The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Spalding United Reserves will meet Pinchbeck United Reserves in the final of the ChromaSport PFA Challenge Cup after both bagged impressive semi-final victories on Saturday.
Starting with the Tulips, a brace from Jack Wycherley helped Kev Nottingham’s side beat Wittering 3-0 at the Sir Halley Stewart Playing Field.
Having lost to Wittering in their last three meetings, Spalding went into this tie as the underdogs.
Neither side was able to impose themselves on the game in the first period, as it remained goalless.
The deadlock was broken on the hour when man-of-the-match Jake McGuire whipped in an inch-perfect ball for the arriving Jake Farrell to head home superbly.
Wittering rattled the post before Spalding doubled their lead through Wycherley.
The ball broke for Cartlidge on the left hand side off the box and he delivered for his team-mate to nod home number two.
Things threatened to get very uncomfortable for the hosts in the closing stages as skipper Dave Endersbee pulled down his man en-route to goal for a clear penalty.
The referee was lenient and awarded just a yellow card, before keeper Ashley Elderkin made a stunning save to keep out Neil Speck’s spot-kick.
Wycherley then put the icing on the cake with what was the moment of the match. Some 40 yards out, he thumped an outrageous volley from way out on the touchline into the back of the net to seal the win.
Spalding Res: Elderkin, McGuire, Endersbee, Phillips, Nichols, Pryke, Braybrook (Mroczka), Rose, Wycherley (Newton), Klos (Cartlidge) Farrell (Cannon).
Meanwhile, Pinchbeck Reserves pulled off something of a surprise to defeat Spalding Town 3-1 at Knight Street in the other last-four clash.
Mark Lovelace, Aaron Cooper and Jack Brown bagged the goals for them, with Chris Broom grabbing a consolation for a Town side that are 19 points and nine places above them in the Division Two table.
The final will be played at The Branch Brothers Stadium, the home of Peterborough Northern Star, on Wednesday, April, 27 (7.30pm).
