after, Newhaven pulled one back. A scramble in the box following an unnecessary free-kick led to the visitors scoring, but Town kept their composure and responded with a moment of magic. Haydn Owen embarked on a mesmerizing run down the right, skipping past two defenders before coolly slotting the ball into the near post to restore our two-goal cushion.

Just as the game seemed to be settling down, Newhaven were awarded a penalty after a clumsy challenge by Ben Hanmer. Despite Finn Harvey diving the right way, the spot-kick was expertly placed into the bottom corner, making it 3-2 and setting up a tense finale.

With just ten minutes remaining, Newhaven completed their comeback, finding an equaliser to the delight of their travelling supporters. Our fans were left frustrated, particularly as injury time seemed to stretch on.

The match headed to penalties, where Finn Harvey once again showed his quality, saving Newhaven’s first spot-kick. Darcy Poole and Noah Titterton-Manos converted for us, but Newhaven’s goalkeeper turned the shootout in their favour with two excellent saves. The Dockers converted their fifth and final penalty, knocking us out of the cup disappointingly early.

Despite the disappointment, our lads have been exceptional in recent weeks and remain unbeaten in the league with five wins from five.