Bryco Cup - Hornchurch 0 Harlow Town 0 aet....

[Urchins]

.....Harlow win 4-2 on penalties.

 

It's certainly been a rollercoaster week - a great performance sandwiched between two disappointing ones - but that's football, as they (whoever they are) like to say.

 

Really, we had so much of the play and all of the chances, but Harlow were well disciplined and stayed strong all game. We didn't really make them uncomfortable at the back nearly enough times and the keeper wasn't properly tested until the latter stages of the second half. Saying that though, when decent efforts did come Glen Jackson's way in the Harlow goal he pulled off quality saves and probably kept them in the match.

 

In the first half all we were lacking was a telling pass into the area but there were promising signs, Andy Douglas shooting just wide from a Mark Graham cross on 27 minutes and a Vinnie John overhead kick from 6 yards narrowly missing the target just before half time.

 

John Keeling hit the post 30 minutes into the second half and a John Martin shot from a Gavin McGowan shot in the 85th minute forced a great save from Jackson. Extra time, though, loomed.

 

Andy Douglas had a hat-trick of chances in the first period of extra time. The first early on, a header from a corner, was cleared off the line, the second after 8 minutes a volley well saved and the thrid two minutes later this time going narrowly wide. Two minutes after that, though, it was Danny Gay's turn to save well, stopping a firm long range strike from Ashley Cooper. Harlow continued to frustrate us in the second period and we had another effort cleared off the line after 2 minutes. Harlow threatened occasionally on the break but the tie remained goalless and we went to penalties.

 

Harlow went first and Marvin Samuel, Vinnie John, Ashley Cooper and John Martin converted their kicks. Things looked promising for us when Harlow's third penalty, taken by Wayne Cort was saved by Gay, but we were back to even stevens when Andy Douglas had his penalty saved also. Beckett Hollenbach made it 3-2 after which Mark Graham hit the crossbar, leaving Leon Bell to win the game for the Hawks.

 

Line-up:- Gay, Gooding, Kerrigan, Adedeji, Matthews, J Martin, Graham, Locke (McGowan 61), John, Douglas, Keeling (Southon 84). Subs not used:- Rowland, Cowley, McCartney (GK)

[GazzaBTFC]

That is indeed football....

 

Piss take aside, a shock result but from what I've read, an entertaining game. But isn't that what cup matches are all about...Lower opposition having the rub of the green to get through to the next round?

 

Anyway, as I said, piss take aside, bad luck and now you can concentrate on securing a foothold in the new league structure.