BuildBase FA Trophy Preliminary Qualifying Round Replay
at the Forest Town Arena
AFC Mansfield (2) 2
Keiran Wells 23
Cameron Dear 45 Pen
Soham Town Rangers (0) 1
Ally Conway 59
Admission £7. Programme £2.
Attendance 103
Though I'm dead chuffed for the many good friends that I've got in and around the Forest Town based host club, that they are over the first hurdle and have a plum home draw to look forward to (even though it clashes, date wise, with Mansfield Town's home game against promotion chasing MK Dons), one can't help but feel a great big slab sized portion of sympathy towards tonight's visitors, whose efforts, especially during the second half warranted, at the very least, a crack at settling this tie in extra time, after they threw everything they had, into searching for an elusive equaliser as the big hand on the clock ticked round towards full time.
If tonight's visitors show anywhere near as much fighting spirit as they have done over the past one hundred and eighty (plus) minutes, in their forthcoming league games, then they won't be stuck at the bottom of the table for very long. Their luck deserted them in the final third tonight, but the Bulls defended ruggedly... and of course, Jason White is in the form of his life in goal at the moment.
It'll probably be of little consolation to them as their coach meanders back towards Cambridgeshire tonight, but at least now that they are no longer involved in the Trophy, they can concentrate on making a fist of their league campaign,
Mansfield made all of the early running and were unlucky not to be ahead inside the opening ten minutes, when Charlie Dawes raced forward into the left hand side of the Soham area and rolled the ball inside to Brad Wells, who scythed his shot past the right hand post. Dawes and Cameron Dear both tried their luck with long distance shots, but the former effort bounced away across the Arena's cycle track, while Josh Pope held onto the latter.
In the twenty third minute, Kieran Wells netted the 'Bulls' first ever goal in the FA Trophy, when Dear battled for the ball by Soham's left hand post and rolled the ball into the path (K) Wells... and even he couldn't miss from there.
There was a lengthy stoppage after Lewis Endacott clattered into Dawes with a heavy challenge... and a sickening clash of heads, meant that neither player would be taking any further part in tonight's action.
A bit of pushing, pointing and shouting ensued, but pretty soon a game of football broke out again, with the hosts looking good as they strove to increase their advantage, going close when (K) Wells shot on the turn was saved by Pope and Jordan Annable's flicked header from Jimmy Ghaichem's knock forward, nestled on the roof of the goal.
But though Mansfield were looking confident of taking hold of the game by the scruff of the neck, Ryan Auger reminded them not to underestimate the 'Greens', with a dipping shot from outside the area that crashed off of the top of White's crossbar.
Dear closed down a clearance and quickly released (B) Wells towards the Soham goal, but Rob Mason managed to put a last ditch block in to deflect the ball wide of it's target.
But when (B) Wells attacked again moments later, his persistence.keeping the ball close by in the Soham area, saw Callum Russell clumsily challenge the 'Bulls'striker and concede a penalty kick, from which Dear put the ball one way as Pope dived the other in stoppage time... of which there was quite a lot.
HT: Bulls 2 v Greens 0
(K) Wells had two chances to all but wrap the game up early in the second half, but his first shot cannoned wide off of Erkan Okay (who combines playing with being a part of the visitors management team) and his next effort, from a difficult angle, bulged the outside of side netting.
It was 'game on' in the fifty ninth minute, when Joe Carden broke forward on the left and crossed to Auger, whose shot was charged down and rebounded into the path of Ally Conway, who took aim and buried a crashing shot into the back of the 'Bulls' net.
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| Note: Cameron Dear number 7 and Charlie Dawes number 11 |
Boosted by their goal, Soham grew stronger during the second half and Auger shot wide from twenty yards, while White went down bravely at the feet of Sam Mulready to smother the ball.
Liam Marsden played the ball into Ellis Wall, who still got his shot away despite having his back to goal, but Pope was equal to it.
From Mansfield's next break, Wall dashed forward and stabbed the ball past Pope, but he was denied the goal that would've settled the 'Bulls' nerves by a raised flag. "Try keeping up with play liner!" called out a frustrated home supporter.
Wall, (K) Wells and Jack Broadhead, all made timely interceptions, heading the ball away from a string of corners from Auger, out on the right.
As the hosts absorbed a whole lot of pressure, Nick Guest countered and strode forward into the right hand side of the Soham area, before letting fly with a diagonal shot that bounced agonisingly past the far post.
As mentioned above, next up, the 'Greens' have a home league game against Grays Athletic on Saturday; while Brighouse Town visit the Forest Town Arena to take on AFC Mansfield.
The game continued at a breakneck pace as the home fans began to wolf-whistle the referee and enquire of him, if his "flipping watch had stopped!?", or words to that effect.
Two long throws from Callum Russell, were quite literally the visitors last couple of chucks of the dice, but White saved from Marcus Hall in the first instance and from Russell's next delivery, that even the 'Greens' goalkeeper was up in the home goalmouth challenging for, Mansfield managed to scramble the ball away to safety... and despite Soham's tenacity in the final thirty minutes, the 'Bulls' had dug in and toughed it out at the end.
FT: AFC Mansfield 2 v Soham Town Rangers 1
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| You never know, eh!? |
Hopefully the players who got knocks tonight, including Sam Mulready who needed treatment (for what appeared to be a arm injury) late in the game, aren't too seriously hurt. Get well soon y'all!
'Twas definitely the sort of night that the song: "When the going gets tough, the tough get going" was written about.
Have a safe journey home Soham Town Rangers... what a smashing bunch of people and a pleasure to make the acquaintance of they all were.
It would be nice to hear that they've both got three points apiece, when the results come through on Saturday tea-time.
