London Falcons crashed out of the 2019-20 GFSN Cup after a 2-1 defeat in a turgid quarter-final tie against Village Manchester. Falcons XI: Matt H; Ed S, Jeff, Charlie, Declan, Kieran; Jimmy, Myles, Stevie; Will (c) Rob. Subs: Steff Man of the Match: Kieran In a game lacking quality, both sides struggled to create many clear cut chances in the opening stages. Will broke through at one end but was denied by the onrushing keeper. At the end other end it was the visitors’ turn to chase the long ball, and they were rewarded when a ball into the box evaded the Falcons’ back line to allow for a simple tap-in to give Village the lead. This lead did not last long however with the Falcons soon restoring parity. A corner into the box was scuffed clear by the Manchester defence, but only as far as Jeff, who continued his predatory goal-scoring season with a lovely drilled finish from twelve yards. From here the game struggled to find a rhythm as both sides laboured to string a series of passes together on a tight and cramped pitch. In a gritty and attritional affair, Will took a knock to the nose that drew blood, but he was able to return for the second half. Rob had a good chance to give the Falcons the win from close range, but the hosts could not seem to force an opening. Then came the sucker punch. Fittingly for a game lacking quality and a cutting edge, it was a deflected free kick that gave Manchester a last-gasp winner and sent the Falcons out of the cup. Next week sees us back in league action with a double-header against South London Football Networks Reserves, as we look continue our promotion push heading into the second half of the season. We’ve now got a month off until we’re back in action. If you fancy joining the squad, why not come down to training at Kennington Park, where we meet every Tuesday night at 7:45pm! We play league matches on Saturday afternoons, which means Soccer Special and drinks in the pub afterwards!