EMPAL Cup Round 3: Arnold Old Boys 2 - 1 Boots Wednesday

<p>EMPAL Cup Round 3: Arnold Old Boys 2 - 1&nbsp;Boots Wednesday&nbsp;- Boots made league leaders Arnold sweat with a vastly improved performance that deserved more as they came within 3 minutes of extra time in the EMPAL Cup.<br style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" />The first half was hard going as lone striker Patto had to chase after the ball while the physical Arnold defence dictated play, but Boots slowly wore them down with some snappy challenges in midfield from Will, Rich H and Luke. Arnold took the lead when a corner was headed home, while Frumpy made a quality one-handed save from their Captain later in the half.<br style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" />Boots began to grow in confidence in the second half and&nbsp;Matthew Prescott&nbsp;could've struck immediately when Patto flicked on Will's throw, but his shot was scuffed under pressure. Nevertheless, Boots continued to make their&nbsp;passes count and finally equalised when&nbsp;Dan Fowler&nbsp;volleyed home&nbsp;Robert Crozier's corner, which had been won after some great passing between&nbsp;Luke Bradley&nbsp;and Richard Taylor. Matt hit the angle of the goal with another chance, before Arnold eventually struck the winner in the 87th minute with a low long-range shot.<br />The opposition awarded MOM to&nbsp;Simon Frampton, although the whole team deserve credit for a spirited performance and some great passing between midfield and wings, and strong defending from Ash, Toobs, Dan, Matt and Licks.