A hat-trick of hat-tricks helped St Ives Rangers reach a first cup final for a decade in spectacular style.
Dominic Moody’s side booked their place in the Hunts Junior Cup showpiece with a 10-2 drubbing of holders Eaton Socon Reserves last Saturday.
Lloyd Schwier, Jack Haycock and substitute Mohammed Islam all notched trebles for rampant Rangers. The latter player bagged his three goals in the space of just eight minutes late on.
Manager Moody said: “You don’t expect to beat a team of Eaton Socon Reserves’ standard by a scoreline like that.
“It was a tight game early on with Eaton Socon Reserves probably having the better chances, which they didn’t take.
“But we grew into the game and it seemed that everything we hit went in. We were 5-0 up at half-time and thought ‘where the hell did that come from?’
“Three hat-tricks in the same game is definitely not something you see every day, and it was a great team performance.
“It would be impossible to pick a man-of-the-match because everyone involved was absolutely fantastic.
“We scored nine in our previous league game against Hemingfords United Reserves and then 10 in the semi-final, but hopefully we can save a few goals for the final as well!”
Schwier and Haycock hit two goals apiece as Rangers took command against Eaton Socon Reserves before Stephen Hastings struck on the stroke of half-time.
Schwier completed his treble two minutes into the second half before Haycock followed suit on the hour. Islam then opened his account with three minutes to go before bagging two further efforts in stoppage time.
Callan Irvine and Charlie Gough were the players to find the net for Eaton Socon Reserves as their Hunts Junior Cup reign came to an end.
St Ives Rangers will now meet fellow Cambs League Division 1B outfit AFC Barley Mow in a final which been scheduled for April 4 at Jubilee Park, Huntingdon.
It’s a clash which will pit Moody against a number of players who represented him during his stint as Fenstanton manager.
St Ives Rangers beat AFC Barley Mow 3-1 in a December league clash, but their opponents occupy the higher position in the table. Rangers sit fifth with the Barley boys in second.
AFC Barley Mow are chasing county honours for the second time in three seasons. Sean Sweeney’s side lifted the Hunts Lower Junior Cup as part of a 2015/16 treble in their debut Saturday campaign.
They beat Division 1B title rivals Alconbury inthe other semi-final last Saturday.
Leading scorer Josh Turner opened the scoring before blazing a penalty over the bar, but that error didn’t prove costly as Ben Colmer doubled the lead before Jack Cleghorn hit a brace.
Player-boss Sweeney said: “Our front three of Josh, Ben and Jack ran Alconbury ragged.
“It’s great to be in another final and it has the makings of being a cracking game. The league table favours us, but St Ives Rangers will be full of confidence after beating us a few weeks ago.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here