Peterborough Sports' FA Cup dreams are over, but Spalding United march on
Peterborough Sports’ dream of reaching the FA Cup first round proper for the first time must wait another season.
The city side crashed to a 3-1 defeat at lower level AFC Rushden & Diamonds in a second qualifying round tie on Saturday.
Even the return to action of top scorer Leon Lobjoit couldn’t save Sports who were on top until falling behind midway through the first-half to a Matty Warburton strike.
It was 2-0 10 minutes later as Tejan Thomas netted from a corner and Sports goalkeeper Sam Edwards had to save well from Warburton minutes later to deny the hosts a third goal.
Sports got back into the game when Michael Richens headed a Lewis Hilliard free kick back across goal for Lewis Green to convert on the stroke of half time.
Sports started the second half on top, but it was the Diamonds who claimed the final goal on the hour mark when former Spalding United forward James Clifton set up Jordan O’Brien for a clear run on goal following a breakaway.
Sports: Edwards, Green, Cooke, White, Hobbins (sub O’Boyle, 40mins,), Richens (sub Vince, 69 mins), Hilliard, Williams (sub Wood, 71 mins), Miller, Brown (sub Beresford, 60 mins), Lobjoit.
Spalding United are the only local club left in the FA Cup, although they made hard work of beating lower level Hanley Town 2-0 at the Sir Halley Stewart Field.
‘The Tulips’ rested key players and had to wait until the second-half before Dion Sembie-Ferris and Ben Fowkes scored the goals that took them into Monday’s third round draw.
Spalding signed midfielder Dan Barton (21) before the FA Cup tie after a successful trial game last week. He is a former Cambridge United player who most recently played for The New Saints in the Welsh Premier League. Barton made 20 first-team appearances for Cambridge.
Spalding have also signed 18 year-old Coventry City full-back Tionne Critchlow-Woyo on loan.