FA Youth Cup 3rd Qualifying Round
at Sandy Lane
Handsworth Parramore (1) 2
Jack Hollis Smith 9
Isaac Darien 91
AFC Telford United (0) 1
Armando Wood 86
Admission £3.
Programme 50p inc. team sheet
Attendance 88
Photo gallery by Ken Allsebrook, click HERE
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| HPFC resident knitwear model. Phwoar! |
We blew into Sandy Lane, upon the windy fringes of Hurricane Ophelia, in hopeful anticipation that this FA Youth Cup tie would live up the excitement provided in the previous round, at this very ground, when the Ambers youngsters narrowly overcame a very good Ossett Albion side, by two goals to one, courtesy of a last minute (and as of yet, still unclaimed) own goal.
Telford kicked off as these two sides went head to head for a place in the FA Youth Cup First Round, with the match referee, Ashley Royston, getting things underway a few minutes early, to spare the crowd from the distortion 'til deafness music that was threatening to blow the PA system speakers to smithereens at any given moment.
To put things into perspective, here's a statistic, that I have stolen from Handsworth's Twitter feed in the wake of tonight's result: "Out of 418 non league teams to enter the #fayouthcup in the qualifying rounds. We are 1 of 38 left in 🎩for first round"... it's a big deal and make no mistake!
Given the lightweight construction of modern day footballs and the strength of the wind that was blowing regular deposits of tree debris across the Sandy Lane turf; hitting the ball long would've been a pointless task tonight, not that I would imagine either team would go direct at this stage of their development... they can save that sort of stuff until they graduate until the results driven world of first team football, so a patient approach was required initially, until the players got to grips with the conditions.Such a taking caution with the wind approach suited Aaron Mushet, the Handsworth number nine, who is evidently adept at holding the ball up in an unfazed and un-rushed manner to bring his teammates into the game.
The opening exchanges boded well for the hosts, as their captain Ziah McClaren patrolled the full length of left flank, combining well with both Tyler Bradley and Alfie Dodsworth, while making the extra man himself in attack on the overlap.
Jack Charlesworth added even more options in attack and would make a telling contribution from a good number of dead ball situations over the course of the night.
Telford too, had a couple of players who immediately caught the eye, with Ethan Roxchelle in particular, stamping his influence all over the visitors approach play.
It was Roxchelle who created the Bucks first opening with a perfectly weighted through ball to Jack Downing, who struck the ball first time on the turn but drilled it high and wide of Callum Turner's goal. Dodsworth and Bradley attacked United down the left flank in tandem, but it was Roxchelle who stopped them in their tracks with a timely interception.
Once again Roxchelle sent Downing on a run towards the Ambers goal, but Connor Cutts moved across swiftly like minesweeper and calmly took control of the situation, before striding forward in possession and instigating the attacking move from which the home side opened the scoring in the ninth minute, when John Acton did well to save Dodsworth's angled shot, but couldn't keep out Jack Hollis-Smith's precision strike from the rebound.
Handsworth went close again twice inside the next few minutes, as they upped the ante in a quest to build on their lead, but when Bradley knocked Dodsworth's delivery into the Telford area, back into Ollie Sullivan's path, his stinging shot was deflected wide of the post and when the visitors only half cleared the resulting corner as far as Charlesworth, the wind intervened and helped his curling shot past the right hand upright.
Having withstood a few hair raising moments and close scares, Telford began to move the ball around smartly themselves, which was aesthetically pleasing to watch, but needed to be complemented by some kind of end result. Maybe it would be unkind to say that they were passing the ball to death in zones of the pitch where such an approach was never going to hurt Handsworth, but such an analogy wouldn't actually be too far from the truth.
Rifat Ata tried to take advantage of the blustery weather with a long range effort that shifted all over the place in flight, but Turner dealt well with the erratic movement of the ball.
Roxchette broke through into the Ambers area but paused as Turner advanced from his line and scuffed his shot.
With the visitors leaving gaps as they looked to get back on level terms, it afforded Charlesworth with the opportunity to try his luck from twenty five yards out, but his well struck drive whizzed just past the wrong side of the upright.
Turner braced himself to deal with Reece Taylor's shot, but the Bucks captain didn't strike the ball with enough force to trouble Turner.
Unperturbed by his failure to hit the net, Taylor was back on the attack moments later, but when the Handsworth defence slammed shut in front of him and the loose ball ran to Josef Pratt, he blazed his shot over the bar.
Once more, moments before the whistle sounded for half time, Charlesworth made another well timed run but nudged the ball wide of the target.
