The Tulips recorded their fourth successive victory with a 3-1 win over Stamford in the South Lincolnshire derby. A well-rotated squad clawed their way back into the game through a dazzler from Sembie-Ferris and a last-minute penalty dispatched by Jack Roberts.

Spalding, sporting their away colours, started the better team applying early pressure to the Daniels’ back line. An early chance for Maniche Sani created by Sembie-Ferris could not be put away as his low driven shot was saved by the Stamford shot-stopper.

Then, on 12 minutes, Fox played a lofted through ball which slipped off the head of the Stamford centre-back through to Barton who fired home past the keeper for 1-0.

Just minutes later, the hosts equalised from a direct free kick that was aimed at the back post area with Fisken heading past Wilks to get Stamford back into the game.

Jarvis then almost gave Spalding the lead after he unleashed an effort from the edge of the 18-yard area, but his shot went wayward.

With the score at 1-1, both sides took it in turns to invite the pressure and look to snatch a goal going into the break. Spalding went close with Sembie-Ferris lobbing the ball over the keeper with a sublime finish, only to find himself offside in the process.

A frustrating first 45 minutes for the Tulips resulted in a level score at half-time.

Early into the second half, Betteka troubled the Stamford defence winning two free kicks that didn’t amount to anything.

Bendle then replaced Dan Jarvis in an attempt to bring stability to the midfield and to act as a passing outlet.

Then, in the 69th minute, Sembie-Ferris and Betteka linked up nicely with the former releasing a stunning curled effort into the top right corner to put the Tulips ahead.

The goalscorer was subsequently replaced by Akanbi who looked to get his first minutes of the 26/27 campaign. The striker brought a more direct attacking threat, offering hold-up play for the Tulips to progress up the pitch.

Then, in the last minute of extra time, Betteka drifted into the box and found Roberts who was hacked down by a Stamford defender which resulted in a penalty being awarded.

Roberts stepped up and cleanly struck the ball into the top left corner of the net to open his goalscoring account for the season and put Spalding 3-1 up!

An enduring performance for both the players and the fans watching sees Spalding progress to the next round of the Lincolnshire Senior Cup!

FT: Stamford AFC 1-3 Spalding United

Written by Zakk Symonds