Cottesmore AFC move into the quarter-finals of the League Cup with victory over Desford

Holders Cottesmore moved into the quarter-finals of the League Cup after a tidy triumph at Premier Division rivals Desford on Saturday.

They hit back after trailing to Stephen Armson's early strike by scoring three goals before half-time to secure their place in the last eight.

Harry Stannard got Cottesmore back on level terms before top scorer Tom Pope bagged a customary brace to earn a home tie against either Rugby Borough, Asfordby or Ashby Ivanhoe Knights in the next round.

The victory continued Cottesmore's stunning start to the season which has produced six league and three cup victories.

Manager Rich Giblin said: "It was a good performance because Desford is always a tricky place to go.

"It was a nice surface, but the pitch is small and narrow and that makes it difficult to get the ball out wide which is something we like to do.

"It is somewhere we have struggled in the past but we got the job done.

"Teams are always going to have a go at us and it's not just the case of turning up and winning easily but we are getting better at withstanding any pressure and seeing games out.

"We haven't had an easy victory this season so credit to the boys again because we went a goal down but came straight back.

"We are getting better at pulling ourselves up and doing what we need to do as opposed to me barking at them from the side."

The opening exchanges were even before Desford - who had lost 4-2 away at Cottesmore in the first league match of the season - took the lead in style.

Armson picked the ball up outside the area and unleashed an unstoppable strike into the top corner of the Cottesmore net.

However, Cottesmore's response was almost instant as Danny Seals won a free-kick and Stannard stepped up to launch an equally-impressive effort which flew into the Desford goal to tie the contest.

The visitors then hit the front shortly after as Jake Robson found time to pick a pass which set Pope free and he fired into the bottom corner of the Desford net.

Desford came close on a couple of occasions to getting back on level terms before Cottesmore scored their third goal before the interval.

Robson again started the move with a long diagonal ball which was cushioned by the head of Tom Atkins into the path of Pope who rifled home a first-time finish on the half-volley.

Desford came out for the second half determined to find a way back into the contest but Cottesmore goalkeeper Alex Brown made a couple of fine saves to ensure his side weathered the storm.

Cottesmore started to gain more control of the contest as the second half wore on and, despite being unable to their goal tally, they comfortably saw out the remainder of the game.

They were also boosted by the introduction of new signing Aaron Ridout from the substitutes bench along with Tom Caldicott who has impressed this season for the Development side.

Ridout, a former Cottesmore player, has returned to Westray Park after several seasons in the United Counties League. He started the current campaign with Division One side Birstall.

Giblin added: "Aaron is someone that I have known personally for a long time so I know that we're getting a good player.

"He has experience of a higher level and he's a good talker. We can be a little bit quiet at times so bringing Aaron in will help us on that side of things.

"Tom also stepped up on Saturday and looked very comfortable. He has played really well in the Development side this season and deserves a shot in the first team set-up."

The Development side hit back to share the spoils after trailing by two goals at half-time in their Division Two North & East match with Thurnby on Saturday.

Kieran Burley's corner was palmed into the net by the Thurnby goalkeeper to halve the deficit just after the break.

The home side then saw three efforts disallowed for offside before netting a well-deserved equaliser through player-assistant boss Alex Brockbank.

Cottesmore then thought they had secured the points when Jordan Neville headed home from a corner in the final couple of minutes only for the effort to be ruled out for a foul on the Thurnby goalkeeper.