Langney Sports defender Darren Baker received his first red card in 367 appearances.

His side, however, still managed to pip in-form Saltdean in this Sussex Senior Cup third round tie.

The Tigers had beaten 18 of their previous 19 opponents but Sports beat them despite Bakerr's dismissal for deliberate handball on the stroke of half-time.

Baker dived full stretch to keep out a Leighton Allen shot after the Saltdean forward had rounded goalkeeper Dean Lightwood. Uckfield referee John Goring had no choice but to give Baker his marching orders.

It is the second consecutive match Baker has left the field early. He received a knock moments before half-time in the RUR Cup replay defeat against Burgess Hill four days earlier.

And in the dressing room afterwards 25-year-old Baker quipped: "Hopefully I'll manage to get through more than half a game next weekend!"

The Eastbourne printer has never served a suspension and his worst season for cautions was last term when he received four bookings.

Manager Garry Wilson was sympathetic and said: "The boy's deeply upset. I don't think he initially intended to stop it with his hand. He tried to keep it out, lost his footing and the ball struck his hand.

"Darren's got a clean-cut image. He's the longest serving player at the club and hardly ever gets booked."

Baker's dismissal came with the home side two goals up through John Snelgrove and Simon Colbran.

Sean Randell struck home the spot kick to bring Glenn Burvill's men back into the tie and set up a tense second half.

But Langney fought tooth and nail to hold on to their slender advantage and gain a pychological boost for the Unijet Sussex League Championship run-in, which sees the two sides meet twice.

Wilson, whose club has already applied for promotion to the Dr Martens League and are spending over £60,000 on ground improvements, said: "It was important to bounce back from Tuesday night and beating Saltdean was good for confidence.

"I haven't seen Saltdean this season, but have heard good reports about them. We've now had a good look at them, as they have with us, and it'll make for two more highly interesting games later in the season."

Snelgrove, who will lead Sussex's frontline in Aldershot on Tuesday night against The Army in the South West Counties Championship, has now found the target 26 times this season following his headed effort.

The 31-year-old marksman said: "Saltdean were up for it and before the match had been saying in the local press that they were the better team. But we proved to be a better side than them on the day. We played well with ten men and getting the early goals were important, because that settled us.

"Ninety per cent of my goals so far have come from my head, which is a bit of a surprise because that's never really been my strong point. I'm getting on the end of a lot of crosses and to be honest don't care how they go in.

"The service has been great, with Craig Willard on one side and Steve Sargent on the other. I just float around, while they and the other boys do the hard work."

Burvill was clearly annoyed with his team's display and, after holding a long postmortem with the team, insisted: "We'll bounce back!"

He added: "We've cut Langney's gap at the top of the league quite significantly. We'll be ready for them in the league."

Langney were 2-0 up after 14 minutes. First Snelgrove headed in unchallenged from a perfectly flighted free kick from Daren Pearce after 11 minutes.

That advantage was doubledwhen Simon Colbran punished slack Saltdean defending to shoot home from six yards.

The dismissal of Baker and subsequent penalty conversion gave Saltdean a lifeline, but Langney turned in an accomplished battling display in the second-half.

Matt Allen had to be taken off at the break after pulling his ankle and is ruled out of Sussex midweek match.

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