East Devon Senior Cup
Hatherleigh Town 2
Buckland Athletic 2
(Buckland win 4-3 on penalties)
SENIOR one side Buckland proved themselves to be a strong outfit who should win promotion on this showing.
The sharp passing football they played was better than any premier side has offered so far this season against Hatherleigh.
It was no surprise to see Buckland take an early lead. A quick ball to the centre forward was held up on the edge of the box. When it was knocked into the path of an onrushing midfielder it was duly despatched past Adams into the corner of the net.
Shortly after, Bruce went off injured to be replaced by Vallance with Pearson moving to centre back
Hatherleigh weathered the storm as Buckland pressed for a second goal.
The equaliser came on the half hour. Dymond raced into the box and was pulled back by the defender. The resultant penalty was slotted home by Vernon.
This gave Hatherleigh a life and they went into the lead before half-time.
Vernon received the ball in a central position, 20 yards out. He turned the defender and unleashed a left-footed strike into the top corner.
The start of the second half saw constant Buckland pressure and it was a relief for the home team when an unscheduled break came. A Buckland player went down with a suspected broken leg, causing a 25-minutes hold-up. Everyone wishes the player a speedy recovery.
Buckland equalised following a defensive mix-up. With Adams calling for the ball Bryant stuck out a leg. The ball looped over Adams and gave the striker an easy header into the unguarded net.
Extra time.
In the first period Woollacott had a goal ruled out for offside and chances went begging at both ends.
The second period followed a similar pattern and the tie had to be decided by a penalty shoot-out.
Back to league action on Saturday with an away match at Budleigh.