Newark Alliance leaders RHP reach Sunday Senior Cup final with 2-1 win over Fanzines United

RHP’s player-manager Chris Self said he was ecstatic after his side reached the final of the Sunday League county cup.

Leighton Nicholson came off the bench to score a winner 20 minutes from time as RHP held their 2-1 lead, despite late pressure from Nottingham-based Fanzines United.

Self said: “I was ecstatic. We celebrated a little bit too hard yesterday after the game and that is why I have lost my voice.

“I knew we had a good squad and I expected us to challenge for the league, which we are.

“And I knew we would do well in the cup, but I didn’t expect this in my first season as manager.”

Self, who came on to help see the game out, said: “It is really nice to fly the flag for the town.

“We know Poet Young Boys (who RHP face in the final) are a good side and hopefully we will see a bit of support from the town when we play.”

United had taken a first-half lead in the semi-final, which Self said was undeserved.

“We were on top for most of the first half and we had three golden opportunities to score,” he said.

“They then went and scored against the run of play with a counter-attack.

“We took kick-off and went straight up the other end and scored through Tom Marshall.

“It was a cagey start to the second half but then we eventually took the lead.”

He said his side were up against it for the final ten minutes of the tie, but remained in control as they soaked up the pressure.

“We dropped into a back five and played long balls up the pitch, but they never looked like scoring against us in that period,” he said.

“It shouldn’t have been a tight game.

“We could have killed them off early and it would have been job done.”

A venue is yet to be confirmed for the Sunday Senior Cup final, which is scheduled to be played on April 19.

In the Newark Alliance Premier Division Cup, Wheatsheaf United — who knocked out RHP in the quarter-finals — have made the final after a dramatic 3-1 extra-time win over Collingham, despite going one-nil down and down to ten men.

After a goalless 90 minutes, Callum Law, James Stevenson and Sam Robinson scored for Sheaf in extra time to cancel out Gary Clark’s opener.

And Sheaf will face Holy Trinity in the final after they overcame Newark Town at Devon Park on Sunday, winning 3-0 thanks to a Liam Moran hat-trick.

Moran put his side ahead after 28 minutes having benefited from an under hit Liam Price back pass.

His second, similar to his first, also came after winning the ball high up the pitch midway through the second half.

Moran then sealed the win with his hat-trick goal 15 minutes from time.

The final will be played at Collingham’s Station Road on May 8.