We came into this Tunbridge Wells Intermediate Cup match full of confidence on the back of three straight wins. We were also looking to avenge a disappointing 5 - 3 league defeat from earlier in the season.
The first 20 minutes of the game were pretty uneventful with both teams looking to master the uneven playing surface. Throughout this period Invicta made their intentions clear, using the long ball to their centre forward whenever the opportunity arose. However the centre-back pairing of Tony Crouch and Andy Lindsey were easily dealing with these, winning the first header every time. The only chance in the opening 20 minutes came Pembury's way, when James Austin ran on to a through ball, with the Invicta defence calling for offside against another player. Unfortunately James' shot was well saved by their keeper. As the game progressed we continued to be first to the ball, with our defence and midfield looking very comfortable. Unfortunately one lapse in concentration saw Invicta take the lead, when one of their midfielders was left unmarked on the edge of the box and sent a cracking shot into the bottom corner, giving Lee no chance. To their credit the Pembury players did not let this setback affect them and continued to work hard. This resulted in us gaining a some what fortuitous equaliser. Mark Wyles closed down a back pass to their keeper and when the keeper decided to flick the ball up just outside his box, Mark beat the keeper to the dropping ball to prod it home.
At half time manager Andy Whittaker reminded the team how close they were to the semi-final and asked for another solid 45 minutes. Steve Waterman came on for Matt Rice-Tucker, who had sustained a twisted ankle towards the end of the first half. This led to a slight re-shuffle with Ben Brooker dropping back to right midfield, with the veteran forward replacing him up front. Pembury dominated the second half attacking down both flanks, with the back four continuing to repel any attacks Invicta had. Several chances came Pembury's way with James sending a header over at the far post, after a good cross from Ben. An Andy Lindsey shot when a corner dropped at his feet in the box was cleared off the line. From another corner Steve Waterman failed to hit the target, when presented with a free header. A fine one-two between Ben and Steve left Ben with only the keeper to beat, unfortunately he sent his shot wide. Invicta then had a good shout for a penalty when Lee bundled over their centre forward right on the edge of the box. The watching Pembury fans confirmed to the referee that the offence had occurred outside of the box, only to change their minds once the resultant free-kick had been dealt with! The decisive moment in the game occurred with about 15 minutes left to play. Steve Waterman controlled the ball in the centre circle and with the Invicta defence holding a very high line, sent his pass over them for Ben to run onto. This time Ben made no mistake, controlling the ball well, before sending a low shot past the keeper. Pembury continued to easily deal with anything Invicta threw at them, whilst still looking dangerous on the break. With injury time approaching and despite the calls of stand-up from Tony Crouch, Kevin Waterman decided to put his man down at the second attempt, when his first tackle didn't. Afterwards Kevin admitted that he knew he was going to foul the guy! This left us having to defend deep into our area a free kick from out wide. When the kick came in it was met by an Invicta head, fortunately the header was straight at Lee.
All in all an excellent performance. Next up in the semi-finals is an away tie against division one rivals Rusthall.
Team:
L.Thomson
T.Bowyer
T.Crouch
S.Lindsey
L.Drury
M.Rice-Tucker
K.Waterman
I.Crouch
J.Austin
B.Brooker
M.Wyles
Subs:
S.Waterman (for M.Rice-Tucker)