St Margaretsbury set
up a Gordon Brasted Memorial Trophy Quarter Final tie against either West
Essex, Stansted or Redbridge after they defeated Sporting Bengal United on
penalties at Mile End after an entertaining six goal thriller.
The visitors had the first effort at goal which was saved by
hosts keeper Bilal Khan, but it was the hosts who edged in front after just six
minutes when a cross was headed home from close range by Curtley McIntosh.
Steve Carvell then fired over for the hosts in a good
position, and then they had further chances to increase their lead thereafter,
and paid for these misses when St Margaretsbury levelled in the 21st
minute after the referee had deemed a home defender had handled inside the box,
Kyle Roberts slotted home the spot kick.
Sporting though continued to carve out openings, and after
Dan Martin, the visiting keeper, had made a brilliant save, the home side saw a
glancing header hit the bar, but in the 26th minute they did restore
their lead when McIntosh broke the offside trap to brill an effort across goal
and in off the far post.
St Margaretsbury then saw an effort go straight at Khan,
before Martin had to be smart to beat away another Sporting strike at goal, and
then the visitors saw another effort saved by Khan before almost getting to the
loose ball but Khan managed to gather the ball before they could.
McIntosh then got in down the right for the hosts late on in
the half but could only drag his effort wide of the target, whilst Ryan Reed
then saw an effort deflect wide of the hosts goal, and it meant the hosts went
into the break with a one-goal lead although they probably should of led by
more.
Half Time Sporting
Bengal United 2 St Margaretsbury 1
And two minutes after the break the hosts were pegged back
again when Reed sent a volley into the ground and saw it bounce up over keeper
Khan and into the far corner, and the tie was all square once again.
The visitors had certainly come out the better side in the
second period and missed a decent chance to go in front after Roberts hit an
effort straight at Khan, and then moments later a cross to the back post saw the
visitors go for it and shout for a spot kick as they believed they were impeded,
but the officials said no.
After the hosts had fired miles over the bar, St Margaretsbury
saw a brilliant move create another decent opening, but this was fired over the
bar by Omari Alexander-Salmon, however, just before the hour mark he made amends
by smashing the visitors ahead as their positive start to the second period had
reaped it’s rewards.
The home side, who apart from the opening period of the
second half, had been the better side and would have been scratching their heads
at finding themselves behind, fired another effort miles over before seeing the
visitors miss another good opportunity to extend their lead and really give the
hosts a mountain to climb.
But the hosts were then given a chance to draw level when
they were awarded a penalty after winger Chaka Barnett was brought down by keeper
Martin, but McIntosh, on a hat-trick of course, sent the spot kick wide of the
target, so the visitors maintained their 2-3 lead.
Reed then sent a low free kick at the hosts goal, but this
was saved by Khan, and it was fair to say the visitors had been the better side
in this second half as we entered the final fifteen minutes.
Sporting though started to get back on top as the game
ticked into the final ten minutes, and they saw a couple of chances passed up,
firstly when a shot by McIntosh was tipped wide by Martin, and then a cross to
the back post attacked but missed by the home side trying to get a head on the
ball.
Alexander-Salmon then sent a header well wide of the hosts
goal, and then with five minutes of the ninety left, up stepped Carvell to rifle
home a free-kick via the hand of Martin, and the tie was all square for a third
time.
Sporting then somehow failed to go in front in the 89th
minute when after a brilliant defensive block had stopped a powerful goal bound
effort, a second attempt saw visiting full back Lanre Vigo somehow dive across
the goal line and prevent the ball going over it with his head, it was an
extraordinary piece of defending.
The visitors then saw a decent long-range effort go straight
at Khan, before Sporting created one last effort but saw this beaten away by
Martin, meaning we went to penalties.
After both sides had netted their first five penalties,
Sporting skied their sixth over the bar, meaning the visitors would progress if
they could net their sixth. And they did,
meaning a Quarter-Final berth was secured for St Margaretsbury. A super cup tie it was indeed.
Full Time Sporting
Bengal United 3 St Margaretsbury 3 (St Margaretsbury won 6-5 on penalties)
No comments:
Post a Comment