It's the sign of a good front man to keep making those sort of runs time after time and plucking away even when the ball isn't finding the back of the net as often as you'd like... and to that end it was good to see that Charlesworth, and Bradley later in the game too, didn't let their heads drop.
HT: Ambers 1 v Bucks 0
Handsworth came out after taking on their half time nutritional energy food intake of two Weetabix apiece, a protein shake and a hand full of fig biscuits and tore straight into their Shropshire based visitors, who were feeling uncomfortable now after making the ninety mile journey north on a luxury coach, as their hosts tore into them like an armed to the teeth platoon of shock troops.
Acton was in action right from the restart, fielding Dodsworth's free kick as it dipped in the wind.
Charlesworth's free kick from out on the left flank, cleared the Telford defence, but found the side netting.
Chris Wood, the visitors number six, miscued a clearance into the path of Charlesworth, whose half volley was goal bound, but deflected wide off of Harry Walton.
McClaren picked out Bradley with the corner kick, but Acton held onto his header.
Bradley threatened again, having taken the ball off Wood's right foot before advancing towards Acton, but his shot lifted over the bar.
It was hard to believe that it was still 1-0... and with so many chances going begging it was still a big worry for the home side, that a quick breakaway goal for the Bucks would change the complexion of the game in an instant.
Mushet powered forward, straight down the middle, before knocking the ball sideways to Dodsworth who played a diagonal ball for Bradley to run onto, but Acton was out quickly to gather the ball at the luckless number eleven's feet.
Joe Wallis, one lad who definitely didn't want this game to run over, because he needs to be up for his paper round in the morning, sprinted forward in pursuit of a long clearance, took the ball in his stride a drew Acton off of his line before knocking a sideways pass to Bradley, who was tackled by a bobble in the pitch, twelve yards in front of the virtually unguarded visitors net and he was a whisker away from putting this cup tie to bed.
Handsworth forced a corner out on the left, that Charlesworth swerved just underneath the cross bar, but Acton managed to claim the ball among a crowd of players.
The longer that the home side went without getting something on the end of the plethora of chances they were creating, to score a second goal, the bigger the threat that all of their hard work was going to be undone by a late sucker punch grew.
Josh Trewartha advanced on the left wing for Telford and aimed a looping cross towards Downing, but Cutts stepped up to the plate and planted a firm header back towards the halfway line.
A frantic finale was picking up pace, with tackles flying in all over the places, as leaves, twigs and even a few small branches rained down on the players.
Liam Walton lofted a long free kick in to Parramore area that was cleared, after a fashion, but only to Wood, whose clumsy connection saw the ball fly wide of the target. Sorry pal! If you turn up in rough and ready Worksop on a dark grim night such as this, sporting a top knot in your hair and wearing pink boots, you've got to do better than that... or have skin as tough as a rhinoceroses. Thankfully he won't have heard much of the ribbing because of the strong wind rattling out a jungle drums rhythm on the corrugated stand roof.
The clock was ticking down towards full time now and Telford must've thought that their chance to grab something out of this game had gone, when Armando Wood threaded a pass through to James Bloor, but Cutts snuffed out his goal scoring opportunity and shepherded the ball to safety.
Surely that was it now?
But it wasn't. Not by a long way.
(A) Wood picked the ball up out by the left flank, cut in field and stunned Handsworth with a curling shot from twenty two yards out that nestled inside the far post, inside the final four minutes.
All of those chances that went begging and missed opportunities count for anything when you get suckered like that late in the game, by such a great finish.
But Handsworth still had an ace up their sleeve in the form of Isaac Darien, who'd come on late in the game to good effect... with the Telford fans still celebrating and wringing their hands at the prospect of half a hour's extra time, that had never looked likely until now, Darien, who'd just had a long pass towards Joe Wallis plucked out of the air by Acton; picked up the ball out on the right, just inside the Bucks half and sprinted towards their goal, passing Usain Bolt, the missing racehorse Sherger (he was in a tin of dog meat that Bolt was carrying by way of providing a comedy prop for me), and a stampede of gazelles (they are the fastest runners of all in the animal kingdom, but the leopards don't like you knowing that) and crashed the ball over Acton's head and into the roof of the net, to claim a winning goal, worthy of settling any game, in stoppage time.
What a finale!
FT: Handsworth Parramore U18 2 v AFC Telford United U18 1
Wow! It was a long hard slog and a battle against the elements at times, but if it's entertainment, late drama and an unexpected sting in the tale you want... don't ever leave an Handsworth Youth Cup game early.
Well done Ambers! I'm made up for you.
