Eastleigh's Penalty Punisher
EASTLEIGH v AFC WIMBLEDON
TUESDAY 28th NOVEMBER 2006
FA Trophy 3rd Qualifying Round – Replay
An exciting evenings entertainment was overshadowed by a penalty defeat for Eastleigh when really they could have won the game inside normal time. David Hughes, back from the flu, gave Eastleigh the lead eleven minutes from the end but Wombles substitute Scott Fitzgerald sent the game into extra time at the death. An almost carbon copy goal from Fitzgerald in the first half of extra time gave Wimbledon the advantage but Steve West’s header forced the dreaded penalties.
Had Eastleigh won it would have been the first time the club have reached the first round proper in the competition. This match of course, was as a result of Saturdays equally action packed 1-1 draw with both sides finishing with ten men. The only change for the Spitfires from the weekend was the fit again David Hughes replacing young midfielder Phil Cousins in the centre of midfield.
Wimbledon had a glorious opportunity after just four minutes. Byron Babb raced clean through on goal with the flag staying down, despite many shouts for offside. Instead of shooting, Babb chose to square the ball by which time Rob Marshall had recovered and cleared the danger.
The game was played at a very high tempo, and it made for excellent viewing for both sets of fans. There was no shortage of full-blooded tackles either with both teams determined to get through to the next round. David Hughes felt the full brunt of Lewis Cook early in the game before Danny Smith nipped the ankles of Babb five yards outside the Eastleigh penalty area.
Eastleigh’s first real attempt was thwarted with ease as Tarkan Mustafa failed to get the ball out of his feet quick enough from a superb Darren Wheeler cross, before the new signings shot was closed down and blocked.
Saturday’s goalscorer, Roscoe D’Sane, who forced an equaliser in front of home fans, looked lively throughout the game but some good defending managed to keep the striker under control in the first half. A Steve West missed header allowed the former Aldershot man in, but again Rob Marshall was there to sweep up the pieces and clear Eastleigh’s lines.
As the half came to it’s midway point, one of the floodlights nearest to James Pullen’s goal went out completely. Understandably the Eastleigh stopper was concerned about how this would affect him and made his thoughts clear to the referee disputing the decision to play on. Fortunately the light was restored fairly quickly and no harm was done.
The visitors continued to edge the first half as they created another opportunity. D’Sane was the architect with a perfect ball down the line with the outside of his boot for Byron Babb. Mr. Workrate himself, Jamie Brown was back to defend putting in an all-important last ditch challenge to save his side from going a goal down.
Then came very worrying signs for Eastleigh as the heart and soul of the back line was ripped out. Both Chris Collins (bruised ribs) and Rob Marshall (hamstring) limped off the pitch gingerly forcing Paul Doswell into a major reshape. Top goalscorer Andy Forbes reverted to centre half along with Steve West, with substitutes Martin Thomas and Liam Green slotting in at right back and left midfield respectively. Just as the injury problems looked to be dieing down slightly, there are now major concerns as to how quickly Collins and Marshall can return to full fitness.
After the Jamie Brown incident at the weekend where he was shown a straight red for an alleged elbow, Steve West was at the centre of controversy tonight. As West shrugged off competition for an aerial ball it looked as though, the oncoming Wimbledon player may have been caught in the face. The referee who was close to the action saw no problem with the challenge and it may have been one of those that looked a lot worse than it actually was.
A good move from Eastleigh five minutes from the end of the half was to be the beginning of a quick onslaught from the home side. Martin Thomas’ free kick from deep was well headed by Andy Forbes making a big leap at the back stick to pick out Jamie Brown. Brown managed to turn but couldn’t get a shot in, the chance eventually fading away. From the resulting corner Darren Wheeler put in a sweet corner from the left finding Brown superbly in the middle, who connected well and the ball flashed agonisingly over.
A brief respite from the Spitfires’ pressure for Wimbledon saw their number 9, Darren Grieves strike an excellent volley just wide of Pullen’s goal.
Moments later Brown had another chance to give Eastleigh the advantage. Tarkan Mustafa’s wizardry on the right side saw him cleverly evade two challenges before whipping in a delicious cross for Brown. For the second time in the game, Brown was on the end of it but failed to trouble Andy Little as the header flew harmlessly over.
In the closing stages of a very end-to-end first half containing bundles of goalmouth action, Steve West picked up the first yellow card of the game for impeding Roscoe D’Sane. Darren Grieves’ header flying past the far post was the last action before the break.
HALF TIME – Eastleigh 0-0 AFC Wimbledon
In much the same way as the first 45 minutes, both sides were equally quick out of the blocks. D’Sane linked up well with full back Simon Sweeney early on, whose inviting cross was cleared comfortably by the skipper Francis Benali.
