Reds eased into the quarter finals of the Sussex Senior Cup with a comfortable 7-0 win over Southern Combination League Lancing at Horsham FC.
Brian Galach got his first goals for the club when he opened the scoring midway through the first half and added a second four minutes after the break.
As Lancing tired in the second half, Gyliano van Velzen, Paolo Okoye and Denzeil Boadu added further goals before Mason Bloomfield and Okoye put further gloss on the score line in the closing minutes. It was a satisfying night for interim Head Coach Edu Rubio, who took charge for the first time.
Tarryn Allarkhia was lively from the start and he forced a superb save out of Lancing keeper Matt Evans in the eighth minute when he pushed Allarakhia’s shot onto the post at full stretch.
The keeper tipped Brian Galach’s effort from further out over the bar and Allarakhia’s shot was deflected wide by defender Omar Bukleb as Reds predictably dominated possession and chances in the early stages.
Another Galach shot took a deflection wide and Reds won a succession of corners before finally breaking through in the 33rd minute. Mson Bloomfield led a break from halfway and unselfishly teed up the unmarked Galach whose right-foot drive flew past Evans.
Lancing worked hard all over the pitch and were well organised at the back but apart from a free kick by Alex Fair, which Michael Luyambula saved comfortably, they struggled to create much in the first half.
Galach got his second in the 49th minute with a composed finish from eight yards after good approach play by van Velzen and Bloomfield and then turned provider in the 66th minute when his pass found van Velzen unmarked to score low inside the left-hand post with his right foot.
Six minutes later it was 4-0 with substitute Paolo Okoye producing a neat side-foot finish past Evans into the bottom right-hand corner – his first goal for the club - and a celebration to match (see picture below).
Lancing should have got the goal their efforts deserved when Mitch Hewens latched onto Luyambula’s clearance but his effort was blocked by Joe McNerney and Reds swept upfield to score their fifth when Boadu found the bottom corner- his first Crawley goal - after Okoye set him up. Evans then pulled off another fine save to deny Galach his hat-trick but Reds added two goals in the last four minutes.
The hardworking Bloomfield evaded a couple of challenges before unleashing a powerful shot from the edge of the box and Evans was beaten again by Okoye’s close-range shot which made it 7-0. Crawley can now look forward to a quarter-final in the new year.
Reds: Luyambula; Sendles-White, McNerney, Doherty; Ferguson, Allarakhia; van Velzen (Okoye 67), Boadu, Galach, Nathaniel-George; Bloomfield.
Attendance: 152.
