Robinson makes use of squad as Crusaders comfortable cup winners over Binfield

Hungerford Town booked their place in the next round of the Berks and Bucks Cup following a 4-2 win over Isthmian League strugglers Binfield in a game that allowed boss Danny Robinson to hand opportunities to a number of fringe players, two trialists and four teenagers.

Adulai Sambu tapped in the opener, Great Evans continued his return from a knee injury with a brace and Ben Luckett, a teenage midfielder currently impressing at Kintbury, added a fourth. Towering Binfield frontman Manuchim Oke-William bagged two late consolation goals inside the final quarter-of-an-hour, although the result was never really in doubt.

Unsurprisingly, boss Danny Robinson made wholesale changes from Saturday's impressive 2-0 FA Trophy win over National League South side Truro City. Goalkeeper Nick Harvey, midfielder Brad Hooper and wideman Adulai Sambu were the only survivors from that game, with the manager making use of the midweek fixture to give the rest of his squad a run-out. There were two debutants at the heart of the defence, with new signing Baboucarr Jarra – who was an integral part of Robinson's FA Vase-winning Thatcham team – partnering 18-year-old Luke Softley, formerly of Aston Villa, who impressed on just his second start in senior football. A trialist, most recently at National League side Boreham Wood, started at left-back, while Great Evans led the line as he continues his comeback from a long-term knee injury. Jack Alexander captained the side.

It was a fairly drab start to the game, although Hungerford were clearly the dominant side, with both Slavi Spasov and Adulai Sambu forcing saves from the Binfield goalkeeper. Sambu had a great chance to open the scoring after 25 minutes when Softley, who was a composed presence at the back, dissected the Moles defence with a long diagonal ball that picked out the Cheltenham Town loanee, whose first touch took him past his man but his low shot was saved by the legs of the Binfield goalkeeper.

However, Sambu only had to wait three more minutes before opening the scoring. After Fabio Lopes, another working his way back from a serious injury, saw his initial corner cleared, the Portuguese midfielder was fastest to the second ball and fired a low cross to the back post, which was turned in by Sambu from close range to make it 1-0.

Town doubled their lead five minutes later when Brad Hooper won the ball in midfield and found the marauding Jack Stanley, who slid in Great Evans with a perfectly-weighted pass and the former Wimbledon frontman beat a defender and then rounded the goalkeeper before rolling the ball into an empty net to double the home side's advantage.

The Crusaders almost went into the break three up when Luke Softley nearly marked his Hungerford debut with a goal five minutes before half time. Slavi Spasov – who showed plenty of promise, even if his search for a goal goes on – saw his initial shot deflected into the path of Softley, who managed the sharp turn of a frontman before providing a finish more befitting on a centre-half as he fired wide from close range.

The hosts did add a third 12 minutes after the restart when Adulai Sambu stole in following a short backpass and squared the ball to Great Evans, who tapped in to score his third goal in two games and make it 3-0.

That was the cue for Robinson to make changes, introducing youngsters Toby Thorp and Ben Luckett – officially a trialist – in place of Brad Hooper and goalscorer Adulai Sambu. Thorp, who scored for the Crusaders in pre-season, showed a number of nice touches cutting in from the left flank while Luckett, who has impressed with Kintbury this season and was watched by manager Danny Langford, enjoyed an excellent cameo in midfield.

Having played Great Evans through on goal just five minutes after coming on, only for the frontman to curl his hat-trick attempt wide of the post, Luckett marked his Town debut with a goal in the 75th minute. With the Crusaders slicing through the increasingly open Binfield midfield, Evans unselfishly picked out Luckett, bearing down on goal, and the teenage midfielder rolled a calm finish into the bottom corner to make it 4-0 – much to the delight of the sizeable Kintbury contingent who had travelled to support him.

Binfield, who are without a win and have just four points from 14 Isthmian League South Central matches this season, rallied late on and pulled one back when Oke-William sent Nick Harvey the wrong way from the penalty spot after the ball was adjudged to have hit a Hungerford hand inside the box.

And the visitors had another four minutes from time when Oke-William poked in his second of the night after former Moles goalkeeper Harvey had made an excellent initial save that rebounded off the post and into the frontman's path.

Binfield managed another couple of chances, with Harvey spilling a long range effort onto the post in the 88th minute before making a sharp instinctive save in added time, but Hungerford always looked like progressing and eased into the second round.

Town, who are still unbeaten at home all season, are back in Southern Premier League South action this Saturday and welcome 19th-placed Harrow Borough, who have won just one of their last seven.