Linby CW reach first final in seven years after semi thriller win over PMG

Linby CW edged past an impressive young PMG team to reach their first cup final for seven years as they won 3-2 at Pinxton in Wednesday night's CML League Challenge Cup semi-final.
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Again, manager Andy Tring was forced into changes with six players unavailable, but it has been Linby’s strength in depth that has served them well this season.

Semi-finals are normally cagey, nervous affairs, but this game was anything but.

In a breathless opening 15 minutes, PMG led 2-1.

Linby CW celebrate in their semi-final win.Linby CW celebrate in their semi-final win.
Linby CW celebrate in their semi-final win.

Linby took the lead on four minutes, Caden McGrath's deep cross to the far post finding Travis Shooter, who slammed the ball home

But on eight minutes the skillful Dembo Jatta glided past three challenges and found the top corner with a wonderful strike from 20 yards out to level

On 15 minutes Jatta put PMG 2-1 up with another sublime finis , giving Jack Leverton no chance and for a 20 minute period Linby were on the ropes.

Linby gradually started to impose themselves in the second half, upping their work rate and began to stop PMG playing through them .

On 66 minutes Linby found an equaliser. Good work from Shooter, Josh Melville and Elliot Jones out on the left forced the PMG defence into a mistake, McGrath pounced onto the loose ball and fired an unstoppable half volley past keeper Ebrima Badjan, into the top corner.

Four minutes later, they had the lead. Sean Craven won the ball inside the PMG half and drove at their back four, feeding Elliot Jones, who cut back onto his left foot, his shot taking a massive deflection off a defender and in.

Linby managed the game well from then on and should have scored more, also having two penalty appeals turned down, as they saw the game out to reach their first ever CML League Cup final.