Midfielder Danny Carroll kept Crawley on course for the Senior Cup final with a late winner at Broadfield Stadium last night.

Carroll beat Sports' keeper Dean Lightwood with a close-range shot four minutes from time, following good work by substitute Francis Vines to set up a semi-final against the winners of tomorrow's replay between Lewes and Horsham.

Langney had recovered well after going behind inside two minutes, but Crawley dominated for long spells after the break although Carroll's 11th goal of the season and first for seven games was their first effort on target in the second half.

Crawley boss Billy Smith said: "Because we are in a higher division people expect these games to be easy, but I watched Langney at the weekend and knew they would make it hard for us and that is what happened, especially in the first half.

"I had a few words to say at half time and we tightened up all round the pitch in the second half, in the end I thought we deserved to win."

Smith had to change his team four times in the hours leading up to kick-off after a 'flu bug robbed him of four players and forced striker Leroy Huggins to come off at half time.

New-singing Stewart Holmes was cup-tied and Smith named goalkeeper Andy Little among his substitutes but it did not look as if it would make much difference when Mark Hynes intercepted a stray back pass by Paul Stevens to fire home his 13th goal of the season with just 80 seconds on the clock.

But Langney produced a spirited response and thoroughly deserved to draw level in the 31st minute. Matt Allen, a constant source of danger all night, made the most of a mistake by defender John Ugbah to slot the ball past Jimmy Glass.