Shagther romp to Quarter Final place

Newhist FC suffer upset as Thornton’s chocolate fingers gift wrap Senseless progress to next round

Intra Mural Football Wednesday Cup 2nd Round

Shagther Senseless 5-2 Newhist FC

The old-fashioned centre half has died with likes of David Luiz, Phil Jones and Daniel Agger showing you have to be skilled on the ball, not only in the tackle. You can now add Shaghter’s Daniel ‘Marauder’ Sleath to the list after a performance centre halves could only dream of. Two goals in a man-of-the-match performance saw Sleath justify his forward ventures with a goal in each half.

Senseless came with an appetite for victory against Division Two strugglers Newhist, who have only managed one win this season, and they started the match positively, playing decent football on a narrow pitch, Montgomery and Mcclune once again proving to be the go-to-men down the flanks. However, Senseless failed to take their chances and found themselves behind against the run of play; an error from skipper Cachia led to the opener as a neat one-two created time in the area for Jacob Murphy to sweep home and put Newhist a goal up.

Unfazed, Shagther continued to dominate and the equaliser inevitably arrived. Patrick Woods found himself with time and space in the box, poking the ball home to level things up. Woods’ goal provided the catalyst Senseless needed as belief that a ‘cupset’ was on the cards surged through the team. Minutes later they found themselves 2-1 ahead, from one centre half to the other, Cachia whipped in a corner that was sweetly met by the on rushing Sleath to score his first ever goal in Intra Mural football.

Ten minutes before half-time the score went to 3-1. The ever-impressive Garrood in midfield, took a shot that was too hot for James Thornton to handle as he parried the ball into the net. The game went into the break with Shagther in control, Newhist looking like the side in the league below.

In the second half Newhist had the wind and the sun in their favour and that showed as they controlled the game. Shagther looked solid until a mix up from Garrood and Sleath led to a one-on-one with the keeper; Lamont’s outstretched hand held the ball up enough for Sleath to miraculously clear it off the line with some great athleticism. However, from the resulting corner, Newhist found themselves right back in it. Luke Krumin’s corner, catching the wind, went directly into the net, leaving right back Holland helpless to deal with the ball on the goal line.

The goal spurred Shagther on to kill the game off, which eventually happened 20 minutes from time. A goalkeeping error from a Montgomery cross allowed substitute Declan Ferry to get his name on the scoresheet, touching the ball over the line on his return from an ankle injury to score his fourth in as many matches.

The best of the goals was yet to come as Sleath had the final say on what was a dream performance from the centre back. Marauding forward to the anger of his fellow centre half and skipper Cachia, Sleath fired home from 25 yards out after Ferry’s fine ball. The celebration matched the performance, with complete shock on his face; Sleath revelled in a great performance for himself and the team.

Across on the Cochrane Park pitch two, Shagther’s players watched on anxiously to see Henderson Hall win on penalties, their opponents in the quarter finals. Surely another giant killing is not on the cards.