Underhill shines as Clanfield suffer county cup hammering
Connor Underhill maintained his stunning September form as Clanfield were buried under an avalanche of Hampshire Senior Cup goals.
Underhill started the month by scoring twice for Fareham in an 8-4 Wessex League Cup win at Frimley Green, before netting twice more in a 9-0 league hammering of Laverstock & Ford.
Playing for the Eastleigh Academy against Clanfied at Westleigh Park on Tuesday, he made it nine goals in just three games as Eastleigh stormed to a 10-0 second round win.
It was 4-0 after just 19 minutes, Underhill scoring twice with Jack Fox – released by Pompey earlier this year – and Jamie Arnold also on target.
Underhill added further goals in the 31st and 41st minutes as Clanfield trudged in for their half-time team talk 6-0 down.
It was a case of deja vu, for it was the second time in a home cup tie this season they had tailed by six at the interval - Laverstock & Ford also leading by that score in the FA Vase.
However, where Lavvy had ended up settling for a half dozen, Eastleigh continued to pile on the misery.
Joe Briggs, making his debut, and Harvey Cooper were brought on in a double halftime change, but Clanfield conceded again in the 53rd minute, Joe Ryan on target.
Ryan went on to complete a hat-trick, with goals in the 60th and 85th minutes, before Underhill went nap in the 89th minute. Remarkably, Clanfield didn’t suffer the heaviest HSC defeat of the night.
That dubious honour went to
National League South club Farnborough, who suffered a startling 14-0 home loss to lower division Tadley Calleva. There were, however, mitigating circumstances - Boro fielding a team including a handful of supporters, including the club’s press officer, Dom Lloyd, who was subbed at half-time with his side 5-0 down.
This was the second season running Boro had fielded some of their fans in the county cup - seemingly in ‘protest’ at the Hampshire FA’S decision to kick them out of the 2022-23 tournament for fielding an ineligible player against AFC Portchester.