CCK booked their place in the next round of the cup with a great victory over Polgate Town. An encouraging team performance saw the Badgers triumph 3-2 after extra time.
Having enjoyed such an amazing performance the previous week, CCK fans were full of expectation ahead of their big cup clash. However, the opening stages of the match did little to maintain the supporters confidence in the team. Polgate dominated with neat passing and a barrage of efforts at goal. Paul Muzzall had to be on top form, and was. His saves coupled with a succession of wasted chances kept the scores level. CCK then seemed to settle into the match and played some good football of their own. Brett Joyce then was forced off as his recurring groin injury re-introduced itself. Mike Spence came on to take his place. Neat combination play between Tim Rose, Mike Morrison, Dave Jones, and Dan Harnden saw the Badger's sustain some good periods of possession. It was Morrison that saw the fruits of this play, as he had two strikes at goal. The Polgate keeper was equal to both shots. Despite CCK's expansive football, they were finding the Polgate defence difficult to penetrate, and as a result failed to create a gilt-edged opportunity in the first half. Polgate however, created two fantastic opportunities before the break. A shot from the edge of the area cannoned off the cross-bar to the relief of the men in yellow. Then Polgate found themselves a man over down the left as a player had only the keeper to beat. Paul Muzzall however, is not your average keeper, and is significantly more difficult to beat as most. His save kept the scores level as the half time whistle blew.
CCK came out for the second half with renewed determination. Their ability to keep the ball and move forward with it caused the Polgate defence a severe headache. Whilst their defensive graft kept the Polgate attacking threat quiet for large periods of the game. Eneke, Sewell, Fortescue, and Spence not only showed great solidity, they also were increasingly confident on the ball, and formed a great foundation for some of CCK's attacking momentum. Josh Van Nes was a nuisance up front, harrowing defenders and holding the ball up well. Ivan Sambles on the left was playing some great balls through for the strikers, and was also interchanging with the other midfielders very well. It was these short, simple passes that was reeping the most rewards, as CCK moved forward as a unit. The pressure eventually told, when a poor defensive header was pounced on by Dave Jones. He cooly side-footed the ball past the despairing keeper. The Badgers then had a lead to hold onto. Their defence seemed impregnable as aerially and physically their supremecy shone. Jacob Fortescue showed a real desire to win every ball that came near him, while Dave Sewell was reading the game with great confidence. It seemed more likely that CCK would extend their lead, and Josh Van Nes almost did. A delicate chip left the keeper stranded, only to clip the cross-bar. Then came two substitutions one soon after the other. Doug Reid replaced Ben Eneke, followed by Ivan Sambles making way for Matt Carvel. As Polgate commited more men forward the gaps in their defence increased. This allowed Mike Morrison to break forward on the counter attack, and his dribbling and creativity almost carved out some good scoring opportunities. Dave Jones was finding more space in the hole, and was linking the play well, as CCK looked to add to their lead. Then came a bitter blow. A corner was swung towards the back post where it was headed back across goal. The midfielder in orange reacted quickest and headed the ball into the net for the equaliser. Despite the setback, the Badgers kept believing and continued to play the better football. Matt Carvel was enjoying plenty of space down the left and combined well with Jones and Morrison. Van Nes, and Dan Harnden were both causing problems when they ran at defenders down the right. Van Nes had a chance to win the game in normal time when he skipped past a lunging tackle. His shot from the edge of the area was saved well by the keeper. The full time whistle signalled another thirty minutes of football.
Extra time followed the familiar pattern. Defensively sound, and dangerous in attack. Doug Reid had comfortably slotted into the defence, and added to their aerial dominance. It was at the other end that things were heating up. Doug Reid took a throw deep in opposition territory. Dave Jones flicked the ball on with his head, into the path of Josh Van Nes. His early low strike from outside the area nestled into the net as players and fans erupted into ecstacy. Jones had a shot saved soon after as CCK looked to put the game out of sight. Half time came and went with CCK looking far more fresh than their lagging opponents. A succesion of shots from CCK players ensued after the break, while Polgate struggled to create anything. Possession was dominated by CCK in advanced areas of the pitch, and this resulted in the decisive goal. Mike Morrison led the Polgate defenders on a merry dance, weaving around several lunging tackles. Then he was swept to the ground by a reckless slide. No hesitation and no protestation, the penalty was awarded. Dave Jones stepped up and kept his nerve to give CCK a two goal cushion. Polgate seemed to lose their cool a little, as they were clearly frustrated by their inability to compete with the Badgers. Their captain was particularly fortunate not to have been given his marching orders when he clearly meant to hurt Mike Morrison after the whistle had sounded for a foul. Unpunished by the referee, however, the F.A may choose to look further into that incident in the coming days. A mere consolation came Polgate's way a minute from the end. Mike Spence's seemingly well timed tackle was adjudged to have tripped the Polgate striker unfairly and a penalty was given. Muzzall almost tipped the ball round the post, which would have capped a great display for the stopper. However, the ball crept just inside the post to complete the scoring. The final whistle blew, as CCK's travelling fans rejoiced.
Manager Tim Rose was pleased with his sides display, when he spoke with reporters at the post-match press conference, "We were brilliant today. All over the pitch we played good football, the past couple of games has seen the best of us, now we need to take this form into the league." Captain Dave Sewell was keen to praise several team mates when he spoke with the press after the match, "It's great to have beaten this quality side. We showed our class and deserved the win. I think we controlled the game well. Jacob was class at the back for us today, he won everything in the air, and Morro and DJ bossed things in the centre. Things look good for us at the moment, we just need to keep this going and I can see us having a memorable season." Next on the agenda is Brighton North End in the league, as CCK look to continue their winning streak.
