Benicio Baker-Boaitey struck late on at Burgess Hill to secure our place in the quarter-finals of the Sussex Senior Cup.
Hill skipper Lewis Taylor drew a fantastic save from Fynn Talley after just two minutes as the keeper managed to tip the ball around his bottom left corner after Taylor curled a fantastic effort at goal from 25-yards.
Mark O’Mahony came in for his first start, having joined late in the January transfer window from Cork City and nearly marked the occasion with an early goal, sprinting down the right of the hosts’ box before his thumped effort was smothered by Will Huffer.
The early drama didn’t end there as a misplaced pass was pinched by Hayden Skerry, with the Hill striker seeing his powerful effort deflected over the crossbar. The danger carried on from the resulting corner as Taylor’s looping cross nearly beat everyone, including Talley, but it bounced off the top of the crossbar before being cleared.
Talley kept the score level with 18 minutes played as Connor Tighe’s free-kick was nodded towards the bottom left corner from close range, but the 20-year-old steered it round the post when it seemed certain to put Burgess Hill in the lead.
That wouldn’t prove enough to keep the Hill out though, as two minutes later the hosts had the lead. Tighe’s corner was met by Skerry whose bullet header flew into the bottom right corner.
Shannon Ruth’s team found a response though, as Matt Everitt’s wonderful pass from right to left found Jamie Mullins, whose first time lob over Huffer restored parity with eight first half minutes left.
Lewis Finney nearly stunned the entire crowd four minutes after the restart as his effort from just inside the Albion half appeared to be floating in, only for the strike to bounce down off the crossbar and away from goal.
The visitors looked as if they would take the lead for the first time of the evening with 15 minutes to go as Samy Chouchane pulled it back across the face of goal for Josh Duffus, but the striker was beaten to the ball by the outstretched leg of Elliot Beesciani who poked it wide.
Chouchane was then denied by Huffer at his near post, and after a second half that lacked the excitement of the first, it looked like penalties would be all that would separate the teams.
Baker-Boaitey had other ideas. The winger took the ball past Huffer and to the by-line, cut past a defender and smashed into an empty net.
Albion line-up: Talley, Nilsson, Shann, Packham, Kavanagh, Everitt, Baker-Boaitey, Hinchy (Albarus 76), O’Mahony (Wilson 46), Chouchane, Mullins (Duffus).
Unused subs: Reid, Tasker.