Mala Vida FC 1-2 Sue's Angels FC, 26 Oct 2025

Sue’s Angels snatch dramatic cup win at Mala Vida

Sue’s Angels FC pulled off a proper smash-and-grab on Saturday, grinding out a 2-1 victory away to Mala Vida FC in the first round of the Marcus Lipton Cup. It was the kind of afternoon that lives in the memory – a performance built on grit, organisation, and the ruthlessness to punish two moments of chaos when they came. The boys go through to the second round, and they’ve done it against higher-division opposition at that, with half the squad missing through injury and unavailability.

The XI that took to the pitch was a lean, fighting unit, shaped in a 3-5-2 to give us shape and compactness. Luke Munns in goal, with Ross Tomassi, Andrew Allen, Dean Knight, and Sean Sheehan forming a five-man defensive spine across the back. Abiola Adio handled the right-wing-back berth, while Stewart Luwawa, Kafele Brown, and Malachi Mullings occupied the midfield. William Clark and Charlie Dunkley led the line. Jeev Thilaganathan was on the bench, ready if needed.

From the first whistle, Mala Vida showed why they play their football in the divisions above. They moved the ball with a comfort we don’t often see on a Sunday morning, worked the pitch with intelligence, and kept possession in a way that announced their pedigree. For large swathes of the first half, we were chasing shadows – but that was the plan, or at least it became the plan. Mala Vida’s technical quality meant they carved out chances, and their constant pressure eventually told. A penalty was awarded, and they converted it with the efficiency you’d expect. We went in at half time trailing 1-0, up against it, but still in the game.

The dressing room talk was simple and honest. Stay compact. Stay in it. Wait for our moment. It’s unglamorous football, the kind that doesn’t fill highlight reels, but it works when you’ve got the discipline and the nerve to execute it. Mala Vida continued to dominate possession in the second half, continued to pile on the pressure, and Luke Munns began answering the call with save after save – big ones, difficult ones, the kind that keep your team alive when the tide is against you. He was immense, full stop.

Then the game turned. With fifteen minutes to play, a Mala Vida defender headed clear from a corner. The ball fell loose, and Malachi Mullings was there. A volley. Struck with real venom, right underneath the crossbar, and Luke’s opposite number was left helpless. One-one. Suddenly we were breathing.

Five minutes later, we took the lead. Will Clark stepped up to a free kick in a dangerous area – he’d already buried one from a set piece against Hillside a fortnight prior, so there was form there. His effort was clean and well-struck, forcing a save, but the goalkeeper spilled it. Mullings was quickest to react, sharp as anything, and tapped home. Two-one. Against the run of play, against the tide of possession, we were ahead.

Mala Vida threw everything at us in those final minutes. The pressure intensified, the home side visibly tired after the physical toll the game had taken on both sides. Luke produced another save that defied belief to keep us in front. The referee wound up and added six minutes of stoppage time, much to the bewilderment of everyone watching, but we stood firm. When it was done, it was done.

This was a cup performance that will be talked about around the club for weeks. Malachi Mullings was our Player of the Match, and rightly so – two goals don’t tell the whole story, but they tell enough of it. Andrew Allen, our captain, and the lads around him defended with real bravery against a side that knew what they were doing. Luke kept us in it when we had nothing else. And when the openings came, we buried them without hesitation.

Sue’s Angels progress to the second round. That’s the story. That’s what matters. We’ll be back to full strength soon enough, and we’ll be ready for whoever comes next.