PARLEY SPORTS 2

BALTI SPORTS 1

MARCO Nott described his Balti side’s first-half performance as “one of the poorest halves of the season” after his team were knocked out of the League Cup at the hands of Parley Sports.

First-half goals from Matthew Newbury and Michael Laronde gave an insipid Balti a fright, meaning they had to bring on Danny Andrews – their top scorer, who was being rested – and he netted with his first touch just after the hour mark.

Try as they might, the visitors were unable to break down the Parley defence – mostly down to their own inaccuracy, as they hit the post, bar and missed an open goal to crash out of the cup. To add insult to injury, Dan Welch was sent off for two yellows late in the game.

Speaking after the tie, manager Nott told Echosport: “We had a really poor first half. We were sloppy in possession.

“At half-time we had a few words to say because we wanted a cup run.

“It wasn’t good enough and it was one of the poorest halves of the season.”

He added: “In the second half we came out firing and it was like watching a completely different side.

“We missed some unbelievable chances. We could still be there now and still wouldn’t have scored.”

The day started badly for the visitors, as they conceded in the first 10 minutes.

A sloppy pass from the away side found the feet of Newbury and he made no mistake to fire Parley into the lead.

Balti, usually a side that shows adventure, were unable to connect going forward and another lapse in concentration saw Laronde double the hosts’ advantage midway through the first half.

The introduction of Andrews, who was carrying a slight knock, brought the visitors back into the game as he tapped in from close range with his first touch of the game.

More chances fell to him and the rest of Balti’s frontline, however they couldn’t level the game.

Whilst they were piling forward, Andy Nott – Marco’s brother – was making some fabulous saves to keep his side in the game, something which impressed his manager.

The Balti boss added: “He made some great saves to keep us in it, he was our man of the match.

“His form has been excellent this season.

“He’s been like a different keeper this year, he has been so

solid.”

Balti: A Nott, Proffitt, Anderson, Welch, Lock, Devaney (Pearce), Preece, May, Zima, Taylor (Andrews), Lane (Houghton). Subs not used: none