Kingstonian 4-1 Ash United
ASH FIRED OUT OF THE CUP

Having moved past fellow Combined Counties side Chessington United in the previous round a month earlier, K's were visited by Ash United - one of the outstanding sides from that league in recent years suffering from an indifferent season this term.

The side was described as described as makeshift at Billericay was still depleted by injuries, and by the ineligibility of Walton due Chris Whelan and Scott Edgar. Julian Sills, returning from suspension, and Scott Steele, replaced them in the only changes to the team from the weekend.

A slow start to the game saw Liam Collins combine with James Pinnock to send in a cross that was headed into the ground but over by Craig Lewington in an advanced central position.

Ronnie Green made a run down the left flank and sent in a deep cross towards Phil Wingfield, which was flicked to Collins who whipped in a dangerous ball that was smacked away to safety.

The Ash rearguard had less success clearing the next ball from the right - a Scott Steel corner. A variation to the usual routine, Steel's near post delivery was handled clearly (and almost in slow motion) by Jamie Horton, leaving the referee no hesitation in awarding the penalty. Steele took the spot kick himself and smashed it right into the top corner of the net for his second successful conversion in as many games.

With some ten minutes left until the break, Scott Joyce troubled the K's defence with some good attacking play but was unable to get his shot through to goal.

Back in Ash territory, Phil Wingfield ran at the visitors' defence down the left channel before skipping across to the middle and dispatching a neat finish to double his side's advantage with an excellent individual goal.

On the stroke of half time, however, Ash pulled back a goal after an initial effort blocked by Bashiru Alimi broke loose in the box for Joyce to steer home. Wingfield almost restored the two-goal cushion, but Hunt's save ensured that there would only be a goal between the sides at the break.

The second half continued to see James Pinnock a driving influence in midfield, and barring a good block from Andy Short, the midfielder would have troubled the Hunt's goal. Lance Key was almost troubled too when Ash had claims to a penalty waved away by the officials soon after.

A long crossfield ball by Pinnock found Green, who pulled a few tricks before sending in his shot, dealt with by Hunt. The goalkeeper was not so comfortable moments later when his scuffed clearance was picked up by Wingfield, whose speculative shot from the halfway line landed wide of the target much to Hunt's relief.

Hunt was the central figure again when his delayed save to an overhead shot was a moment of drama over and above all else around him.

With a quarter of an hour remaining came the defining moments of the match. With Ash seeking an equaliser, James Peters broke away and beat a couple of defenders to get sight of goal. His strike was seemingly heading for the top of the net before rising to clip the bar on it's way over.

Following a Julian Sills shot just wide of the target, substitute Luke Fontana crossed a ball from the right to the near post where Phil Wingfield was joined by Matthew Short and his goalkeeper Hunt. The cross got the touch it needed to enter the goal, but it was Short who was the unfortunate scorer.

With the game settled again, Wingfield hit a cleanly struck long-range effort that cannoned back off the crossbar to deny the K's veteran a second memorable goal. The outcome was however more or less the same as Fontana pounced on the ball to calmly knock past Hunt for his second goal in as many games in the competition.

Fontana nearly broke through again in the last minute but scuffed his shot, almost allowing Wingfield to be the lucky recipient this time. He wasn't, but his work for the evening was done.

A game where the performance was enough to go through without being particularly good was what many concluded. Yet, the result is what counts, as Tooting & Mitcham discovered to their cost in the previous round when hosting Ash. Games against smaller clubs are often tricky and K's often find tricky ways of getting knocked out of the Surrey Cup, so on to the semi-finals they go and a case of task accomplished.