Framlingham Town manager expecting tougher clash with AFC Sudbury Reserves in Suffolk Senior Cup quarter-finals

Framlingham Town may have run riot against AFC Sudbury Reserves in October, but manager Liam Abraham has warned it will be a much tougher assignment when the sides meet in the quarter-finals of the CNet Training Suffolk Senior Cup tomorrow (2.30pm).

Braces from Danny Smith, Joe Berry and Jamie Brooks, which were accompanied by further goals scored by James Carragher, Callum Knights and Jake Seaber, sealed a 9-2 victory on a memorable afternoon for the Castlemen.

Indeed, of the 26 goals Framlingham scored before the 2020/21 Thurlow Nunn League First Division North campaign was curtailed, 34 per cent of them came in that clash at the MEL Group Stadium.

However, the teams will lock horns again at the same venue this weekend for the right to advance into the semi-finals, with Abraham well aware of the size of the task ahead.

“Sudbury is an interesting one because there is no doubt we caught them on a bad day,” he said.

“I know their manager pretty well and they were not at full strength, although we were still very good.

“This will be totally different to the league fixture – that will have no impact on the game.

“We’re going to be up against a team of good footballers who are going to look to dominate possession and make us work hard. We’ll need to be at our best to have a chance of winning.”

A victory on Saturday would leave Framlingham just 90 minutes away from a second Senior Cup final appearance – and their first since a 3-0 defeat to Grundisburgh in 1996.

And with Suffolk FA having previously suggested that county cup finals could still potentially be held at Portman Road, it’s a major carrot dangling in front of clubs.

Abraham has conceded it would be a big moment to lead his players out at the home of Ipswich Town, but insisted there is a lot of hard work to be done before that becomes reality.

“It would be massive for everyone at the club but we cannot get carried away,” he added.

“It’s hard not to look forward when you reach the quarter-finals because that is when competitions get really serious.

“But you don’t get given places in the next round. There are a lot of good teams left in the competition and AFC Sudbury are one of them.

“Of course we’d love to get to the final but there’s a lot to do to get there.”