Mile Oak FC

Team:

22 Chris Winterton
15 Nathan Crabb
13 Jay Lovett
6 Marc Pullan
31 Darren Budd
23 Karl Osborne
18 Simon Wormull
21 Mo Harkin
7 Pat Harding
25 Lyle Taylor
5 Ben Austin

Substitutes:

9 Andy Atkin for Taylor (60)
11 Matt Crabb for Osborne (79)
2 Darren Baker for Pullan (63)
8 Paul Armstrong
3 Neil Jenkins

Team:

1 Aaron Stenning
2 Daryl Livesey
3 Jamie Ash
4 Gary French
5 Chris Paine
6 Steve Porter
7 Lloyd Skinner
8 Chris Pulling
9 Danny Curd
10 Paul Eaton
11 Titus Paterson

Substitutes:

12 Graham Martin for Paterson (71)
14 Wayne Whittington
15 Wayne Chart for Pulling (90)
16 Tony Burnett for French (85)
17 Ryan sargent

Booked:

Following an away victory in the F.A. Cup the side returned to Priory Lane without a replay but a Sussex Senior Cup tie .v. County Divison 2 side Mile Oak. Garry Wilson and Nick Greenwood utilised the full squad for the fixture but it was to prove, at times, an uncomfortable evening for 'The Sports' as the visitors pushed Boro all the way to the final whistle.

Such thoughts were distant from the minds of Boro fans as Mo Harkin opened the scoring on 43 seconds for 1-0. Indeed the home side threatened to run riot with 'MOM' Aaron Stenning denying Lyle Taylor with the 1st of a series of stunning saves before Simon Wormull drove home low inside the left-hand post on 23 minutes for 2-0.

From here the script was ripped up and Mile Oak came into their own. Danny Curd spurned a good opportunity slipping in the box on 30 minutes but his back-heel a minute later deflected off a Boro player on the line for 2-1. The game swang from end to end before parity was restored when in the 2nd half a low free-kick from the edge of the Boro area went in off the post for 2-2, Chris Paine the striker of the ball.

The Boro management responded with substitutions but Mile Oak took the lead when a superb long-range effort from Titus Patterson beat Chris Winterton for 3-2; cue wild scenes amongst the visiting fans and squad.

The home side had 24 minutes to rescue the tie but only drew level on 81 minutes when an Andy Atkin header came off the post for Nathan Crabb to finish from a tight angle; Stenning finally beaten having denied Wormull, Atkin and Ben Austin in the preceeding moments. With extra time looming Harkin burts into the area and was tripped, possibly legs finally tiring in the visitors back-four, for Wormull to smash home the penalty confidently to rescue the tie and put Boro into the next round.

Words - Lee Peskett