After a disappointing result on Saturday away at Jersey Bulls, the Salts returned to cup action with a Combined Counties Challenge Cup tie against Berks County, who play in the Combined Counties Premiership North. On a very heavy pitch, made challenging by recent weather, both teams did well to try and keep the ball on the ground.

From the kick-off, County started on the attack, forcing Salts goalkeeper Kevin Kardel into action early as he made a brave save at the feet of their forward. The Salts responded quickly and created a chance of their own in the 4th minute. A good move involving Ali Fofahan and Kionte Gillfillian-Waul found William Kendall, whose shot was well saved by the keeper and put out for a corner, which ultimately came to nothing.

In the 16th minute, after a great dribble by Jason Bloor, the ball found Ali Fofahan, who manoeuvred himself into a good position on the edge of the box but hit his shot well over the bar. Epsom & Ewell were well on top by this time, and in the 20th minute, another fine move followed a surge by Kionte Gillfillian-Waul. The ball eventually found its way to Adam Green, who really should have done better, but his shot missed the target.

In the 29th minute, the Salts did have the ball in the net through Sean Michael-Anderson, but the goal was ruled out for offside. The rest of the half was uneventful, with both teams struggling with the conditions, but Epsom & Ewell remained on top. It took until the 37th minute for County to register their first shot on target, which was easily saved by Kardel. The Salts had a few more chances before the break but didn’t trouble the keeper, and the teams went into half-time with the score at 0-0.

The second half reflected the first, with the Salts having nearly all the play. In the 47th minute, a quick one-two led to the ball finding Kendall, whose shot was again saved for a corner. On the 56th minute, Jason Bloor got into a good position after a neat move but was denied by another save, with the ball going out for a corner.

In the 79th minute, a poor back pass to Kardel forced him to rush out of his area and clear the ball for a throw-in—this was about the best chance County had in the second half. The Salts continued to push for a winner, and with Carl Oblitey on in place of Bloor, a goalmouth scramble ensued. A couple of shots were blocked before Carl lifted the ball over the bar. Three minutes later, Green again found himself in a shooting position but sent his effort over the bar. Both teams played out the final 15 minutes without further incident, and the match ended 0-0, sending the tie to penalties.

The Salts won the toss and opted to go first in the shootout. Adam Green, Callum Wilson, Craig Dundas, and William Kendall all stepped up to deliver terrific penalties that left the County keeper with no chance. To their credit, Berks County’s penalties were equally good, with Kardel unable to get close to them despite going the right way on several occasions. Ali Fofahan scored the Salts’ 5th penalty with another fantastic strike, leaving the pressure on the County captain Dan Money. Unfortunately for him, Kardel made a sharp save to his right to clinch a dramatic 5-4 victory for the Salts and send them into the next round.

The win means the Salts progress to the next round of the Combined Counties Premier Cup, where they face a challenging trip away to Wallingford and Crowmarsh in Oxfordshire. The team also returns to cup action this Saturday in the 4th Round of the FA Vase with an away game at VCD Athletic—your support would be greatly appreciated!