- Lorent Tolaj fires a hat-trick as Albion hit seven in Sussex Senior Cup
- Jordan Davies, Peter Gwargis, Romaric Yapi and an own goal complete emphatic win
- Bognor finish with ten men after skipper Harvey Whyte is sent off
- Seagulls now face Worthing in the semi-finals
The Rocks were rocked by a four-goal blast from Albion in the first 29 minutes, as Lorent Tolaj, Peter Gwargis and Jordan Davies found the target and the hosts scored an own goal. There could have been more goals too, as Albion played at a tempo that the Isthmian Premier League side struggled to contain.
Tolaj completed his hat-trick in the second half and Romaric Yapi was also on target after Bognor had been reduced to ten men when skipper Harvey Whyte was shown a straight red card. Albion will now face Worthing in the semi-final at Culver Road, Lancing on a date to be confirmed.
Albion were into their stride from the start and took the lead in the fourth minute. Jordan Davies swept a pass out to namesake Archie on the right, and his cross was flicked on by Tolaj.
Eight minutes later it was 2-0. Warren O’Hora ran from inside his own penalty area and found Archie Davies overlapping down the right. Davies looked up and picked out Jordan Davies, who drilled a low shot into the bottom left-hand corner to make it 2-0.
It was 3-0 in fortunate circumstances in the 24th minute when Alex Cochrane’s left-wing cross hit a defender and looped over the helpless Amadou Tangara. Lucky perhaps, but on the balance of play the scoreline did not flatter Albion at that stage.
Cochrane was involved again when Albion went 4-0 ahead in the 29th minute. They worked the ball from right to left and Cochrane’s cross picked out the unmarked Gwargis, who headed home from close range.
There should have been a fifth before the break. Archie Davies was again left in too much space to pick out Gwargis, who failed to hit the target from close range.
Gwargis and O’Hora were replaced by Yapi and Jack Leahy at the break, and Bognor created their best chance two minutes into the second half, but Adam Desbois kept out Dan Smith’s header.
But Bognor were reduced to ten men in the 54th minute when Whyte was shown a straight red card for an off the ball challenge on Jack Spong and Albion punished them five minutes later when O’Hora’s pass released Tolaj for an emphatic finish past Tangara to make it 5-0.
Keaton Wood hit the underside of the bar with a header, Teddy Jenks cleared a shot from Brad Lethbridge off the line and Tresor Shema fired against the post, as Bognor looked for a consolation, but Leahy was denied by the woodwork when he cut inside and hit a right-foot shot which clipped the crossbar.
Albion scored again in the 74th minute when a defender’s slip allowed Yapi to race through, and he rounded the keeper to fire in a sixth goal into an empty net.
Within two minutes Bognor had the goal their efforts deserved when Josh Flint’s long-range effort from the left beat Desbois at his near post, and nine minutes from time Bradley Lethbridge smashed a left-foot shot from the edge of the box which flashed past Desbois and made it 6-2.
But the visitors had the last word when Tolaj produced another composed finish to complete his hat-trick after turning inside the box and score Albion’s seventh.
ALBION: Desbois, O’Hora (Yapi 45), Freestone (Packham 61), Roberts, A. Davies, Jenks, Spong, Cochrane (c), J. Davies, Gwargis (Leahy 45), Tolaj.
SUBS NOT USED: Keto (GK), Leonard.