WOKINGHAM & EMMBROOK booked their place in the next round of the FA Vase with a penalty shootout triumph over Hallen.
The second qualifying round kicked off at Lowther Road and Olly Noyes attacked along the left-wing but Hallen defenders cleared the ball and a long approach found Reece Hedges in a position to run in from the left and shoot across the face of goal, narrowly missing the far post.
Charley Tuttle took a free kick for the Sumas from within his own half and a corner kick was gained. Just after that, James Clark took aim and his shot crossed the face of the goal.
Under some pressure from the Sumas, Hallen defenders managed to create a breakaway but a pass up-field caught a front runner offside and Tuttle took the free kick.
Kearney committed a foul and Tuttle took the free kick which was cleared from defence. Hedges then started a sequence of neat passes between Hallen midfield players although the delivery was claimed by Kanya, goalkeeper for Sumas.
Hallen had a corner kick but Bateman headed wide of the mark. Hedges took another free kick and following up the aerial ball, headed it on to a man who was offside.
In reply, Sumas returned to the opposite end, gaining a corner in the process but the ball went straight to Harry Thomas-Barker, keeper for Hallen.
After Sumas were deemed off-side, Hedges took a free kick for Hallen and this lacked power which was easier for Kanya to save. Repossessing the ball, Hallen put another sequence of accurate passing together and gained a corner.
In the 41st minute, Captain Martin Stowell clinched a goal to give the visitors a timely lead in the run up to half time although Luke Scope tried to reach the ball before Thomas-Barker who got to it first.
Hallen started the second-half reasonably well but Sumas regained the ball and worked up-field and took a corner kick with no outcome.
However, in the 51st minute, James Clark received the ball and ran into the Hallen area shooting effectively.
The equaliser raised hopes for the Sumas although they had a free kick soon after the restart but the ball was a fraction too high for Liam Eagle to get an accurate header past the keeper. Substitutes were made as Jack Webb replaced Olly Noyes but Hallen brought along just one man on the bench.
A foul gave Hallen a free kick and Callum Eagle a yellow card (which added to his brother’s yellow card earlier in the game) in the 56th minute but Brandon Curtis and Nathan Mindomba were keeping the Hallen defenders busy.
They continued to push for another goal with a stint of passing successfully as James Clark ran in from the wing and the next shot was from Mindomba, rebounding from a defender as Hallen cleared their lines.
Curtis shot wide and Sumas were stringing passes together although that spell culminated in another miss by Sumas. As Full time approached, Hallen put a useful cross but the shot was saved by Kanya.
The last action was by Sumas with Liam Eagle heading wide of the mark.
Sumas held their nerve from the penalty spot to progress to the next round with a 5-4 win.
Sumas manager Eliot Whitehouse said: “In terms of the result it’s excellent and has got us where we wanted.
“We probably should have dealt with it in the 90 minutes and put the game to bed, but it was all about getting through to the next round and we’ve done that so we’re very pleased.
“There was an element of nervousness and there was a bit of the unknown as I’ve never been in a penalty shootout with these boys before so it was all very new.
“But I trusted the penalty takers, they are all very good strikers of the ball and we had a keeper that made a penalty save in the previous round.
“We already had in mind the penalty takers but there had to be an element of belief from the players to put their hand up and say they’re confident of scoring.”
Wokingham & Emmbrook: Kanya, (GK), Robson, Tuttle, Callum Eagle, Liam Eagle, Jake White, (c), Mindomba, Curtis, Scope, Clark, Noyes.
Substitutes: Riley, Cummuskey, Mullen, Woodward, Webb.
