Football League Alliance Cup Quarter Final

Millwall U18s 2 Crawley Town 2
(Millwall win 6-5 on penalties)

Niall McManus struck the decisive spot-kick as Millwall booked a Football League Alliance Semi-Final spot with a nail-biting 6-5 penalty shoot-out win against Crawley Town.
Having battled their way back from a 2-0 deficit to level the score at 2-2 following a pulsating 90 minutes, the young Lions kept their nerve to secure success in dramatic style.
During the early exchanges frontman Conor Wilkinson fired in a fierce effort only to see visiting keeper Jack Eden pull off a spectacular save.
The play swung immediately to the other end where Crawley's Jonte Smith took full advantage of some indecision in the home defence to fire past keeper Tom Wellham for the opening goal.
Minutes later Wilkinson was fractionally away from connecting with Liam Kingsmill's cross and strike partner Charlie Penny went close with a low drive which fizzed past the upright.
Although Millwall had more of the possession leading up to half-time, they rarely penetrated the Crawley defence to put keeper Eden under any real pressure.
In what was virtually the last kick of the first period The Lions fell further behind when Anthony Okadigbo latched onto a through ball with keeper Wellham advancing, thus giving the Crawley man the simple task of steering the ball into an empty net.
The early second-half play looked more promising for the home side and they created a number of chances as they fought to claw their way back into the game.
Penny's 55th minute effort was acrobatically pushed away for a corner by keeper Eden and Wilkinson went close with a header following clever build-up play by Dylan Richards and Dammi Shitta.
Penny then saw his super strike crash against the crossbar only for McManus to drive the follow-up past the upright.
The pressure eventually paid off on 65 minutes when Wilkinson fired past keeper Eden following a neat exchange between Penny and Kingsmill.
Millwall were now very much back in contention and pushing forward in search of an equaliser. McManus fired inches wide having been set up by Shitta and a drive by Jack Sammoutis was well collected by the keeper. Sammoutis then fed Wilkinson but his effort flew over the crossbar.
In the 71st minute the pressure finally told and Millwall hauled themselves back on level terms courtesy of a brave diving header from defender Will De Havilland after Penny had flicked on a corner.
Fitzgerald's charges now had the bit firmly between their teeth and piled on the pressure looking for a third killer goal.
Sammoutis, Penny, Wilkinson and Kingsmill all tried their luck but to no avail before Lions keeper Wellham came to the rescue in the dying seconds with a sensational point-blank save to prevent Crawley snatching victory.
With the teams all square, the game went straight to a penalty shoot-out.
Baker, Smith, Lockyer, and Daly scored Crawley's first five with Newman, Shitta, Penny and Wilkinson converting for The Lions in reply. Paul fired wide with his effort whilst Malins was also off target for Town.
Locked at 4-4, the shoot-out went to sudden death. Dollery scored for Crawley, Kingsmill replied for Millwall.
Koroma then missed Crawley's first spot-kick leaving McManus with the responsibility of taking what proved to be the decisive seventh penalty for The Lions, slamming home in style to secure a 6-5 shoot-out success.
Team: Wellham, Fitzgerald (Newman, 61mins), Richards, Shitta, Paul, De Havilland, Kingsmill, Sammoutis, Penny, Wilkinson, McManus. Subs not used: Beadle, Oriogun, Hudson.