Herne Bay Line-Up
• 1. Joe Coleman
• 2. Zuriel Otseh-Taiwo
• 3. Rhys Wyborn
• 4. James Rogers
• 5. Liam Friend (sub 14. Jamie Lartice, 65’)
• 6. Louie Procopi
• 7. Chinedu Duru (sub 12. Jordon Ababio, 46’)
• 8. Scott Heard
• 9. Alfie Bloomfield (sub 17. Jude Sutton, 86’)
• 10. Harvey Brand (sub 16. Jacob Gilbert, 74’)
• 11. Frankie Smith (sub 15. Alfie Cutbush, 65’)

Unused Substitutes: None

Yellow Card: Jamie Lartice (78’)

Summary and Pre-Match
Herne Bay exited their third cup competition of the season at the first stage, once again struggling to find the back of the net. Sheppey United, on the other hand, ended their own poor run of form by snatching a 1-0 victory courtesy of a dramatic goal deep into stoppage time in the 95th minute.

The Bay faced several challenges leading into the fixture. Key players Kamani McFarlane and Joe Alatise were unavailable through injury, while Joe Tyrie was still missing as a long-term absentee. Additionally, the squad extended their best wishes to Deese Madia, who will be absent from several matches due to personal reasons.

With a league fixture fast approaching on Tuesday, 23rd September against Jersey Bulls, manager Liam Friend opted to rest Alfie Cutbush, allowing James Rogers to keep his place in midfield. The match also marked a significant milestone as 17-year-old local player Jude Sutton made his debut for the side.

First Half
Herne Bay opened the match with intent, almost taking the lead immediately from kick-off.

A cross from Zuriel Otseh-Taiwo found Alfie Bloomfield, but he was unable to make a decisive connection. Shortly afterwards, a well-rehearsed free-kick routine from Rhys Wyborn troubled Sheppey’s returning goalkeeper Adam Molloy, but the ball narrowly eluded Harvey Brand, who was ready to pounce.

In the 7th minute, Joe Coleman, who has been a reliable presence in goal this season, made the first of several crucial saves by reacting quickly to deny Dieko Falade a clear chance. Moments later, Rolando Onu used his pace to get past Louis Procopi, but his left-footed effort went wide of the target.

By the 10th minute, Harvey Brand slid a clever pass to Bloomfield, who attempted to chip the advancing Molloy, but the keeper managed to block the effort.

After these early exchanges, the match settled into a more cautious pattern with limited opportunities until the 31st minute. At that point, Wyborn surged forward from deep, played a neat one-two with Chinedu Duku, and unleashed a shot from inside the box that struck the post.

The first half concluded with neither side doing enough to take a lead into the break.

Second Half
At half-time, Herne Bay made an early substitution, bringing on Jordon Ababio for Chinedu Duru. The first chance after the restart came following a bout of head tennis in the box, with the ball falling kindly for Bloomfield, whose shot was deflected into the arms of the keeper.
Joe Coleman was again alert, racing off his line to smother a through ball intended for Bradshaw that had sliced through the Bay defence. He then watched as Sheppey twice tried their luck from a distance, but their efforts sailed harmlessly wide.

In the 59th minute, Bay came agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock. Bloomfield controlled a long pass, spun, and lofted a delightful ball over the Sheppey defence for the sprinting Ababio. Ababio lifted his shot over the advancing goalkeeper, only to see the ball crash off the crossbar and go out for a goal kick.

Both sides then saw a succession of shots fly over the bar, much to the pleasure of the fan holding the “no goals” golden goal ticket, who started to believe he might be in luck.
As the match entered its closing stages, Jamie Lartice had a late attempt, jabbed with his weaker foot in the 89th minute, and with the referee signalling five minutes of additional time, many expected the tie would be decided on penalties.

However, Dieko Falade had other ideas. Receiving a pass from Moumi-Goeth on the right-hand edge of the penalty area, he cut inside Sutton and curled a left-footed shot that Coleman managed to get a hand to, but could not keep out, sealing the win for Sheppey United.

Next Games
Tuesday 23rd September, 19:45 Herne Bay v Jersey Bulls
Saturday 27th September, 15:00 Herne Bay v Beckenham Town