Mullets smash lacklustre Crows for five in the cup

ARUNDEL 5

CROWBOROUGH ATH 0

FA Vase

CROWBOROUGH Athletic travelled to lowly Arundel on Saturday, but their hopes of a cup run were quickly dashed after a first-half horror show.

The league table soon went out of the window as Arundel cruised into the next round of the FA Vase.

Crowborough produced a poor first-half performance, leading to a 4-0 deficit at half-time, which became five later on as Scott Tipper netted a hat-trick.

Arundel started well and opened the scoring after just 10 minutes. Russ Hardwell won the ball from defender Tom Boddy and delivered an excellent cross to Tipper, who was left unmarked at the far post and nodded the ball in from close range.

Borough nearly bounced straight back, as Naz Rouane laid the ball across to Scott Taylor, whose great strike from 30 yards dipped narrowly over the crossbar, with James Fernandes well beaten.

The Mullets doubled their lead on 16 minutes, as Hardwell pounced onto a loose ball on the edge of the area, and his strike across goal took a deflection on its way into the far corner, beating the helpless Ben Head.

It was 3-0 when Howard Neighbour broke through, one on one with Head, but his effort was excellently saved by the advancing goalkeeper, before Hardwell pounced on the rebound and drove the ball away from Head and past David Adams on the line.

The hosts had a great chance to extend their lead, as Jack Turner was penalised for handball and a penalty awarded.

Tipper stepped up, only to surprisingly fire the ball wide of the bottom right-hand post, with Head diving the right way.

Despite this, the score did become 4-0 before the interval. Hardwell crossed the ball to the far post and picked out Tipper, who nodded the ball away from Head and into the net from close range.

In a less eventful second half, Arundel after the hour came close to a fifth goal after Hardwell crossed the ball to Tipper, whose towering header from close range rattled the crossbar.

Thereafter, the Crows looked like waking up for the first time in the game, as Adams found sub Nathan Millroy, who beat Dave Walker on the edge of the area before his left-foot strike was deflected wide of the near post by the lunging Dave Hall.

Late on, Adams collected a ball through the Arundel defence and, one on one with Fernandes, saw his right-footed effort crawl wide of the far corner.

In the 90th minute, Tipper completed his hat-trick as Ruben French's cross-field pass found Hardwell, who again delivered an exceptional ball into the six-yard box for Tipper, who beat his marker and headed the ball back across goal into the far corner.

The Crows face Horsham YMCA at the Crowborough Community Stadium tomorrow.