AFC Sudbury 6 Hadleigh United 1: Josh Allen hat-trick helps fire Yellows into semi-finals of Suffolk Premier Cup
Josh Allen scored twice inside the opening 19 minutes and went on to complete his hat-trick with a second-half penalty as AFC Sudbury breezed past lower-league Hadleigh United to reach the last four of the Endeavour Automotive Suffolk Premier Cup.
Three goals in each half, with Myles Cowling also finding the target amid a plethora of first-half chances, before Ollie Peters claimed a touch sliding in with defender Ethan Clarke on Cowling’s tasty cross, ahead of Joe Neal following up Allen’s penalty with one of his own, completed the six-goal rout.
But Hadleigh, who ply their trade two levels lower in the non-league pyramid, did get themselves on the scoreboard for 6-1 with six minutes to go when substitute Coby Hillyard – a former Sudbury academy player – provided a smart turn and angled finish in the area.
It saw Marc Abbott’s Step 3 side comfortably through to the semi-finals of a competition they have failed to go deep in over the last decade and beyond, with their last appearance in he final 20 years ago – back in the 2003/04 campaign when they beat Bury Town to complete a hat-trick of victories.
And after seeing them show a ruthless streak against the Brettsiders, Abbott will be quietly confident his side, which he again sent out with a strong line-up, can reverse their fortunes by going on to book themselves a potential final date at Premier League Portman Road.
After another opponent from the Step 5 Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division, in Walsham-le-Willows, ensured they were in a game after a late rally saw them get back to 3-2 with the Yellows having been left with 10 men due to an injury in the second round, Hadleigh were unable to put up the same resistance.
And after Liam Scope’s side looked all at sea in the first half, particularly during the first 30 minutes, it was no understatement to any of the 171 on-lookers from the stands to suggest it could easily have been six by the break, with the Brettsiders’ defence continually parting like the sea as wave after wave of attacks broke through.
Home boss Abbott had gone strong with his line-up in the last round, something the Yellows had not been known for over the last decade to their cost, and did so again, with just one change – captain Jake Turner returning in central midfield with Ben Bradley moving to the bench – from the 1-0 home win against Alvechurch on Saturday.
Like they did in the last round, having come from behind to defeat divisional rivals Lakenheath 3-2 last Tuesday at their Millfield ground, Hadleigh went with under-23s goalkeeper Chris Warren once again while a number of former Sudbury academy players were in their line-up.
The players lined up around the centre cirlcle ahead of kick-off to observe a minute’s silence with it being the club’s nearest fixture to Remembrance Sunday.
After the visitors’ Curtis Harvey blazed one opportunistic long-range effort clear of the tall back net barrier of the ground early on it was the first real opening, six minutes in, which saw the ball hit the back of a real net and begin Sudbury’s own fireworks display on Guy Fawkes Night.
A great chipped pass into the area from Turner played in Allen who let it bounce before rifling home from the inside left of the area.
Allen followed up a shot three minutes later, after an initial good save, to knock in a rebound but the offside flag cut his celebrations short.
The ball did not seemingly move out of the Hadleigh half as the onslaught continued against a nervous-looking defensive unit, and it was officially 2-0 in the 13th minute when Allen turned provider with a throughball that found the run of Cowling in the box to provide a simple close-range finish.
Allen continued to cause havoc and cut the ball back perfectly for OIlie Peters who forced Warren to beat the ball away with another diving save.
But the youngster could do nothing to stop Allen claiming his second 19 minutes in, after the Luton Town graduate sprung onto another sublime throughball in the box and provided a cool finish into the far corner.
Ben Isaacson, operating down the right-hand side as a right-winger more than a full-back, such was the freedom to attack, fired a low shot just wide before Allen almost completed his hat-trick in the 23rd minute. But, after running in from deep on a great Isaacson throughball, he flicked the angled shot just wide of the far post with his left foot.
His movement continued to be far too much for Hadleigh to hand and he burst onto a great raking pass from inside his half from Ryan Henshaw on 31 but got too far under his shot.
In a rare foray foward, Hadleigh forced a corner a few minutes later and Curtis Harvey lifted a shot over the bar after the ball bobbled loose in the box.
