Gill Cup quarter finals - Underwood Athletic A 2 Mathern Reserves A (Underwood win 3-0 on penalties)

TWO great saves by Underwood SC keeper Taylor Carey earned his team a semi-final date against Severn Tunnel.

Carey dived left and right to keep out Mathern Reserves’ first couple of spot-kicks and when the visitors third attempt flew over his bar, the young keeper was mobbed by his teammates.

Matches between these old adversaries are usually tight affairs and a goal fest seemed to be on the cards when both teams scored with their first real attacks.

Josh Downing gave the home side the advantage on five minutes, surging into the penalty area and driving his shot low past keeper Mark Palmer.

Despite the early reverse, Mathern came back almost immediately and Connor Hayden cut in from the tight and steered his shot past Carey into the far corner.

Honours were even with both midfields scrapping for supremacy for most of the remaining 30 minutes although by then Downing had restored the lead with a neat free-kick.

Mathern manager Lee Baker brought on Dan Tyler and former Underwood player Keiron Gettings in the second half and despite the ‘stick’ Gettings received from the Underwood bench, he had his moment when he slipped past two tackles and put in Tyler to level.

Despite creating chances to win it, neither team could take advantage and extra time was swiftly followed by the dreaded penalty shoot-out and Carey’s moment.

“Once it went to penalties I was always confident we would beat them with Taylor Carey in goal,” said Underwood boss Craig Johnson,

“It was a well fought match with both teams giving their all. I was especially proud of the way my players battled right to the end and showed great team spirit and determination to go through to the next round.”

His opposite number saw it as a definite game of two halves although he agreed that keeper Carey was “top drawer”.

“We weren’t at the races in the first half and we gave Underwood too much respect,” Baker said.

“We should have done better to prevent both of their goals and our football was too direct.

“But in the second half, we came out with a better attitude and believed in each other.

“My plan was always to finish stronger and we did that and I thought that at 2-2 with 10 minutes to go, we could finish them off but, in true Underwood style, they didn’t give up. It just wasn’t our day but good luck in the semi-final.”