Eastleigh’s first chance of the half came when a perfect interception from Andy Forbes on the halfway line was flicked on astutely by the maestro that is David Hughes with a first time pass into the path of Darren Wheeler. The pace of Wheeler can be a lot to handle at times but full credit to Lee Kersey who was across promptly to prevent any progress towards goal.
A good opportunity came Wheeler’s way a couple of minutes later when Eastleigh were rewarded a free kick following an unfair challenge on Jamie Brown. In a good position and just needing to hit the target, the ball was overhit, again not managing to force a save out of Little.
Andy Forbes came slightly closer with the next free kick in about the same position as the last as his deflected curling effort posed no real threat to Little.
Wimbledon then went for route one as a long kick up the park from the keeper very nearly materialised for Roscoe D’Sane, who if he could have brought it under control, would have been in a one on situation as the Wombles striker had already beaten the offside trap. Pullen, as ever was out to command his area once more to pick up the loose ball that bounced awkwardly off D’Sane in his attempt to bring it down.
On the hour, the best delivery of the game saw Liam Green whip in a quality cross from the left flank. The end product wasn’t quite as good with Jamie Brown missing his third header of the game failing to keep the ball down.
D’Sane, the constant menace for Eastleigh defenders, powered his way through before making room for the shot. The effort, however was weak as he was under pressure gifting Pullen with an easy save low down to his right.
With Wes Daly down in a heap, Eastleigh decided there was no reason to stop play, as Danny Smith brought the ball away with a fantastic pass into Darren Wheeler. A first time header from the former Weymouth midfielder found Brown with his back to goal who laid it off for David Hughes whose driving effort from way out sailed over the cross bar.
Wheeler, who grabbed the opening goal of the game on Saturday, very nearly conjured up something special again. His pace left his marker for dead leaving him with just the keeper to beat from the edge of the area. A tackle came in at the last second managing to get the smallest of deflections that took the ball away from its destination of the back of the net, and out for a corner. Jamie Brown had a fourth chance with his head from the corner but again failed to produce, on another day he would probably have taken at least two of these chances.
AFC Wimbledon came a whisker away from breaking the deadlock on 71 minutes. D’Sane made a promising run down the left before unselfishly squaring for Byron Babb. He struck it well enough with a blistering volley that shaved the edge of the post with Pullen beaten, leaving the Eastleigh stopper wondering just where his defence had got to.
Paul Doswell’s side turned on the style not for the first time in the tie as they created numerous chances within the space of a couple of minutes. Darren Wheeler’s spontaneous half volley forcing Little to back pedal and save and then Liam Green was put through by another excellent pass from Hughes but only managed to brush the side netting under little pressure.
Then came the goal, eleven minutes from time. It was beautifully crafted starting from Benali playing it to Danny Smith down the left. Smith’s killer ball was precise and immaculate for Wheeler who had his back to goal, six yards out as the Wombles failed to step up quickly enough. Out of nowhere DAVID HUGHES burst onto the scene taking the ball off Wheeler and slotting the ball into the bottom right hand corner to send the Silverlake Stadium into pandemonium. With such little time left, it looked as though Eastleigh had done enough to see the tie through and meet Aldershot in the next round.
AFC Wimbledon of the Ryman League had other ideas and left it to the death to give the many traveling fans hope.
Shortly after the goal, Tarkan Mustafa made way for Phil Cousins. Eastleigh could have extended their lead, none more so than when Jamie Brown was blatantly blocked on his path to goal by Lee Kersey, the last man who failed to make contact with the ball but caught Brown in another heated incident. The referee surprisingly saw no wrong in the foul and play went on.
The killer blow came one minute into injury time when substitute SCOTT FITZGERALD was left with the simplest of finishes at the back post. D’Sane played the ball out to the left where Cousins, out of position at right back, failed to intercept as it unfortunately slipped under his feet. It was poor defending from Eastleigh but if they had taken just one more of their several chances – there would have been no extra time and this late goal would have been no more than a consolation.
FULL TIME – Eastleigh 1-1 AFC Wimbledon
Two minutes from the end of the first half of extra time, a replica of Wimbledon’s dramatic late leveler in normal time saw FITZGERALD net his second of the game punishing the Spitfires for allowing him to go unopposed at the back post.
STEVE WEST saved the game momentarily when his powerful header beat Andy Little following a great ball in from Darren Wheeler. It was West’s first goal for the club since joining just over a month ago.
There were plenty more chances for either side despite tiredness settling in, but as a result of these two goals the tie had to be settled by the dreaded penalty shootout. AFC Wimbledon came out on top, this bringing to an end a classic cup tie that went right down to the wire.