Hadleigh’s team-talk would have surely emphasised the need to keep things tight in the early part of the second half to avoid further damage, but after a couple of worrying moments, they conceded the fourth goal within five minutes of the restart.
A fine crossfield ball from Charlie Lewis found Cowking on the left-hand side and it was from his low ball across the face of goal that captain Ethan Clarke appeared to get the decisive touch to slide the ball into his own net as he looked to keep Peters at bay in front of an unguarded net.
Both sides made substitutions but the pattern of the game continued with Allen putting another great low ball across the six-yard box that Cowling was prevented from reaching by a covering defender.
Neal fired a shot on the turn after Peters pulled the ball back from a great pass behind the defence from Tom Dickens but could not get it on target.
However, the former Cambridge United professional made up for his to-that-point off-target night from 12 yards in the 67th minute when dispatching from the penalty spot after Cowling was knocked over near the edge fo the area by Folkes.
And Sudbury got another penalty in the 78th minute when the lively Liam Pearce went down under a trip with Allen dully handed the ball to complete his deserved hat-trick, with his low kick too powerful for Warren, who got a hand to it, to keep out.
Still Sudbury looked for more but it was Hadleigh who found the back of the next with substitute Hillyard, who had linked up well with Charlie Read since coming on, produced a smart turn to get away from his man ahead of a fine finish into the far post in the 84th minute.
There could have been a seventh for Sudbury but Warren made a good double save late on, taking a fierce far-post follow-up from Allen full in the stomach after narrowing the angle, leaving him winded before being able to carry on.
Sudbury’s hat-trick hero Allen, who made his loan spell from then Premier League Luton Town permanent in the summer, told Suffolk FA: “I thought the boys played really well.
“I thought we started the game off really well getting the first couple of goals and then we put it to bed second half so it was a good performance.”
Put to him that his side over-powered Hadleigh early on, he said: “We said at half-time the game isn’t finished, so we came out second half and did the same again.”
On what was his first hat-trick for Sudbury, he said: “It feels good and hopefully more to come.”
After booking their spot in the semi-finals for the first time a long time, he said: “Hopefully we can go all the way.”
And Abbott described his side’s night as 'very professional’.
Speaking to the club’s media team on a X account video, he said: “It was a very professional performance.
“Obviously to go two, three-nil up in the first 15 minutes did sort of end the game which we wanted. We wanted to give them no inches and anything to hold onto.
“We had the disappointment of Cambridge City (FA Trophy) and Dunstable (FA Cup) so we were well aware that we wanted to make a statement tongiht.
“I thought we showed some really good moments and there were some bits to tidy up on, and it was good to see the front end of the team continue their goal-scoring habits. I thought there were some really good goals and some quite different goals.
“For us it’s about making sure we continue that momentum at home.”
Sudbury, who beat Alvechurch 1-0 on Saturday thanks to a Neal goal to preserve their unbeaten home record in the Pitching In Southern League Premier Central, travel to Halesowen Town on Saturday sitting 10th in the table with Lowestoft Town missing the chance to go above them after suffering a 5-0 home defeat to Halesowen themselves. The latter will now go into that fixture having jumped up from eighth to second in the table.
Hadleigh will turn their attentions back to the Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division but Liam Scopes’ side, who lie 13th in the table, have a free weekend ahead, off the back of a 2-1 loss on Saturday at leaders Ely City, ahead of returning to action at home to Stowmarket Town on Tuesday (7.45pm).
AFC Sudbury: Bradbrook (Munson , Lewis, Isaacson (Terminello 51’), Turner (cpt), Henshaw, Dickens, Peters, Neal, Cowling, Pearce, Allen.
Unsued subs: Munson, Bradley, Goode.
Booked: None.
Hadleigh: Warren, M Harvey, Blackburn, Clarke (cpt), Allen, Hubert, Dinnell (Wales 51’), Folkes, Dunlop, C Harvey (Read 68’), Francis (Hillyard 68’).
Unused subs: Elliott.
Booked: Folkes (66’), Hubert (78’)
Attendance: 171
SuffolkNews Man of the Match: Josh Allen (AFC Sudbury). The Hadleigh defence simply could not handle his movement. Deserved a first-half hat-trick but duly completed it from the spot in the second half and went close to adding to his haul.
