LITTLE Oakley have booked their place in the Essex Premier Cup quarter-finals for the first time in nearly 20 years.

The Acorns have teed up a last-eight showdown with Essex Olympian League premier division leaders White Ensign.

They made progress thanks to last week’s 1-0 victory against Shenfield Association.

And joint-boss Paul Sadler sees no reason why the club’s adventure in the competition cannot continue.

“We’re delighted to be in the quarter-finals,” said Sadler, who runs the side with Sean Tynan.

“We know we have a tough tie against White Ensign, but we have home advantage and really fancy our chances.

“We’ve kept four clean sheets in our last five games and already kept more than last season, so defensively we’re proving very difficult to break down.

“We have players returning from injury and unavailability and, with the exception of Mark Palmer, expect to have a full squad available for the quarter-final on February 6.”

Oakley have no match tomorrow, due to the Essex and Suffolk Border League Representative team playing (see main story).

The Acorns will again be well-represented, with six of their players in the squad.

Sadler added: “It’s a credit to our club, coaches and players and we wish them all luck for tomorrow.”