Moulton Harrox survived a storming Brumby comeback to book their place in the final of the Lincs FA Junior Cup with a thrilling 4-3 victory on Saturday.
Goals from Ashley Coddington, Joe Townsend and Ian Bradbury looked to have Moulton on the brink of a second final in three years as they led 3-0 at half time. Townsend then added a second before the hour to make it 4-0 at Broad Lane.
Brumby, who hadn’t lost all season, weren’t about to go quietly though – and they fired three quick goals to set-up a grandstand finish.
The Scunthorpe-based side then had a last-minute goal ruled out as Moulton held on to book a final with Hykeham Town on April 22.
Harrox’s assistant boss Paul Crowson, who was in sole charge of the team on Saturday, believes that the cup final will help keep an otherwise quiet season alive.
He said: “Brumby were a very strong, enthusiastic and physical side – which is what you tend to expect from teams from the north of the county. But we defended very well, which has been key to our progress in recent weeks.
“I didn’t feel we started that well, but got a stroke of luck with three quick goals to go in 3-0 up at half time.
“I did tell the lads that it wasn’t over at half time, but once we went 4-0 up we were looking strong.
“However, a mix-up got them back into the game – and before we knew it the score was 4-3. It was a very tight game, 4-0 really wouldn’t have been a fair reflection.
“We don’t know too much about Hykeham ahead of the final, or indeed where it will be played, but we’ll show them respect. It’d also be nice for the final to be at Sincil Bank.
“For now, we must concentrate on the league. After a poor start that saw us pick up a lot of silly draws and losses, we’ve now got a real chance of finishing in the top three.
“Having the final to look forward to will keep everybody interested. Every player in the first team or reserves has a chance to be involved, so that keeps the season alive. We’ve got a settled side now, which wasn’t the case up until November. We’re now focusing on the league and finishing as high as we can.”
Harrox defender Bobby Patterson added: “They came at us in the first 20 minutes but we kept our shape and scored a bit against the run of play.
“From then we controlled the game and outplayed them, and were comfortable with a 3-0 half time lead.
“We scored just after half time but fair credit to them, they threw caution to the wind and went for it – causing us to concede three very sloppy goals. In the end, we were delighted to hear the final whistle.
“We’ve done really well to reach the final, but it’s now down to us to knuckle down and make sure we pull together and go on to win it.
“With the experience we’ve got in the side I’d like to think we can cope with the occasion.”
Harrox: Kenealy, Coddington, Johnson (D Cairns 70), Patterson, Groves, King, Barnett, Law (Wilson 75), Townsend, Bradbury, Watkin. Not used: N Steadman, Grimwood, Rose.
