26th February Horley Town FC The New Defence, Horley – Southern Combination Challenge Cup 2nd Round
Epsom & Ewell progress to the next round of the Southern Combination Challenge Cup after a hard‑fought 0–0 draw at Horley Town, eventually winning 4–3 on penalties. Was The Salts’ third away game in six days, and with players arriving late by train and several changes to the starting XI, it had all the signs of a difficult evening. New goalkeeper Kit Lawrence‑Fletcher made his debut between the posts with first starts for Shabir, Allen and Leo Cunningham.
Despite the disruption, Epsom & Ewell started brightly. They struck the crossbar early on, and skipper Brendan Murphy‑McVey thought he had opened the scoring with a superb finish—only for the referee to disallow it and book him, ruling he had re‑entered the pitch too soon after treatment. Leo Cunningham was a constant threat, repeatedly troubling the Horley defence and veteran centre‑back Aaron Bogle. But despite the pressure, the sides went in level at the break.
The Second Half the tempo dipped after half‑time, with both teams pushing but unable to find a breakthrough. Chances were limited, and the match drifted towards the inevitability of a penalty shootout.
Horley took the first kick and blazed over, while Epsom converted to take the lead. The shootout unfolded as follows:
Horley miss, Ali Fofahan scores — 0–1
Horley score, Ore Allen misses after the ball moved just at the end of the run up — 1–1
Kit Lawrence‑Fletcher saves Horley’s third with a strong hand and the ball just looping over the bar.
Craig Dundas’s penalty was saved but retaken due to keeper movement; he buries the second attempt — 1–2
Horley score, KJ scores — 2–3
Horley score — 3–3
Stefan Aiwone steps up and converts the decisive kick — 3–4
A composed and committed team performance saw The Salts through. The Salts now host Step 4 side Bedfont Sports in the next round as they continue their defence of the trophy.
