Roffey and Haywards Heath met in the RUR Cup Semi Final at Burgess Hill FC, with both having two victories from their four previous meetings in league and cup this season. It promised to be a tight game and so it turned out with the result in doubt until the final whistle. Both teams have been struggling with injuries recently but the quality of the game on the hosts new 3G surface made for a very entertaining evening.
Stan Berry goal put the Boars ahead until the 84th minute
With our own pitch recovering from the wet of Jan and Feb, we headed to the fantastic new facility at Burgess Hill for a final that was going to prove nail biting. In front of a decent crown of Roffey and Haywards Heath supporters as well as some impartial locals, the two teams put on a great display. The match was kindly sponsored by engineering and maintenance company EastWest Connect .
After a fast start from Heath, Roffey found their feet after 10 minutes or so and started to worry the Heath back line. Then on twenty-eight minutes, Jack Poplett found Dan Pearse in midfield and the Boars skipper spread the ball wide to Berry who turned his man and drove towards the penalty area. Cutting inside another defender he curled a delicious shot inside the far post, giving Alfie Mansell in the Heath goal no chance. 1-0 up.
The Boars hung on, but an injury to Berry who had to be replaced, and a hard knock to Watson Price needed medical attention. The Boars continued to restrict Heath to crosses and long shots which didn’t find their target – or were saved by Watson Price – and had a some good chances themselves from some good attacking moves. But in the last 10 minutes of normal time the Boars began to tire, and allowed through and equaliser in the 84th minute, only to concede a fumbled second goal (which only goal-line technology will confirm actually went over!!) deep into stoppage time.
And so it ended, 1-2 to The Heath and they secured a place in the final. Heartbreak for the Boars but a lot of pride in their performance from a depleted but determined squad. It was a terrific game and the Boars had shown again that we can be a match for the best in the league.
