Despite coming back twice to level the scores, Elston were ultimately unable to overcome East Leake in an entertaining cup tie. Goals from Will Veys, Sam Lloyd and Toby Cullen were not enough to prevent defeat against a motivated East Leake team.

Elston started the game slowly and East Leake took an early and deserved lead in the 13th minute with a low strike into the corner from the edge of the box. This setback sparked Elston into action and five minutes later James Scott was unlucky not to level the scores when his header hit the post.

The Clams lacked their usual energy throughout the first half and East Leake doubled their lead in the 27th minute when Elston lost possession on the half-way line and failed to respond quickly enough to the subsequent East Leake attack and shot.

Elston pulled a goal back direct from the resulting kick-off. James Scott found Harry Johnson on the right wing and his pass into the box was calmly slotted home by Will Veys. Five minutes later Elston were back on level terms when Sam Lloyd beat two East Leake defenders on the edge of the box before firing into the bottom right hand corner of the goal.

It looked like The Clams had done enough to go into half-time at 2-2, but in the 44th minute a left cross from an East Leake free kick evaded a crowd of players in the box and Sam Adcock, Elston’s keeper, could only look on helplessly as the ball nestled in the far corner of the net. Elston instantly attacked again from the kick-off but Teddy Furman’s volley was tipped over the bar by the East Leake keeper.

The second half was a tighter affair, but Elston fought back to level the scores on the hour. A long pass from Xander Millar, Elston’s left back, found Harry Johnson on the right wing and his clever pass to Toby Cullen allowed the Elston midfielder to drive into the box before unleashing an unstoppable shot into the far corner.

Yet again, however, East Leake found a way to edge ahead. An East Leake corner was only partially cleared by Elston and a low shot was deflected into the net by the host’s number 9 to make the score 4-3. Elston had further chances to get back in the game, but Tom Hazelwood’s shot hit the side netting while Rui Thacker was unable to convert Will Veys’s excellent cross to the far post. In the dying seconds a Hazelwood cross was nearly turned in by Thacker, but the ball bounced to safety and meant that a frustrated Elston team had to accept a first-round cup defeat.

Elston United: Sam Adcock, Tom Hazelwood, James Smith, Toby Craven, Xander Miller, Toby Cullen Sam Lloyd (Jake Ledbetter 65), Harry Johnson (Rui Thacker 65), James Scott, Will Veys, Teddy Furman (Josh Johnson 75). Sub not used: Matt Spencer