Broadbridge Heath Southern Combination League Under 23s league season maybe complete but The Bears still had a chance of further silverware in the League Cup when they travelled to SCFL U23 West Division side Ferring FC, managed by former Heath player John Rhodie for a semi-final match played at Shoreham Football Club.

The opening spell was end to end but without either side troubling the opposition goalkeeper with the first shot or target coming on 27 minutes when Heath’s Nathan Kennedy-Tamplin struck a long range left foot shot that was gathered comfortably by Ferring goalkeeper Ethan Morris.

The deadlock was broken 5 minutes later Deren Bedir received the ball in the centre of midfield and played it out wide left to Adam Al Meskin who whipped in a left foot pass across the face of goal into the path of Luke York arriving late on the edge of the box who struck a fierce righ foot shot that flew past Morris to give Heath the lead.

Heath doubled their lead 4 minutes before the break when Al Meskin’s in-swinging corner from the right was flicked towards the goal by Ethan Cumming at the near post, the ball pinged around the 6 yard box before falling kindly to Harry Kent to hammer into the back of the net from 6 yards to make it 2-0 to The Bears at half-time.

Heath started the second half well with Keanin Louw firing a left foot shot wide of the goal and a minute later dribbling past defenders before hitting a right foot shot just wide of the post, Bedir then tried his luck with a right foot shot from 20 yards which flew just over the crossbar but it was Ferring who reduced the deficit on 76 minutes when a Heath defender played a long back pass to goalkeeper Stan Williamson, with the ball bobbling all over the place off the pitch surface the keeper tried to make a right foot clearance but he smashed the ball straight at substitute Michael Macdonald who took a touch and then hit a perfect right foot lob from distance into the empty net for surprisingly his first goal of the season.

Macdonald was in action again just minutes later with another right foot shot from distance which Williamson dealt with comfortably and in the closing stages the Ferring forward again tried his luck with a long range right foot shot that Williamson saved low to his right but it was The Bears who made it through to the final where they will play Peacehaven & Telscombe U23s, the only side to have defeated The Bears this season in an 8/7 penalty shootout in the Sussex U23 Challenge Cup. The final will take place at Steyning town FC on Thursday 7th May at 7.45.

Team: Williamson, Duneclift, Al Meskin, Wraight, Cumming, Pickering, York, Bedir, Louw, Kent, Kennedy-Tamplin. Subs. Cooksley, Hayes.