Penalty pain as brave Sports see Vase run ended

Playing in the second round of the competition for the first time, a Nicky Turton strike helped underdogs Sports come from behind as the match at Hillcrest Avenue finished 1-1.

But a tense shoot-out did not go the way of Tony Gore’s men, as Midland League Premier outfit Sphinx ran out 3-2 winners to narrowly escape a shock against their lower ranked hosts.

It spelled a disappointing but brave exit for Sports, who had knocked Rugby Town out of the competition in the previous round.

Jake Gosling scored twice as Sporting Khalsa advanced into the third round with a 4-1 win over Aylestone Park.

Gosling’s double, together with goals from Gaz Singh and Ethan Jones - the latter on debut - ensured there was no lockdown hangover for Khalsa after a month out of action.

Leicestershire outfit Aylestone played their part in an entertaining encounter but could not match the quality of the hosts, who took the lead on 14 minutes when Gosling and Liam Armstrong combined and the latter teed up Singh to finish in style.

The visitors pulled level just prior to the half-hour mark, Cory Holdom firing home from the spot.

But parity was short-lived, Gosling finishing smartly after a strong run to restore Khalsa’s advantage and bag his first of the afternoon.

Singh came close to extending the lead before the break but was denied by Aylestone keeper Thomas Hollyoak.

Instead it was Gosling who got the next goal 10 minutes into the second half, chipping home cheekily from the spot after Lewis Worsey had been brought down in the box.

The final word went to Jones, who netted his first for the club with a shot which proved too powerful for Hollyoak.

Walsall Wood’s tie with AFC Bridgnorth will be rearranged after Saturday’s match was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.