Manchester continued their impressive run of form with a monumental day of success, securing three vital league points and advancing to the semi-finals of the National Cup.
Their action-packed Saturday began with a strong away performance against Letchworth, following their stunning 6-3 victory over Herne Bay United the previous week. Referees Stephen Taylor and Stephane Baguitte officiated the game, with both teams exchanging early chances. However, it was Manchester who struck first, with R. Owen-Harris showing composure to finish clinically just seven minutes in.
The match became scrappy following the opener, with both teams racking up team fouls. With ten minutes left in the first half, Manchester called a timeout, and whatever was said had an immediate impact. Just 30 seconds after the restart, young talent K.A doubled the lead, making it 2-0 at halftime.
Letchworth came out in the second half looking to respond but found Manchester’s defense impenetrable. Goalkeepers Toure (Manchester) and Allen (Letchworth) made crucial saves to keep the game tight. However, with 13 minutes remaining, Owen-Harris struck again to make it 3-0, and shortly after, he completed his hat-trick, punishing Letchworth’s high press with a ruthless counter-attack finish.
Letchworth managed to pull two goals back late on through Giancola and Westrop, but it was too little, too late. Manchester secured a 4-2 victory and valuable league points before setting off for their second game of the day—a National Cup quarter-final against ECU.
Despite the long journey, Manchester showed no signs of fatigue in the cup clash. The game started with high drama as Manchester received a blue card within two minutes, but ECU failed to capitalise. The first half ended 0-0, with ECU missing a crucial penalty when Dunand struck the post in the dying moments.
The deadlock was finally broken by Manchester’s captain, D. Gordon, early in the second half. However, ECU responded quickly, with H. Barrow netting the equalizer just four minutes later. The match continued at a quick pace, and ECU edged ahead with a goal from K. Brady, making it 2-1 with just five minutes left on the clock.
But Manchester was not done yet. The in-form R. Owen-Harris came to the rescue once again, scoring a dramatic equaliser to take the game into extra time.
Extra time was an end-to-end battle, with both sides desperate to find the winner. It wasn’t until the second half of extra time that Manchester’s young star K.A delivered the decisive goal, sealing a thrilling 3-2 victory and securing their place in the National Cup semi-finals.
With momentum firmly on their side, Manchester now turn their attention to the next challenge: with Peterborough in the league and a showdown with either RHC Invicta or Grimsby in the semi-finals.