Ipswich Wanderers unable to wrap up the double as Lakenheath clinch Thurlow Nunn League Challenge Cup on penalties

Penalty shootouts are a time for heroes - so step forward Charlie Beckwith. The goalkeeper kept out four spot kicks - and one more during normal time - as Lakenheath made history by winning their first piece of silverware as a Step 5 club this afternoon.

Despite enjoying a positive campaign in the Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division with a fifth-placed finish, Lakenheath were very much the underdogs going into today’s League Challenge Cup final at Hadleigh United FC against champions Ipswich Wanderers.

But after playing out a 0-0 draw it was Ben Cowling’s side that came out on top 7-6 in a remarkable shootout that went 10 rounds and was just one away from Beckwith having to take one himself.

Lakenheath looked the hungrier of the two teams during the first half. They won more first duels, were quicker to second balls and also went closest to breaking the deadlock when Cameron Nicholls’ cleanly hit effort from 25 yards out in the 20th minute cannoned against the base of the post, flashed across the face of goal and went away to safety.

Up the other end Wanderers’ only real significant effort of note saw Kris Rose head through a crowded area in the 31st minute, but Lakenheath skipper Sam Hawley was on hand to clear the danger.

The league winners stepped it up in the second half and had a good chance to go in front just two minutes after the restart when Jamie Eaton-Collins’ low cross picked out Teon Leggett unmarked inside the box, but the forward with 22 goals to his name this term was unable to make a clean connection.

Leggett was then thwarted by a strong left-handed save from Beckwith just after the hour mark and that battle was to become a running theme for much of what was left of the final.

In the 74th minute a frantic scramble inside the Lakenheath boss saw Eaton-Collins head against the crossbar from close range before his follow up effort was thwarted by Beckwith. The ball broke loose for Wanderers substitute Jack Madley but as he prepared to shoot he was felled by Ryan Taylor. Up stepped Leggett to take the resulting penalty, but Beckwith dived to his right to keep the ball out.

Within 60 seconds the Wanderers striker and Lakenheath goalkeeper faced off again as Leggett sprinted clear of the defence, yet with the angle narrowing Beckwith stood tall and made another stop.

By this point Wanderers were now controlling the possession but as the final whistle drew closer Lakenheath had a couple of decent openings. The first saw substitute Tom Debenham’s left-footed strike kept out at the near post by Craig Brand, while in the sixth minute of stoppage time fellow replacement Shaun Avis could only head Sam Peters’ deep cross from the left flank wide of the near post.

And so just like both of last week’s semi-finals, it was penalties that determined the winner, but this shootout was far from straightforward.

There was an immediate advantage for Lakenheath when Beckwith denied Eaton-Collins and Avis made no mistake. However, that was immediately wiped out as Leggett finally got the better of his adversary before Debenham’s shot was denied by Brand’s legs.

Tom Maycock and Madley were then both kept out by Beckwith and while Enaro saw his effort saved, Ryan Yallop’s shot proved to be too powerful for Brand and it left Lakenheath with match point after Mark Roper had done the business for Wanderers.

But with the large contingent of Lakenheath supporters waiting to celebrate, skipper Sam Hawley went for the sort of delayed jumping technique used by the likes Bruno Fernandes and Jorginho in the Premier League and was duly left to regret that decision as Brand made a routine save down to his left.

That was followed by a run of eight successful penalties (Dean Grogan, Tom Thulborn, Peters and Ross Bailey for Heath and Kie Dyer, Nathan Read, Paulo Coelho and Anton Clarke for Wanderers) before Beckwith made one final crucial intervention to block Rose.

That left Taylor, who had given the penalty away during the 90 minutes, the chance to win the cup for Lakenheath and he duly obliged. And as he peeled away to celebrate the triumph, it was notable that he and his team-mates headed straight for their goalkeeper.

Ipswich Wanderers: Brand, Cohelo, Clarke, Glover (Read 61’), Roper, Rose, Folkes (Madley 61’), Dyer, Eaton-Collins, Maycock, Leggett

Lakenheath: Beckwith, Yallop, Peters, Hawley, Grogan, Taylor, Nicholls (Avis 83’), Bailey, Manels (Enaro 90’), Thulborn, Young (Debenham 70’)

Suffolk News Man of the Match - Charlie Beckwith: Penalty save in normal time and then four more in the shootout. Also commanded his box well.