Vs. Icklesham (H)
Starting XI	Substitutes:
Simon Cutler
Owen Davies
Doug Morris
Gary Williams
Paul Ford
Pete Cooper	(94 Darrell Hartley)
Andy Mills (c)
Dave Mills
Adrian Gaylon	(85 Dom Fowler)
Adam Johnson
Gary Walsh
Referee:
Goals: Cooper (22), Johnson (31).
HT Score: 2-1
FT Score: 2-1

Battle Baptists reached the semi-finals of the Lower Divisions Cup with a hard-fought win in very heavy conditions.

In keeping with recent tradition, Battle started brightly and took the game to their opponents. Early on only a great last ditch tackle stopped manager Gary Walsh being through on goal as the Baptists started to build up pressure. The lead so nearly came with just over ten minutes when Dave Mills broke into the area and hit the post with a low effort. Adrian Gaylon following up forced the keeper to make a great save and parry the ball out for a corner. As the corner was played in, it was headed out to Andy Mills who volleyed the ball goalwards just over the bar.

On the quarter hour mark, Walsh released Adam Johnson who drove the ball straight at the Icklesham keeper, though Battle were nearly caught on the counter attack when possession was lost on the left and it took a good save from Simon Cutler to stop the Icklesham forward finishing his excellent run with a goal.

Quarter of the way through the match, Johnson and Pete Cooper produced a sublime move that resulted in the opening goal. On such a poor pitch, flowing football was almost impossible but they strung together a precise one-two that released Cooper into the box with only the keeper to beat. Instead of cutting in on his favoured right foot, he stayed out on the left and coolly lofted the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper.

This goal was just reward for the Baptists early endeavour but it would have been cancelled out almost immediately were it not for a superb block by Doug Morris that prevented the Icklesham striker from equalising when he found himself free in the box.

Just past the half-hour mark, Johnson again showed his class to further the Baptists lead. Working some space on the edge of a crowded box, he unleashed a rasping left foot drive that went over the keeper’s head and dipped under the bar. Johnson was causing the Icklesham defence constant problems and in sliding in to dispossess him the defender blatantly scooped the ball away with his hand. Despite frantic penalty appeals from those watching, the referee was too far behind play to see the incident.

From being denied a chance to extend their lead, Battle soon found themselves pegged back to 2-1 when Morris failed to control a heavy pass from Owen Davies and the Icklesham striker latched on to the loose ball and finished confidently past Cutler in the Baptist goal.

Just before half time Johnson again got in the thick of it by first rolling the last defender and attempting a lob that was plucked out of the air by the keeper, then he was running through on goal when he was cleaned out by the last man, but again the ref gave nothing.

The second half was well underway before the first chance was fashioned, and even then it was only a slight opportunity as Cooper pounced on a loose pass in midfield and drove forward before shooting straight at the keeper from twenty yards. Walsh was then denied an opportunity to restore the two goal margin when he was pulled up for offside when through on goal, though his resulting sliding finish crept narrowly over anyway.

Though the sapping conditions started to tire both sides out, Icklesham started to show the urgency that was needed if they were to get back into the tie. Battle’s defence, aided by the non-stop running of Paul Ford, were frequently called on to clear the ball out of danger, with the unfaithful pitch often leading to some panicky situations in the Baptist area.

The men in orange were still a threat on the counter attack though and Walsh showed excellent touch to chip the ball over the keeper where Johnson strained to follow it up after realising it would drift just wide. However from such a tight angle he could only find the side-netting.

With more resolute defending throughout the last twenty minutes there was little clear goalmouth incident, with Cutler being called on to clear a few dangerous corners and get down well to a low free-kick. Sandwiched in between two late substitutions, when Dom came on for Adrian with Walsh dropping back into midfield and Darrell replaced Pete with Paul moving forward onto the left wing, was a half-chance for Andy. Dom and Adam linked up well down the left and released Mills, who shrugged off a defender and hit his shot just high and wide.

After an additional five minutes of injury time the final whistle was sounded to great acclaim from the Battle faithful and they marched on to a semi-final date against Benbow.