IT'S been a tough season for the youngsters in the Uplyme Reserves team and the quarter-final of the John Fowler Cup was another big challenge with the visitors Barrington Reserves bringing a very experienced squad as their first team had no game.

It was to prove a brilliant match lit up by moments of magic from the Swallows.

Uplyme struck first up the hill through Freddie Andrews, cutting in off the left and finishing well with his weaker foot across the keeper from the edge of the box.

Barrington pressure led to an equaliser and stand-in keeper Josh Lawrence, normally a centre back, had no chance of stopping it.

The first half ended all square and the young Reserves felt positive in the half-time talk.

With a good-size crowd looking on, Brad Bowditch fired home and gave Uplyme the lead, after turning his marker well from a Nate Gillan long throw.

Barrington threw everything forward and Lawrence had to pull off a brilliant 'Banks-like' save to keep Uplyme noses in front. However, the experienced away side scored two quick goals and, with 25 minutess to go, seemed like they would take control through their 'old heads' at 3 - 2. Then came two wonderful pieces of skill, determination and precision from new signing Sam Foster.

For his first goal, he picked the ball up deep on the left and drove at the defense. Evading the desperate lunges from three or four players, he surged into the box and finished beautifully firing the ball into the roof of the net for an equaliser.

It lifted the team enormously and was a huge blow to Barrington, who could only question the referee as a response. It wouldn't have seemed likely that such a skillful goal would be topped but, with a penalty shoot-out looming, Foster picked the ball up out wide right of the opposition box. He glanced across and saw the keeper off his line. He swept the ball over him and it pinged in off the far post for a breathtaking fourth strike.The crowd erupted, his teammates swamped him and Uplyme were in front.

Barrington tried to use their physicality to come back in the dying minutes, but the Reserves were not to be bullied off the ball. After breaking down field with seconds to go, Foster should have sealed his hat-trick but struck the post with the goal gaping, but Andrews collected the rebound and calmly drilled home into the bottom corner to seal a fantastic win.

At the final whistle, there jubilant scenes for a team that have seen some big defeats. The Barrington player/coach came to congratulate the players who had worked tirelessly.

"Sam Foster was everywhere," said managers Pete Blandamer and Steve Gillan. "He won nearly every header, his touches were confident and his goals would have graced any game at any level. It personified the whole approach from this side, today. They would not be beaten."

The win sets up a semi- final against another tough team, Merriott Dynamos.