Everards' teams in the cups for week ending 27th January by Mason Norton

Attention turned this Saturday to the Everards Tiger League Cup. The first round finally was concluded when the multi-postponed tie between Sutton Bonington and Ashby Ivanhoe Knights finally found a bit of dried land and got it on. The Div1 side sent out the Premier team with a 2-0 win at Main Street, James Dann scoring ten minutes after the break to give SB the lead, before Sam Orton sealed the tie nine minutes from the end, to worsen the Knights already poor season, and send Sutton to a second-round tie at St Patricks.

The seven scheduled ties in the second round all went ahead. Pick of the ties was the game between the two Step 6 applicants, as Ellistown hosted LSL Premier Division holders Allexton & New Parks. Andy Grout reports:

"In a game that was fiercely contested with no quarter given, credit to Referee Tommy Hollidge who let the game flow and allowed the players to play.

As you would expect, Allexton had the majority of the ball in the first half but they met an Elllistown defence who would not crack and stood up to our opponents. While Town were content to hold Allexton, it was not one way traffic. Allexton finally breached the defence on 37 minutes when Matt Dennis slotted home from close range.



The second half was like a classic heavyweight boxing match, as both sides went for each other and this opened up the game to some superb pass and move football. Crucially for Ellistown, they could not fashion the chances we needed while Allexton where always dangerous on the break.

Fresh legs for Ellistown with Jake Robertson, Stanley North, Sam Collins and Gio Stylianou entering the field paid dividends as one of those subs, Robertson, equalised on 75 minutes as he flicked home a cross at the near post. Both teams had chances to win it as the game went end-to-end, and Allexton thought they had when they had the ball in the net late on, only for assistant referee Kevin French to raise his flag and chalk it off for offside. The game finished 1-1, and went straight to penalties, where Allexton converted all four of their kicks, whilst Ellistown missed two of theirs to see ANP through 4-2 on spot-kicks."



It also went to spot-kicks at Dunton & Broughton United, who were hosting higher-level opposition in Friar Lane & Epworth. DBU led 2-1 at the break thanks to goals from Ben Marvell and Conner Randall, but Gary Warren scored in the first half for FLAE, and he got his second after the break to draw FLAE level. The teams could not be separated, so it went to spot-kicks, with Lane scoring all five of theirs and DBU missing an effort to see Friar Lane through to the quarters 5-3 as DBU were unable to relive their first round heroics when they put out Desford & Caterpillar.



Upset of the weekend came at Beaumont Park, where despite Yankuba Camara giving Highfield Rangers the lead in the first half, Leicester Atletico turned it round to win 3-1, as Mohamed Hogsade drew them level just before half-time, Ilyaas Hussein put them in front just after the break, and then, as Rangers tried to find an equaliser, sub Malcolm Onochie hit them on the break and got the third in the 90th minute, the Div1 side beating the Premier Division opponents. A Div1 side also beat Premier Division opposition at the Pat Darby Ground, where football returned after the severe flooding of Storm Henk a few weeks ago. Today, it was Div1 leaders Anstey Town who came out on top, defeating Thurnby Rangers 3-1, goals coming from Joe Harris, Casey Richardson and sub Tom Green, Alfie Mansell for Thurnby.



The table was a more reliable guide when it came to the other three ties, as Marley Spencer scored the only goal of the game for Aylestone Park Reserves at AFC North Kilworth in their 1-0 victory, whilst FC Khalsa travelled to Barrow Town and thumped them 7-2, Tayo Tucker, Delroy Chikuza and Clayton Nhau each scoring braces, rounded off by a solo strike from Saam Bakhtiar, Christian Keenan and Liam Stafford scoring for Barrow, and in the Soar Valley derby, Premier side Sileby Town beat Div2 outfit Mountsorrel Amateurs 3-0, Szymon Donnerstag, Conner Packwood and Mitch Woodbine smoking out Mountsorrel's chances.



In the Chairman's Trophy, Group B saw Hinckley LR Reserves defeat Birstall United Reserves 5-0, Brogan Greenwood (2), Stan Rossell, Harry Smith and Micah Rowe scoring, whilst in Group D, Harry Bradley and Jacob Robinson gave Sileby Town Reserves a 2-0 win at Loughborough.



Next week's attention in Ramble Round the Cups turns to the County Cups, as it's semi-final weekend. In the Saturday Intermediate Cup, Anstey Town look to reach the final for the second year running, as they travel to Community Football Academy, who were also runners-up last year, but in the Saturday Trophy. Hinckley LR Reserves, who went out of the County Cups last year at the semi stage to Community Football Academy, host newcomers and Notts Senior League Div1 side FCV Grace Dieu in the other Saturday Intermediate Cup semi. The Saturday Trophy sees an all-LSL semi, as Loughborough Students Development host Mountsorrel Amateurs. The Chairman's Trophy and one quarter-final tie from the City Goldsmiths President's Trophy make up the rest of the cup action, whilst a full programme in the Premier, plus a couple of fixtures in Div1, make up Ramble Round the Divisions, Div2 taking a break until 17 February to concentrate on the Chairman's Trophy. See you then.