Tuesday 13th January 2026. Surrey Senior Cup, 2nd Round.
Walton & Hersham 1 AFC Whyteleafe 2.
Swans will not be defending the trophy they won last season, as a team made up mainly of Academy players, laced with a few of the 1st Team squad, was narrowly beaten by the Isthmian League South East side on a cold, wet night at The Hub. With an important, crowded fixture list in the pipeline, only Ethan Light, Elliott Bolton, David Oupoh, Danylo Hubynets and Francis Amartey of the senior squad were involved, to give them much-needed game time.
After a first-half during which the team understandably took time to settle, they dominated in the second, and will feel unfortunate not to take the tie to penalties after going 2-0 down, with the young players giving a good example of themselves.
Swans looked disjointed as the visitors had the best of the opening exchanges, and it was a quarter of an hour before Amartey was able to make a run on the left and force a corner, from which Light headed over.
They soon went behind when goalkeeper Jools Lacey saved at the feet of Mannie Mensah, who went down, and it looked to be a harsh decision when a penalty was awarded. Helge Orume scored from the spot.
Apart from a good run by David Oupoh on the right, Swans continued to be second best. They had a chance to equalise in added-on time however, when Amartey made a fine run forward into the box, but keeper Slav Huk made a good block from his shot.
Lacey made a fine save from a one-on-one early the second-half, but Swans settled down to dominate, and it was against the run of play when the visitors made it 2-0 after 73 minutes. A free-kick awarded just outside the box was driven low inside the right-post by Jamie Mascoll, with Lacey just failing to keep it out.
Swans soon got themselves back into the tie when Amartey played a left-side corner short to Bolton, who was brought down after getting into the box. Amartey drove home from the spot to make it 2-1.
It should have been tied up at 2-2 with ten minutes remaining. The visitors had just replaced their keeper Huk with Rocco Yiaskaridis, who immediately got in a mix-up with his defence in the box. Hubynets was left with an open goal, but his shot from close-in on the right byeline struck the near-post.
Swans’ hopes of taking the tie to penalties were effectively ended in added-on time when Lorcan Mulligan, having been booked for the foul that gave AFC Whyteleafe their free-kick equaliser, was shown a second yellow card and was sent off.
Swans’ Team: Jools Lacey, Tyrone Kumi (Lorcan Mulligan 46’), Zidane Yousuf, Bray Buckley (George Crashaw 67’), Ethan Light, Elliott Bolton, David Oupoh, Elliott Lambakis (Hugo Snowball 64’), Danylo Hubynets, Ryan Danso, Francis Amartey. Subs. not used: Oscar Suarez, Thabo Kuaho. Scorer: Amartey, penalty (78’). Caution: Kumi, foul (32’). Dismissal: Mulligan, 2 cautions for fouls (73’ & 90+2’).
AFC Whyteleafe Team: Huk, Orome, Holder, Leeward, Mensah, Mascoll, Hassan, Hechehena, Ilic, Bohui, Duhaney-Burton. Subs: Yiaskaridis, Gondoh, Grant, Bennett. Scorers: Orome, penalty (15’), Mascoll (73’).
