Saltford 0

Cheddar 3

(after extra time)

Cheddar progressed to the final of the Somerset Senior Cup for the first time in their 118-year history with this victory at a tough, but ultimately outclassed, Saltford.

The Cheesemen should have wrapped up the game in 90 minutes but tough defending, poor finishing and inspired keeping meant they had to use the additional 30 minutes to wrap up the win.

Several times Cheddar looked to be about to pull the trigger to claim the opening goal but posts were hit or shots cleared off the line.

The best opportunities came from out wide where Lewis Matthews and Dave Phillips were always a threat.

The midfield was a battle ground where Tom Manning took huge amounts of flak but, as the game went on, he imposed himself and his creativity shone through due to the job done by his midfield partner and man of the match Adam Kotas.

Half-time arrived and Cheddar were still level but, despite being on top, wary of a chance breakaway.

The second half was much the same, with the exception of a spell just after the hour when defensively Cheddar needed Whittaker and Dann to show their experience and resilience.

Saltford decided the long ball was the way to break the Cheddar defence, but anything that got through was dealt with by Dury in goal.

The last 10 minutes saw Cheddar pour forward in search of a winner and it nearly came with Chris Beers having the best two chances, but somehow the hosts held on.

In extra time Cheddar turned up the play, with Dave Phillips becoming a hero by scoring a hat-trick from the right back position.

The last few minutes were a celebration as Cheddar could, and should, have scored more goals, although this would have been somewhat unfair on the game home side.

However, on the final whistle, Cheddar had achieved their major milestone, while at the same time banishing their semi-final voodoo.

They now await Westlands Sports, who beat them in last year's semi-final, at a venue yet to be decided, which is also the case with the final date.