Tuesday 1st September 2020
FA Cup Extra-Preliminary Round
at the Forest Town Arena
AFC Mansfield (1) 2
Ross Duggan 20
Luke Walker 61
Sherwood Colliery (1) 1
Jack Harrison 44 OG
Point & hope mobile phone pictures: Click HERE
A mere thirty-one days have elapsed since Arsenal triumphed 2-1 against Chelsea in last season's delayed FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium, but the new season's tournament is already upon us (even though there are still other unresolved competitions from the previous campaign waiting to be played out to a conclusion) and commenced without delay when Essex Senior League side: Woodford Town hosted London Colney last night and beat them 3-1.
Sadly, there will be no FA Cup replays during the 2020-21 season, which apparently constitutes a deviation from the usual competition format to "ease pressure" on the football calendar... well, that's the FA's official take on things anyway. One can only hope that this arrangement is just a short term thing and that 'the greatest cup competition in the world' isn't on the verge of being stripped naked in public and debagged of even more of it's tradition, prestige and dignity.
The (140th) FA Cup Final is due to be played at Wembley Stadium on 15 May 2021, assuming that the impending arrival of Armageddon or another worldwide health scare doesn't decimate the fixture list once again.
But make hay while the sun shines kids... because you never know what might be lurking around that next corner... and I spotted somebody buying an out of date tin of bat soup in Tesco when I made a pit-stop on my way over to Forest Town tonight.
It's a fraction over two miles to Forest Town Arena from Debdale Park, the home of tonight's visitors, so the limited capacity that has been imposed at the Bulls ground (and just about anywhere else you might care to mention) due to the omnipresent COVID 19 virus and it's associated restrictions and guidelines, coupled with a groundswell in local interest for this FA Cup tie, meant that tonight's derby clash between AFC Mansfield of the NCEL and EMCL side Sherwood Colliery was designated the status of being an all-ticket game... a wise precaution as it turned out given the sold-out capacity crowd that turned out to watch this well contested and occasionally feisty encounter.
In equal turns, this was neither an aesthetically cuddly affair to cater for the purists and lovers of the tippy-tappy code of the beautiful game, nor was it (sporadically) one for anybody of a squeamish disposition... but by heck, 'twas a slugging match and a half of the highest order, with no quarter given, not a single tackle bottled, nor any measure of responsibility shirked... and the game was all the better for it's juxtaposed combination of all of those very things.
Sherwood looked to be having slightly the better of things initially, with Lewis Belgrave pulling the strings, as they locked horns with the 'Bulls', and early doors the consensus of opinion, reached via a straw poll prediction among our socially distanced bubble (and a few blokes behind us, up on the balcony two metres), swung heavily in favour, almost unamionously, towards a school of thought that tonight the visitors would take the honours and be rewarded with a day-trip to Cleethorpes in the next round on Saturday September 12th. 'Quack, quack, oops!'
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| Old pals act |
With twenty minutes on the clock, a throw-in found its way through to Ross Duggan and... whack!
You don't stop those buggers! The hosts striker crashed an unstoppable shot home from long range... advantage Mansfield
Kieran Wells and Liam Hearn were operating up top for the 'Wood' and with that calibre of players at their disposal, Sherwood were always going to pose a threat, indeed the former had already gone close twice already before Duggan's strike had caught Josh Turton (and everybody else in the ground) off guard. There was some debate as to just how far-out Duggan actually was when he let fly; with estimates ranging from 'just outside the area' to all of thirty yards.
I decided that it was a bit too hectic out on the field of play for me to go on and pace it out to clarify matters so I'll just say that it was the ferocity of the shot that did the damage. regardless of where he launched his Exocet from.
Shortly after the home side had gone ahead, Wells went into the referee's notebook, possibly for speaking out of turn to Martin Beard... imagine that! 'Owd Wellsy playing out the remainder of the game on a yellow card because he's expressed a forthright opinion... who would ever have imagined such a thing could ever happen, hey Kieran!?
Is it true that you practice tightrope walking in training pal?
PS, I still love you really and I know it's mutual, because I could tell by that glint in your eye when we fist pumped ;-). In case anybody is wondering, that's not a euphemism.
Shortly before the break, Sherwood broke forward and the ball was whipped low and hard across the face of Warhurst's goal, where Jack Harrison suffered the misfortune of getting his name on the score-sheet as the probing delivery cannoned off of him for an own goal.
Warhurst denied both Belgrave and Hearn, though he won't have known too much about his second block, which caught him squarely in the face.
Having led the line well for an hour, Duggan was withdrawn as Luke Walker came on to provide the 'Bulls'with a different set of options and give the 'Wood' a new set of problems to deal with.
It has been a source of personal frustration for me over the years, when I've implored clubs and managers to give Walker a chance to shine and show what he is capable of... that there is an 'old boys network' looking after their own cliques and entourages in local non-league circles, even more so than in any other walk of life and even a few shameless examples of nepotism blocking the pathway of infinitely better alternatives who've been available.
But in Matt Chatfield, Luke is finally under the mentor-ship of somebody who recognises his strengths and plays to them accordingly. It is proving to be a mutually beneficial understanding too. Just three minutes after entering the fray, Walker chased forward to close down space as Sherwood were attempting to clear their lines, and nicked the ball before prodding it past the advancing Turton, who had looked favourite to get their first, with just enough poke to roll it into the now unguarded net.
Charlie Taylor made a last-ditch clearance for the visitors after Liam Marsden had unlocked their defence with a long throw-in.
Walker powered through the right channel with a burst of pace and it was almost as good as game over until Turton charged off of his line to smother the ball.
Sherwood were pushing for the equaliser that would send the game headlong into the drama of a penalty-shoot out, but Warhurst gathered Wells' dipping header.
As the game went deep into stoppage-time, the referee (and his assistant who was well placed) missed a 'Bulls' player handling the ball right in front of the dug-outs, as the hosts broke forward. The Sherwood players protested, but Walker played to the whistle and steamed forward through the right channel towards the visitors area. Ross Henshaw was incensed that play hadn't been stopped, so he unceremoniously clattered into the striker from behind and wiped him completely out.
Henshaw is a better player than that framed moment in time suggested... his act was a rush of blood, heat of the moment challenge, born out of frustration, but one that had left the referee with no option but to produce a straight red card, as Walker writhed in pain on the ground.
So five minutes into added on time, Sherwood were now chasing the game with just ten men on the park, sans the influence of Henshaw. The foul was out of keeping with the rest of the game, which up until that point had been a hard fought battle, but never an actual war.
FT: AFC Mansfield 2 v Sherwood Colliery 1
AFC Mansfield held on to their single goal advantage and can now get the bucket and spades packed, because they're off to 'Clee by the sea' for the next round of t'cup. I was there myself just a couple of days ago and can safely say that they'll not be needing to take the factor 30 sunscreen with them.
Wrap up!
