With the teams announced and AFC Manager David Batch putting out a very young and inexperienced front-line and after only nineteen minutes being two goals down things looked bleak. That was not to be as the team gelled well and ran out commanding and comfortable victors.

AFC were without the suspended duo of Sam Clarke and Chris Newby, and the experienced Craig Pope and Lawrence Yiga were also missing along with Terry Rymer. The starting line-up had youngsters Jordan Blackwell, Scott Kemp, Correy Davidson and Ayrton Coley (pictured) as the furthest forward players, and it was the latter who went onto score a fine hat trick.

The home side took a sixth minute lead when Gilfedder put Lopez though to shoot past Alex Archer and after nineteen minutes it became a two goal lead. King played a long ball to Gilfedder and he cut inside the returning Lee Flynn and shot home , the ball going in off the post.

A mountain to climb, and with players slipping on the damp but good playing surface it took time for AFC get going. Kemp had a shot from distance before on twenty-eight minutes Sudbury pulled a goal back. A corner on the right taken by Jack Wilkinson found the head of Ryan Henshaw and the ball was in the back of the Kirkley net.

The North Suffolk side countered and Archer had to produce a great fingertip save to deny Baker after a breakaway. After that Blackwell and Kemp combined well and Tibbles in the home goal had to punch away a shot. Davidson shot over after a slick move before AFC levelled. Coley and Blackwell did well getting the ball out to Jack Wilkinson on the left and he fired in a hard long range shot. The ball took a slight deflection but ended up in the goal for the equaliser.

Things got even better for AFC with a minute of the half left, Wilkinson shaped for a long throw but it went short to Ben Robinson who returned it to the thrower who delivered a cross and there was Coley to head home.

Half time: Kirkley and Pakefield 2 AFC Sudbury 3

Five minutes after the restart the lead was increased. A good move down AFC’s left hand-side involving Coley led to the ball finding Scott Kemp and he let go from distance and the power of the shot beat the diving Tibbles.

Kirkley attacked and Lopez saw his shot just tipped away by Archer for a corner and from that the ball was scrambled away to safety. Robinson finding plenty of space down the right side got in a cross that Kemp put just wide at the far post.

‘The Royals’ had made a couple of substitutions and on sixty-two minutes AFC made their first with Flynn having played for just over an hour after his hamstring injury without ill effect going off and Payton Swatman getting into the action.

Baker for the home side got away but Henshaw looking solid at the heart of the AFC defence, along with their own Baker, James, got in a fine defensive tackle. Coley and Davidson were both guilty of shooting high and wide before Davidson was fouled and Bond picked up what was to be the only yellow card of the game.

AFC’s fifth goal was entirely of Coley’s making. The diminutive, fast man ran from the halfway line towards the Kirkley penalty area and with the home defence backing off and, and backing off he shot home from the edge of the box.

With ten minutes remaining, the hard working Blackwell was replaced by another young reserve player, the strapping Mark Ray who took his place up front. He was soon involved in a good build up with Coley and Swatman whose shot went wide.

Coley completed his hat trick with nine minutes remaining, firing home after good work by Swatman and Ray.

Time ran out and what had started rather disastrously had ended in glory as AFC progressed to the Second Round.

It was a fine team performance from a young and enthusiast side well marshalled at the back by Captain James Baker.

Att 61

YNOT