STUDLEY prepared for two of the biggest games of their season with a last minute cup win against Cradley Town last Tuesday.

Manager Keith Draper was delighted with his side’s performance as they beat the Black Country side 3-2 in the Birmingham Midweek Floodlit Cup thanks to a Daniel Pitt strike and a brace from Gareth Evans.

The result means Studley move into the semi-finals where they will face Cadbury Athletic in February. Draper said: “The game went really well. We had a lot of lads on the fringe and managed to bring in a couple of them for their debuts.

“They did very well. I was really impressed with their character. We went 2-0 up but Cradley put us under pressure and brought it back to two-all.

“We scored in the 94th minute, but we deserved the win. I told the players to go out like they have nothing to lose and they put in a very good performance.”

With no game on Saturday, Draper used the time to visit Midlands League rivals Bromsgrove Sporting – the team’s upcoming opponent after Saturday’s Division One tie at Hinckley.

Draper added: “I thought I’d give the lads a break on Saturday as our next two games are massively tough.

“We have Hinckley on Saturday, followed by Bromsgrove, and we’re under no illusions about how tough these will be.

“I’ve been rebuilding the team over the last three or four weeks and it’s really beginning to show.

“We just need to carry that on to Hinckley and they’re going to have to work hard against my team if they want anything from it.”