FA CUP 2nd QUALIFYING ROUND
Att: 429
SUTTON UNITED – 0
BISHOPS STORTFORD – 0
Following on from the erratic report from Tuesdays trip to Maidenhead, I’m afraid this one may be also a bit on the flaky side. Unfortunately, your intrepid match reporter somehow managed to forget his little notebook & pen this afternoon. Which, when said person has acquired the short term memory that would make your average goldfish look like an elephant, isn’t good.
So I apologise in advance for not remembering events correctly, rambling incoherently (oh, hang on, I usually do that anyway!) and mistakenly recollecting some dodgy league cup game from the early 90’s instead of what I saw out on the pitch.
Normal service should be resumed next time out.
I hope!
It’s the usual pre-match preparations and Gareth, Myself & Greek bloke head for our place of worship for the start (and maybe the end! Who knows?) of this years FA Cup campaign. The visitors are our old friends from Bishops Stortford, last here a couple of weeks ago, sneaking off with a point earned with 2 very late goals.
Having not been present for that, I’m not hoping of a repeat just for my benefit.
The side has 2 changes from midweek with Danny Hodges returning to the defence & the useful looking Martyn Williams (you know, the bloke on loan from QPR) getting a start up front. As suggested by my good self in tuesdays report!
If you need any other suggestions JR? Give me a bell.
The match itself is largely forgettable with good chances at a premium. Early forays come to nothing for both sides, Bailey having our best chance. Dropping a nice lobbed effort just wide of the mark after some good work in the middle by Bolt.
But apart from that, there wasn’t much else to write about. Even if I HAD brought my notebook to scribble in!
Unimpressed, we head for the bar and a drink to cheer us up. I find Oldham are leading 2-0 and that helps a bit. The only promising performance coming from debutant Williams, who is showing some promise.
It’s Williams who sets up Watson with a run & cross a couple of minutes into the box. But Watso fails to get a good contact and despite turning it on goal, Desborough isn’t unduly troubled and makes the save. Our best chance of the half comes about 10 minutes in, when Bolty puts a corner in to the box that picks out Palmer at the back post. His stooping header from 6 yards out produces a great reaction save from the ‘keeper.
As the half wears on, Stortford have their best spell, with one attack down the left ending with the attacker blazing well over from an angle when well placed and then Iga having to be alert after the so far immaculate Hodges can’t quite deal with a bouncing ball under pressure. Andy grabbing the ball before any harm can occur.
Honey has, what appears to be, a decent penalty shout turned down inside the last 20 minutes. Making a good run, he exchanges passes with Collins before being seemingly tripped as he gets into the box. But the ref is right there and decides that no offence has occurred. Which is strange as matey doesn’t seem to have played the ball, so it’s either a dive or….
Oh never mind.
The match peters out with plenty of movement to either end, but few opportunities. Although with a couple of minutes left, a good turn in the box by Collins sees him fire into the midriff of Desborough from close range.
So, a rather dull cup tie. And a poxy trip up into Herts midweek. Cheers lads!
Unusually, we retire to the club bar for results before we do the usual staggering back down to the Hood for an evening of trying to blot out the fact we now have a midweek trip to Bishops Stortford.
Still, it could be worse, it could have been sodding Heybridge.
MAN OF THE MATCH : Paul Honey. Put himself about well again.
ENTERTAINMENT : 5. Not a classic tie by any means!
TEAM : Iga, Hodges, Akuamoah, Palmer, Gonsalves, Bailey, Bolts, Honey, Gray, Watson, Williams
SUBS : Fletcher, Davies, Hamlin, Collins, Hanlan
THE REFEREE’S………Largely anonymous. Tried to let the game flow wherever possible. Can’t really argue.