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Slimbridge
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Slimbridge 1-4 Droitwich Spa
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Slimbridge 1-4 Droitwich Spa
Sunday 8th March 2026
For 70 minutes, it was all going well for Slimbridge. They were playing some lovely football, had a goal lead and were looking good for a place in the Challenge Cup Final. 

Unfortunately, the dismissal of Keeper Steve Sarkodie left the team with no recognised goalkeeper, and then saw Droitwich score 4 goals in 11 second half minutes, to progress into the Final at the Swans' expense. 

Slimbridge dominated the early exchanges, and in the fourth minute, Jack W Smith's cross was just in front of Joey Shutt as the Swans made a bright start. 

The teams traded efforts early on - Cory Rudd saw his effort saved by Sarkodie, while at the other end, Joe Stokes neat pass to Jack W Smith saw his effort saved and ruled out by the offside flag.

James Taylor-Randle set up Perry Moss for the visitors on 13 minutes but his effort was way too high and way too wide. 

The rest of the first half was all Slimbridge - Charlie Mathews and Stokes combined well to set up Shutt, but his effort was cleared, before Stokes and Shutt both had effort off target. 

Just before the half hour mark, Shutt was through one on one with Spa Keeper Joe Stockton, but his lob ended up just the wrong side of the post. 

A minute before the break, the goal which had been coming arrived - Stokes and Charlie Mathews combined well down the Slimbridge left, and Matthews' cross was swept in by Shutt to put the shots ahead at the break. 

Ten minutes into the second half, Spa substitute Nathan Binner was incredibly lucky that Referee James Wilson deemed his stamp on Toby Soule seconds after Binner had come onto the pitch as only a yellow card offence. 

With 20 minutes remaining, the whole game changed. Steve Sarkodie pulled back James Lennon as he attempted to round the Swans Keeper and was dismissed for denying a goalscoring opportunity. 

With no Keeper on the bench, Owen Giles went in goal and was soundly beaten by Ben Tilbury's subsequent penalty kick. 

Sensing their chance, Spa pounced - a minute later, a break saw Lemon play in Binner, who put the visitors ahead. 

It went from bad to worse a minute later when Ryan Ponting was penalised for a foul on Alex Dugmore, which resulted in Spa's second penalty within a two minute spell. Tilbury duly converted to kill the game off. 

A fourth goal from Sam Hurdman on 81 minutes left the game with a scoreline that really didn't reflect the balance of the game, but Spa went into the Final, where they will meet Hereford Pegasus at the end of the month. 

Team: Sarkodie, Mara, Mathews, Soule, Giles, Ponting (Haswell 73), Shutt, Stokes (Bell 70), Jack Smith, Jack W Smith (Hunt 81), Blackie (Kang 81)

Match Sponsors Andy and Rose Carter's Man of the Match: Joey Shutt


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