Weekend Round-Up: Rovers Win, Saints Suffer Cup Exit

It was a weekend of mixed emotions for our local non-league sides, with Eynesbury Rovers taking three valuable league points, while St Neots Town were left disappointed after an FA Trophy penalty shootout defeat.

Eynesbury Rovers 1 – 0 Yaxley

With this being the only fixture in their division over the weekend due to KO Cup commitments, Eynesbury Rovers made the most of the opportunity, lifting themselves above Yaxley into 11th place. The winner came on the hour mark when Harry Hurst scored his first league goal of the season, extending Rovers’ unbeaten run in all competitions to five games.

Yaxley might have taken the lead early on, with Kobi Smith and Ben Skellet both missing golden opportunities in the first half. Rovers responded with a series of chances, including shots from Erald Memaj, Luke Young, and Charlie Clark, who was making his first start of the campaign. Tommy Reynolds provided the key assist for much of the attacking play, but it was a long ball down the left from Max Kimpton that created the decisive opening, allowing Hurst to slot home a perfectly placed shot.

Rovers held on in the closing stages despite two late chances for Yaxley, with keeper James Hoskins making important saves. The victory sets up a midweek trip to Sileby Rangers on Tuesday 9th September.

Sporting Club Inkberrow 0 – 0 St Neots Town (Inkberrow won 3-1 on penalties)

St Neots Town’s FA Trophy journey came to an end in a frustrating and closely fought encounter at Inkberrow. The match finished goalless after 90 minutes plus added time, with both sides struggling to overcome the swirling wind conditions. St Neots’ manager Cameron Mawer was controversially sent off six minutes from time, an incident the club will appeal.

The visitors started brightly with chances for Brandon Jessop and Kieran Barnes, but Inkberrow quickly took control, and goalkeeper James Goff made a series of fine saves to keep the Saints in the tie. The second half followed a similar pattern, with both sides creating sporadic opportunities but failing to convert. St Neots pushed hard after the sending-off, introducing Harvey Williams and Michael Amaeshike to spark the attack, but the game ultimately went to penalties.

Inkberrow’s goalkeeper Gabriel Bajrami proved the hero in the shoot-out, saving the first three St Neots attempts and securing the home side’s first-ever FA Trophy victory. Despite the exit, Goff was awarded man of the match for his crucial saves.

Next Up

The contrasting results leave both clubs heading into the week with different outlooks: Eynesbury will look to keep their momentum going when they travel to Sileby Rangers on Tuesday night, while St Neots must dust themselves off and turn their attention back to league action on Saturday when they play Long Eaton United at home.