Gainsborough Trinity v North Ferriby United - FA Trophy 3rd Qualifying Round Replay

Tuesday 24th November 2009. FA Trophy 3rd Qualifying Round Replay
The Northolme, Gainsborough

Gainsborough Trinity (1) 2, 3
North Ferriby United (0) 2, 3
HT 1-0, 90 minutes 2-2, AET 3-3,
Trinity won on penalties GTFC scored 3 NFU scored 2

Admission £10, No programmes (problems with printer),
Attendance 226
The weather was awful ... cold, high winds, frequent downpours and a severe weather warning from the met office, combined to make the conditions unsuitable for playing 'total football' and both teams struggled to combat the elements for most of the game.

North Ferriby United turned up disguised as Worksop Town, better than the green & white!

Gainsborough, pretty much like every other time I've seen them this season, like to get their best work done early on, then retreat back into their shells for the duration of the game.
Darryn Stamp tucked the ball away neatly from the edge of the six yard box on 9 minutes and you'd have expected them to build on the foundations of a good start ... but they didn't.

The chill night air was punctuated by the shrill sound of the referee's whistle far too often and the home fans voiced their despair with the official as the game went from stop/start to stop/stop/start.
A few of the Trinity players seemed to have found a vortex to hide in out in the middle of the pitch.
I wasn't the only one who'd noticed this, because those vocal fans switched their attention from the referee to their own players as North Ferriby upped the tempo and realised the Blue Square North side might be there for the taking.
Ryan Semple could've put the Blues 2-0 up on 40 minutes, but took too long switching the ball to his right foot instead of just putting it away and the chance went begging.
At that stage a second goal for Trinity would definitely have been against the run of play.
HT 1-0
The second half was a scrappy affair.
Both Stamp and Beckett should have tied the game up for Trinity early on, but neither of them even got their shots on target.
Between 70 and 71 minutes, Gainsborough played their best football (yes, the times are correct) when Stamp forced a point blank save from Steve Wilson and then Ashley Burbeary thundered in a cross cum shot from the right edge of the box that nearly caught the NFU goalkeeper out.
The visitors kept plugging away, but the lack of a final ball each time looked like it was going to be their undoing ... for now anyway.
We meandered around to stand near the exit behind the home dug out for a quick getaway, but to everyone's amazement (and there were a few groans from people who'd had enough and wanted to go home too) on 86 minutes a game of football broke out!

United were awarded a penalty. Gary Bradshaw made no mistake from the spot. And we all turned up our collars against the bitter cold and resigned ourselves to yet more of this end to end thrill a minute entertainment (Stop it! - Sarcasm Department Editor).
But our salvation seemed to have arrived in the very last minute when Trinity were awarded a penalty too.
Nathan Peat, the Blues captain, duly despatched it (see blurred picture above) and once more we trudged wearily towards the exit.
The fourth official raised the board to indicate there would be 4 minutes of stoppage time. And being a bit of a show off, Kevin Larvin of North Ferriby United, timed his equaliser to perfection to coincide with the very last second of that added time.
Ho, ho, how we all laughed. Pity those poor fools who hadn't braved the elements to be here tonight or who had left early, eh!?
FT 90 minutes 2-2
A few of the home fans stood near the dug out have already decided Brian Little is not the man to turn round Trinity's season and weren't exactly showing much restraint in letting him know that either.
"Bring back Mitch!" shouted a couple of them, amongst several verbal missiles that are unrepeatable on a blog with a family orientated reader base (i.e. only my family read it, when they can be bothered, and that's just to check where I am).
Hmm, I seem to recall Paul Mitchell (a former Trinity boss who also managed Worksop Town a few years ago too) getting abuse from these very same fans back in the day, there's nowt' so curious (and fickle) as football folk.
We retreated to the back of the main stand for the remainder of the game, the leg room is non existent but at least it offered us some shelter.
Paul Foot the visitors captain was sent off when he received a second yellow card for going in two footed, he got the ball and didn't get near the Trinity player, but rules are rules and they were applied to the letter of the law.
in the 100th minute, Trinity were ahead again ... Nathan Peat swung the ball into the box, Wilson appeared to have it covered, but let it slip and Wes Parker pounced to run the ball home.
HT ET 3-2
At 3-2 up against ten men, with a fitter and stronger team from an higher league, even the moaning old buggers over on the Blues Club side of the ground started to find their voices in support of their team.
Until Kevin Larvin decided another timely intervention was overdue and fired home yet another equaliser from the edge of the box. He was obviously in no hurry to get home tonight.
FT ET 3-3

The Shoot Out

Phil Barnes saved the first spot kick by NFU's Gary Bradshaw, but the advantage was cancelled out when Trinty's Ryan Toulson slammed his effort against the crossbar (0-0).
Tom Matthews put United ahead with the second before Nathan Peat missed the target altogether (0-1).
Chris Bolder put the visitors 2-0 ahead and into a strong position, at which point Gainsborough must've been kicking themselves for not taking the few clear cut chances that had come their way in open play. Ashley Burbeary kept the tie alive with his effort (1-2).
The NFU keeper Steve Wilson stepped forward for their next attempt ... it was a poor kick and he missed woefully (unlike when he was involved in a penalty shoot out v. Worksop at Ilson recently). Ryan Semple took full advantage of the opportunity to level things up (2-2).
So we'd reach the final kick each before the 'sudden death' rule applied.
Phil Barnes saved well from Callum Russell's strike and it was all down to Darren Dunning to finish off the visitors resistance. He kept his nerve and Trinity squeaked their way through to the next round where they face a trip to Southport. They'll have to play much better there than they did here tonight.

Footnote. Added Friday 27th November.
Even now, three days after the match, the Official UniBond League website is still listing this game as a 3-2 win for Trinity with no extra time having been played. I can assure you that isn't the case ... it's not like that site to get things wrong, is it!? ;-)