As the match kicked off in dry conditions with light cloud cover, the expectation was that this was going to be a tough test for Galaxy in a mouth-watering League Cup Quarter-Final clash against AFC Oakley. Oakley had beaten Wixams in the last round and had also defeated Spartak when the two teams met up in the league at the beginning of November.

The dangers of Oakley immediately came to the fore when, In the third minute, they broke down the right and their striker clipped the woodwork. However, rather than be a sense of what was to come this proved to be the away's side best chance of the match as Spartak immediately upped their game and did not drop those levels for a single minute.

In the first 12 minutes there were three corners for Spartak but only the third was delivered with quality and this led to a couple of half chances for Galaxy in the box. Not long after Theo had a go with a long range shot which the opposition goalie parried past the post.

In these early stages Oakley were giving up the space in middle but that was making the final ball difficult as the box was packed. And as the first half progressed Galaxy were better having the best of the game without generating any clear chances, whilst Oakley looked dangerous on the break.

There was a final chance for Linslade as the first half drew to a close. This was created by good play from Jack J who passed to Luke; however, his shot failed to test the keeper.

Overall, this was a very solid first half from Spartak. Dylan and Elliot were fantastic in defence, particularly Dylan's composure under pressure. The midfield were holding the ball up well, with Tycho also playing a key defensive midfielder role. If that final pass was there then the goalless scoreline at halftime may have been different.

Both teams kicked off the second half knowing they would need to test the opposition goalkeeper much more if they were to progress to the semis.

Spartak had read the memo and in just the first minute of the second half Jack R fed Ethan in the box whose shot from a narrow angle was well saved by the keeper. Two minutes later Jack J passed from the left and Owen touched to Ethan who could only fire wide. A very promising start to the second half from Spartak.

Galaxy kept driving forward and on the 8-minute mark Jack J showed some lovely control and fed the ball through ball to Ethan, who had his fifth shot in the first 8 minutes of the half, this time firing high.

The middle of the second half saw the match quieten down a tad, but Galaxy remaining the dominate side. Niall was working hard down the right-hand side with his usual marauding runs, whilst Luke was tireless in covering every blade of the grass in the middle.

After 21 minutes a good move from Spartak led to Jack R feeding Jack J in the box. It was only some great defending from Oakley that prevented Jack J from getting a clear shot away. Two minutes later there was more great work from Jack R down the box as he sprinted down the wing and his dangerous cross had to be cleared for a corner.

Spartak could sense that Oakley were tiring and they upped the pressure yet another notch. After 29 minutes Owen headed into the box but Ethan's shot was dragged wide left. Five minutes later Linslade had their best move of the match with beautiful intricate passing - Charlie to Jack R to Luke in the box. Everyone felt that Luke was sure to score with just the goalkeeper in front of him, but another scuffed shot from Spartak saw the opportunity go by.

Just as the supporters began to wonder how long each half of extra time would be Spartak finally managed to get the goal their dominance deserved. Charlie was having his best match of the season and he calmly controlled the ball passed to Jack R who smashed home just inside the right post.

This left a nervy last 5 minutes, plus 4 minutes of stoppage time, but Joseph, Sergio and Caelan made sure that Thomas had relatively little to do. Thomas' handling this match was also top notch as on a couple of occasions he rose high to pluck dangerous crosses out of the air.

In the final minute of stoppage time, Oakley pumped forward a free-kick into the Galaxy box. This was cleared, which allowed Ethan to break forward. He unselfishly passed across to Mali who stroked home to give Spartak their second and to confirm the result. As the goalkeeper picked the ball out of the net the referee blew to end the game.

What a team performance from Spartak. Every single player worked their socks off, the passing was on point, and the closing down of Oakley preventing them from getting any foothold in the match. Roll on the semi-finals!