Sporting Armley were once again left cursing their luck after crashing out of another cup competition after taking the game to extra time. This time, it was the West Riding Challenge Trophy.
Armley manager Jason Lovett had one of the strongest squads of the season at his disposal, but was unfortunately unable to call upon either of his two goalkeepers John Moses and Dennis Spencer. It was down to Wayne Howe to once again deputise in goal at short notice.
Unfortunately for Armley, Howe did not get into the game for the first 15 minutes, by which time he had conceded two soft goals. Coach & Horses took the lead from the very first minute, winning a corner and then firing low past Howe following a scramble in the 16 yard box.
10 minutes later, a looping cross from the right wing somehow found itself into the top corner, and before Armley had even had chance to break sweat, they were 2-0 down.
Armley's defence was otherwise at full strength, with Richard Moses and Jonathan James in the centre and Phil Wheeler and Darren Ford on either side. In midfield, captain Kevin Bruce partnered James Lee in the middle, with Elliott Stubbs on the right and Mark Pearson on the left. Up front, Gareth Knight returned to partner Danny Pearson.
Armley had to go for it, and fought back superbly for the remainder of the first half and got a goal back when Elliott Stubbs broke away down the right and shot from outside the box, over and round the keeper into the right hand side of goal for his first in an Armley shirt.
After a dodgy start, Howe began to regain confidence in goal after a couple of decent saves, and in the second half set up a counter attack for Armley that resulted in their equaliser.
From a Coach & Horses corner, Howe claimed the cross and quickly kicked the ball long for James Lee who broke away, crossed for Danny Pearson who netted with a neat lob from just inside the 16 yard box.
By this time, Karl Smith had taken to the field for his first appearance of the season and his presence was felt immediately as Armley were looking far and away the stronger team. However, as in previous games, Armley conspired to miss a series of good chances to take the game.
A last ditch tackle by Jonathan James on the stroke of 90 helped his side force extra time. New signings Dean Russell and Michael Bowe who came on to replace Danny Pearson and Elliott Stubbs for some fresh legs, both doing well to create Armley's third goal.
Unfortunately by this point, Howe's luck had deserted him once again as he conceded a third and fourth goal in quick succession. It was a dagger blow for Armley, and Howe, as both had been excellent since going 2-0 behind.
Richard Moses pulled one back for Sporting with a minute left on the clock, and Karl Smith came close as Armley piled everyone forward, but it was to no avail. Goalkeeping errors had overshadowed what was a great performance by the outfield players.
This performance, combined with the return of Karl Smith, a man of the match display from Gareth Knight, and the sight of Armley's former captain Glenn King on the sidelines will give manager Jason Lovett all the confidence that this could be the last time Armley lose in such fashion this season.
