Emirates FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round, Saturday August 7th
The 150th edition of the FA Cup returned this weekend and my journey for the 2021/22 season began at my local club Southend Manor as they welcomed Spartan South Midlands Premier London Colney to Southchurch Park on a blustery showery day on the Essex Coast.
The hosts young side have began their season in the Essex Senior League well, having picked up four points from two games so far, whereas the visitors only game in the league thus far was a 1-4 home loss to Broadfields United, so based on this maybe the hosts were fancied to get through in this one, but this is cup football and over the seasons the Spartan sides have got the better over their ESL opponents, so what would happen here.
The opening exchanges didn't really yield any serious amount of goalmouth action, and in fact the opening half wasn't the best of encounters, Manor had the best of any openings that did materialise and saw their best chance a Frankis header go well wide from a great position after a brilliant cross, and the hosts were also screaming for a penalty when London Colney's giant (and I mean giant) keeper Belleau went through the back of an attacker, but the referee deemed it fair and no penalty was forthcoming.
That cross aside though for the Frankis header, quality was hard to find in this contest with the gusty wind not helping the sides either, Manor continued to carve out the better chances in the second period as well and saw Frankis somehow head against the bar from point blank range, and the longer the game went on you felt one goal would probably settle this tie.
And with just over fifteen minutes of the contest to go (plus stoppages of course) Manor got the vital breakthrough when Chambers did ever so well to prod the ball to Devlin whilst on the floor with an opponent, and Devlin was a clam as anything to side foot a first time effort into the far corner. The visitors were frustrated as they felt Chambers had impeded their player, but the referee did not agree and the goal stood.
London Colney tried to find a leveller which would probably not have been deserved if truth be told, and there best chance came in this period but the effort was well saved by the legs of the keeper and Manor could breathe a sigh of relief, and if Manor could find a second that would have certainly killed the tie, and they countered on their opponents in the 90th minute and were clean through, Tolley came back and wiped out the attacker and he was given a straight red and the visitors were down to ten men.
The resultant free-kick (it was inches from being a penalty) was blazed high and wide by Chambers, and then deep into stoppage time London Colney saw Shuttlewood dismissed for a second yellow after he appeared to tred on an opponent who was on the floor after a challenge, very silly and it would mean the visitors would end the game with nine men.
It was still just a one goal lead though and Manor had to keep their concentration, but they saw out the game after several minutes of stoppage time had been played and they had done enough to go through to the Preliminary Round and be £1,125 richer as a result. They will now travel to the Suffolk coast to take on Isthmian North side Felixstowe & Walton United in the next round.
Full Time Southend Manor 1 London Colney 0
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