Camberley Town 1 Aldershot Town 3
Aldershot Town reached a third-consecutive Hampshire Midweek Floodlit Cup semi-final as Brian Galach’s double helped The Shots overcame stubborn opposition.
Galach’s second had seemingly given the visitors breathing space after Camberley Town enjoyed a strong spell at the start of the second-half, but ultimately it needed Woodward to float a free-kick over The Krooners’ goalkeeper at the far-post to seal victory.
Camberley had hit the post in the seventh minute, from an opportunist overhead kick after The Shots had failed to clear a corner. In response, Luc Holden headed over the bar and Montel Brown’s cross was clutched on the line by the goalkeeper after an inadvertent deflection.
Camberley then had two chances of their own, within seconds in the 29th minute, as a hooked shot was deflected behind and, from the resulting corner, a fierce drive was blocked on the line. However, on 31 minutes, The Shots were ahead. Jesse Boateng burst forward from left-back and, as his angled shot was parried, Galach was in the right place to turn in the rebound.
He almost added a second straight from kick-off, firing a low shot just wide of the far-post, but Camberley ended the half on top – as a shot was stabbed wide from a good position and Ryan Hall parried a 25-yard effort – and that momentum continued after the break.
Crucially, though, they couldn’t fashion an equaliser, and Galach made them pay in fine style in the 63rd minute. Instantly controlling a crossfield pass and touching the ball past his marker in one movement, he hit a looping cross-shot into the top corner of the net from 30 yards.
Camberley pulled one back eight minutes later, firing in a low shot at the near-post after Aldershot Town failed to fully clear their lines, but the anticipated grandstand finish never materialised and substitute Harry Woodward took the game out of their reach with another long-range effort out on the left flank. His high free-kick floated over the goalkeeper and in at the far-post, and again The Shots had breathing space.
Both sides ended with ten men, after the Camberley left-back was shown a red card for a foul on George Root and Luca Wrightman picked up a second yellow card for his part in the ensuing melee, but Patrick Ryan’s side had done more than enough to see them through.
ATFC: Hall; Wrightman, Stratford, Williams, Boateng (Woodward 76); Brown (Gillett 59), Kirwan, Sharratt (Grieveson 59), Galach; Holden (Root 84), Warren (Holder 84)
