SOCCER: Grundisburgh striker Martin Cotton sees tomorrow's Suffolk Senior Cup game against holders Kirkley as his side's last chance for silverware. The Lowestoft-based side beat Grundisburgh on penalties in the first round last season before going on to reach the final where they beat Ipswich Athletic 3-1 at Portman Road.

By Elvin King

Grundisburgh striker Martin Cotton sees tomorrow's Suffolk Senior Cup game against holders Kirkley as his side's last chance for silverware.

The Lowestoft-based side beat Grundisburgh on penalties in the first round last season before going on to reach the final where they beat Ipswich Athletic 3-1 at Portman Road.

Grundisburgh, who have won the Senior Cup four times in the last seven seasons, were beaten by Athletic 2-1 in the Metaltec SIL Omnico Cup last Saturday.

They are eight points behind Walsham-le-Willows in the Senior Division of the SIL with a game in hand, and Cotton says that is a lot of points to make up.

"Walsham are playing so well that the Senior Cup looks our best bet of silverware this season," said Cotton. "The Kirkley match could be our last chance saloon.

"We are at home, which will be a bonus after losing to them on penalties away from home last season.

"Kirkley were the best side we played in 2000/01 and the best team won the Senior Cup. But we are confident we can upset them this time round.

"Dave Winship was sent off in the last game while both Lee Bullock and myself went off injured during the match. We had chances to have won in extra time but did not take them."

Cotton is now 31 and has scored a mountain of goals for Grundisburgh. His front-running partnership with Julian Beaumont is renowned as the best in the county and both will be out to gun down a Kirkley side full of ex-Jewson League players down.

Bullock has also been among the goals this season from midfield and his output is around the same as both Cotton and Beaumont who stand in the middle teens.

"We have not given up hope of winning the league and can take heart from the fact that Walsham are in a similar position to what East Bergholt were 12 months ago," added Cotton.

"Bergholt threw it away, but I don't think Walsham will – so we will have to work that much harder.

"We are playing just as well overall as we have for the last ten years when we have had things mainly our own way.

"The situation is more open now, but it is a case of other sides catching us up rather than us losing ground."

"We are frustrated with ourselves for not collecting more points, but while we are in the Senior Cup we still have a great deal to play for."