Andy Forbes – 1-0
Roscoe D’Sane – 1-1
David Hughes – Saved, 1-1
Scott Fitzgerald – 1-2
Martin Thomas - 2-2
Lewis Cook - 2-3
Darren Wheeler – Saved, 2-3
Wes Daly – 2-4
JAMIE MONTIGUE
TUESDAY 28th NOVEMBER 2006
FA Trophy 3rd Qualifying Round – Replay
An exciting evenings entertainment was overshadowed by a penalty defeat for Eastleigh when really they could have won the game inside normal time. David Hughes, back from the flu, gave Eastleigh the lead eleven minutes from the end but Wombles substitute Scott Fitzgerald sent the game into extra time at the death. An almost carbon copy goal from Fitzgerald in the first half of extra time gave Wimbledon the advantage but Steve West’s header forced the dreaded penalties.
Had Eastleigh won it would have been the first time the club have reached the first round proper in the competition. This match of course, was as a result of Saturdays equally action packed 1-1 draw with both sides finishing with ten men. The only change for the Spitfires from the weekend was the fit again David Hughes replacing young midfielder Phil Cousins in the centre of midfield.
Wimbledon had a glorious opportunity after just four minutes. Byron Babb raced clean through on goal with the flag staying down, despite many shouts for offside. Instead of shooting, Babb chose to square the ball by which time Rob Marshall had recovered and cleared the danger.
The game was played at a very high tempo, and it made for excellent viewing for both sets of fans. There was no shortage of full-blooded tackles either with both teams determined to get through to the next round. David Hughes felt the full brunt of Lewis Cook early in the game before Danny Smith nipped the ankles of Babb five yards outside the Eastleigh penalty area.
Eastleigh’s first real attempt was thwarted with ease as Tarkan Mustafa failed to get the ball out of his feet quick enough from a superb Darren Wheeler cross, before the new signings shot was closed down and blocked.
Saturday’s goalscorer, Roscoe D’Sane, who forced an equaliser in front of home fans, looked lively throughout the game but some good defending managed to keep the striker under control in the first half. A Steve West missed header allowed the former Aldershot man in, but again Rob Marshall was there to sweep up the pieces and clear Eastleigh’s lines.
As the half came to it’s midway point, one of the floodlights nearest to James Pullen’s goal went out completely. Understandably the Eastleigh stopper was concerned about how this would affect him and made his thoughts clear to the referee disputing the decision to play on. Fortunately the light was restored fairly quickly and no harm was done.
The visitors continued to edge the first half as they created another opportunity. D’Sane was the architect with a perfect ball down the line with the outside of his boot for Byron Babb. Mr. Workrate himself, Jamie Brown was back to defend putting in an all-important last ditch challenge to save his side from going a goal down.
Then came very worrying signs for Eastleigh as the heart and soul of the back line was ripped out. Both Chris Collins (bruised ribs) and Rob Marshall (hamstring) limped off the pitch gingerly forcing Paul Doswell into a major reshape. Top goalscorer Andy Forbes reverted to centre half along with Steve West, with substitutes Martin Thomas and Liam Green slotting in at right back and left midfield respectively. Just as the injury problems looked to be dieing down slightly, there are now major concerns as to how quickly Collins and Marshall can return to full fitness.
After the Jamie Brown incident at the weekend where he was shown a straight red for an alleged elbow, Steve West was at the centre of controversy tonight. As West shrugged off competition for an aerial ball it looked as though, the oncoming Wimbledon player may have been caught in the face. The referee who was close to the action saw no problem with the challenge and it may have been one of those that looked a lot worse than it actually was.
A good move from Eastleigh five minutes from the end of the half was to be the beginning of a quick onslaught from the home side. Martin Thomas’ free kick from deep was well headed by Andy Forbes making a big leap at the back stick to pick out Jamie Brown. Brown managed to turn but couldn’t get a shot in, the chance eventually fading away. From the resulting corner Darren Wheeler put in a sweet corner from the left finding Brown superbly in the middle, who connected well and the ball flashed agonisingly over.
A brief respite from the Spitfires’ pressure for Wimbledon saw their number 9, Darren Grieves strike an excellent volley just wide of Pullen’s goal.
Moments later Brown had another chance to give Eastleigh the advantage. Tarkan Mustafa’s wizardry on the right side saw him cleverly evade two challenges before whipping in a delicious cross for Brown. For the second time in the game, Brown was on the end of it but failed to trouble Andy Little as the header flew harmlessly over.
In the closing stages of a very end-to-end first half containing bundles of goalmouth action, Steve West picked up the first yellow card of the game for impeding Roscoe D’Sane. Darren Grieves’ header flying past the far post was the last action before the break.
HALF TIME – Eastleigh 0-0 AFC Wimbledon
In much the same way as the first 45 minutes, both sides were equally quick out of the blocks. D’Sane linked up well with full back Simon Sweeney early on, whose inviting cross was cleared comfortably by the skipper Francis Benali.
