Ten Goals, 210 minutes, eight bookings, one sending off, one player taken to hospital, and at the end of all that drama St Albans City’s gruelling FA Trophy 2nd Round Qualifying tie with Billericay Town was decided on Tuesday by the dreaded penalty shoot-out ,with City holding their nerve to go through to face Chelmsford City on 16th November.
It is not difficult to have sympathy for Billericay given all that they put in to the two matches, but one cannot help but admire St Albans sheer resilience in seeing off the Isthmian League Premier Division side at a muddy New Lodge.
City looked a defeated side at half time as Billericay led by one goal after dominating for most of the opening 45 minutes.
But when skipper James Comley netted within two minutes of the restart the tide turned completely and it was the Saints who were now running the show.
But there was to be another twist when Billericay took the lead for the fourth time over the course of the two games before Elliot Bailey restored parity just 12 minutes from time.
From then on the tie really could have gone either way but it certainly looked to be going the way of The Blues when City defender Darren Locke was dismissed during the second half of extra time.
But the words St Albans and defeat have yet to find each other this season in knock out competitions and after successfully holding out during the remaining 12 minutes City, as they were in the League Cup at Leighton Town, perfection personified from the penalty spot and went through 4-2 courtesy of Comley, Lee Chappell, David Keenleyside and Harrison Georgiou.
As for the game itself City started brightly with Mark Nwokeji testing home keeper Billy Lumley early on.
But it was pretty much all Billericay during the first half hour or so and it was of little surprise when, on nine minutes, Chris Webber fired the Essex side ahead after Junior Luke had darted past Howard Hall and cut the ball across the face of the City goal.
But other than for a long run by Joe Benjamin, that ended with a weak punt through to Paul Bastock, and a header over the top by skipper Richard Halle from a Glenn Poole corner, the home side struggled to break down an impressive City defence in which teenager James Kaloczi was in particularly good form.
City almost drew level when a flicked on header by Comley to Bastock’s long kick led to a misunderstanding between Ryan Scott and his keeper.
Chappell was quickly onto the loose ball and shot low toward the near post only for George Beavan to make an excellent goalline clearance.
The second half though was less than two minutes old when City equalised.
Lumley punched away a Chris Watters cross but Comley picked up the pieces and from 25 yards shot right-footed to the left of Lumley who looked slow in going down, and was beaten just inside his left-hand upright for Comley’s first goal of the season.
Now it was City’s turn to press forward and any thoughts that the Saints would ease up with one eye on this weekend’s FA Cup tie with Mansfield Town were fully dispelled.
With the conditions towards the end St Albans were attacking deteriorating fast into a mud bath defending was undoubtedly going to become more difficult and City looked to be getting themselves into a most favourable position.
Town defender Paul Rodgers did extremely well to deny Mark Nwokeji when throwing his body in the way of a goal-bound shot after Lumley had failed to hold a low cross by Elliot Bailey.
But next it was Billericay’s turn, on 58 minutes, to show their determination and were presented with a goal scoring opportunity when Ryan Wharton, who made a series of outstanding tackles throughout the evening, was booked for rashly bringing down Benjamin.
From Poole’s in-swing free-kick on the Town right Ryan Scott darted towards the near post and smartly clipped home his first goal for the club.
Tackles started to fly in all over the pitch and referee Paul Kelly, despite some outrageous abuse from the home dug-out and sections of the main stand, did well to keep control.
City were facing still facing problems of another kind through the sheer physical presence and workload of the impressive Benjamin, his replacement on 75 minutes, Ricky Sappleton, hardly made any easier for the visitors.
Keenleyside, who was in inspired form, forced Lumley to dive full length to his left save a shot from around 28 yards, and when Billericay struggled to clear Comley’s corner Chris Henry chipped the ball into the penalty area where it brushed the face of the crossbar.
Lumley surpassed his save from Keenleyside when, on 78 minutes, dropping quickly to his right to keep out the lively Henry’s snap shot as City continued to press.
But it was only a temporary relief for the home side as from Comley’s near post corner Bailey, in for the suspended John Frendo, headed powerfully past Lumley.
City should have taken the lead shortly after when Keenleyside hooked the ball out to Henry but from his low cross from the left the free Bailey missed his kick in front of goal and Nwokeji, under pressure, scooped a shot well over the top.
A good chance went begging for Billericay when Poole floated a free kick over the City defence but Evans Kouassi could only head tamely straight through to Bastock, and moments later Sappleton also fired straight at Bastock from a tight angle.
Referee Kelly was kept busy with his cards as Ram Marwa, otherwise very effective in tidying up in front of the City defence, was booked for a needless challenge on Kouassi while Hall received a less deserved yellow card for fouling the same player.
As the game moved into extra time chances continued to come at either end with a fierce drive by Chappell being well taken by Lumley, who also tipped over a clever rising effort by Bailey before Bastock comfortably blocked a shot by Poole.
To their great credit in dire conditions, both sides went for the deciding and with a blistering effort that went narrowly wide Luke, in his 100th game for the club, almost won the game for Billericay.
Next it was the Saints turn to go close when a Nwokeji cross hit Halle and then Comley before rebounding to Bailey whose first time close range shot was quite superbly taken by Lumley.
With 12 minutes remaining City suffered a severe blow when Mr Kelly deemed Locke to have caught Webber with a two-footed challenge and duly dismissed the central defender. Locke protested his innocence and it certainly looked a harsh decision.
In the closing stages Bastock saved from Sean Bonnett-Johnson and Marwa, from a Chappell cross, saw his crisp header headed away close to the goal by Sappleton.
With time almost up Bailey had a shot very well blocked by Rodgers, while at the opposite end of the pitch Kouassi flashed a shot just wide.
Attacking intent was not lacking from either side but with there being no further goals the tie was to be decided by a penalty shoot out and when Billericay’s dead ball expert Poole missed with his kick St Albans quickly gained the upper hand.
City took control with Lumley beaten by Comley, Chappell – somewhat fortuitously with the ball bouncing over the legs of the diving keeper – and Keenleyside before Bastock saved Scott’s effort.
Eighteen year old Georgiou, currently on a three-month loan to St Albans from Leyton Orient, settled the issue when striking his spot kick high to the right of the clearly disappointed Lumley. |