LEISTON will face an Ipswich Town XI in the quarter-finals of this season’s Endeavour Automotive Suffolk Premier Cup.

They secured their place in the last eight of the competition thanks to a 2-1 victory over Lowestoft Town at the Watson & Hillhouse Victory Road Stadium on Tuesday night.

Although there were chances at both ends in the opening period, with the majority falling to Leiston, the game was goalless at the interval, before three goals in a four-minute spell early in the second half brought the tie to life.

A good team move culminated in Ben Fowkes firing home the opener for Leiston in the 54th minute, but Harry Barbrook broke clear and finished well to equalise almost immediately.

The home team regained the initiative from a corner after 57 minutes, George Quantrell netting from close range after a Rossi Jarvis header came back off the post following a right-wing corner.

Leiston first-team coach Lee Norfolk said: “We spoke at half-time about how we had good entries in the final third, but we didn’t have any real final thrust. We didn’t have anybody on the end of the crosses, and we didn’t really work the keeper, so we spoke about how that needed to improve.

“They always carried a threat, to be fair, on the transition or turnover, so we were wary of that, and we knew there was goals in the game. We knew we had to improve and we got the goal, a good goal from Fowkesy, well worked into the box and then we went to sleep a little bit and they have scored a good goal as the centre half has driven out from the back and we looked very open.

“That was disappointing, especially within a couple of minutes of our goal, but then to bounce back again was a positive and we don’t score many from set pieces, so it was nice to get one that way.”

Norfolk, who was the first New Zealander to play in the Premier League and made four appearances for Ipswich Town following his debut in 1995, will now face his former club in the quarter-finals.

“It is going to be a good game of football and hopefully there will be a few through the gate. I will look forward to that one,” he said.