Eastleigh’s first chance of the half came when a perfect interception from Andy Forbes on the halfway line was flicked on astutely by the maestro that is David Hughes with a first time pass into the path of Darren Wheeler. The pace of Wheeler can be a lot to handle at times but full credit to Lee Kersey who was across promptly to prevent any progress towards goal.
A good opportunity came Wheeler’s way a couple of minutes later when Eastleigh were rewarded a free kick following an unfair challenge on Jamie Brown. In a good position and just needing to hit the target, the ball was overhit, again not managing to force a save out of Little.
Andy Forbes came slightly closer with the next free kick in about the same position as the last as his deflected curling effort posed no real threat to Little.
Wimbledon then went for route one as a long kick up the park from the keeper very nearly materialised for Roscoe D’Sane, who if he could have brought it under control, would have been in a one on situation as the Wombles striker had already beaten the offside trap. Pullen, as ever was out to command his area once more to pick up the loose ball that bounced awkwardly off D’Sane in his attempt to bring it down.
On the hour, the best delivery of the game saw Liam Green whip in a quality cross from the left flank. The end product wasn’t quite as good with Jamie Brown missing his third header of the game failing to keep the ball down.
D’Sane, the constant menace for Eastleigh defenders, powered his way through before making room for the shot. The effort, however was weak as he was under pressure gifting Pullen with an easy save low down to his right.
With Wes Daly down in a heap, Eastleigh decided there was no reason to stop play, as Danny Smith brought the ball away with a fantastic pass into Darren Wheeler. A first time header from the former Weymouth midfielder found Brown with his back to goal who laid it off for David Hughes whose driving effort from way out sailed over the cross bar.
Wheeler, who grabbed the opening goal of the game on Saturday, very nearly conjured up something special again. His pace left his marker for dead leaving him with just the keeper to beat from the edge of the area. A tackle came in at the last second managing to get the smallest of deflections that took the ball away from its destination of the back of the net, and out for a corner. Jamie Brown had a fourth chance with his head from the corner but again failed to produce, on another day he would probably have taken at least two of these chances.
AFC Wimbledon came a whisker away from breaking the deadlock on 71 minutes. D’Sane made a promising run down the left before unselfishly squaring for Byron Babb. He struck it well enough with a blistering volley that shaved the edge of the post with Pullen beaten, leaving the Eastleigh stopper wondering just where his defence had got to.
Paul Doswell’s side turned on the style not for the first time in the tie as they created numerous chances within the space of a couple of minutes. Darren Wheeler’s spontaneous half volley forcing Little to back pedal and save and then Liam Green was put through by another excellent pass from Hughes but only managed to brush the side netting under little pressure.
Then came the goal, eleven minutes from time. It was beautifully crafted starting from Benali playing it to Danny Smith down the left. Smith’s killer ball was precise and immaculate for Wheeler who had his back to goal, six yards out as the Wombles failed to step up quickly enough. Out of nowhere DAVID HUGHES burst onto the scene taking the ball off Wheeler and slotting the ball into the bottom right hand corner to send the Silverlake Stadium into pandemonium. With such little time left, it looked as though Eastleigh had done enough to see the tie through and meet Aldershot in the next round.
AFC Wimbledon of the Ryman League had other ideas and left it to the death to give the many traveling fans hope.
Shortly after the goal, Tarkan Mustafa made way for Phil Cousins. Eastleigh could have extended their lead, none more so than when Jamie Brown was blatantly blocked on his path to goal by Lee Kersey, the last man who failed to make contact with the ball but caught Brown in another heated incident. The referee surprisingly saw no wrong in the foul and play went on.
The killer blow came one minute into injury time when substitute SCOTT FITZGERALD was left with the simplest of finishes at the back post. D’Sane played the ball out to the left where Cousins, out of position at right back, failed to intercept as it unfortunately slipped under his feet. It was poor defending from Eastleigh but if they had taken just one more of their several chances – there would have been no extra time and this late goal would have been no more than a consolation.
FULL TIME – Eastleigh 1-1 AFC Wimbledon
Two minutes from the end of the first half of extra time, a replica of Wimbledon’s dramatic late leveler in normal time saw FITZGERALD net his second of the game punishing the Spitfires for allowing him to go unopposed at the back post.
STEVE WEST saved the game momentarily when his powerful header beat Andy Little following a great ball in from Darren Wheeler. It was West’s first goal for the club since joining just over a month ago.
There were plenty more chances for either side despite tiredness settling in, but as a result of these two goals the tie had to be settled by the dreaded penalty shootout. AFC Wimbledon came out on top, this bringing to an end a classic cup tie that went right down to the wire.
Andy Forbes – 1-0
Roscoe D’Sane – 1-1
David Hughes – Saved, 1-1
Scott Fitzgerald – 1-2
Martin Thomas - 2-2
Lewis Cook - 2-3
Darren Wheeler – Saved, 2-3
Wes Daly – 2-4
JAMIE MONTIGUE
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