FA Cup: Woking 3-2 Eastleigh

WOKING 3-2 EASTLEIGH

SATURDAY 23rd OCTOBER 2010

 

 

FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round

Report by Ray Murphy

Eastleigh disappointedly exited the FA Cup at the Fourth Qualifying Round stage to fellow Blue Square Bet South side Woking. In only their third ever time in reaching this stage of the competition, Eastleigh only had themselves to blame for not making the First Round for the second successive season.

Manager Ian Baird named an unchanged side for the third consecutive game and there were also places on the bench for the first action of the season for long-term injury victims Peter Adeniyi and Shaun McAuley.

So all seemed to be on the right path for Eastleigh especially when they took a lead inside the opening two minutes.

Having shown respect for the recently deceased Colin Lippiatt a well respected Woking and non-league football manager with a minute’s applause, Eastleigh took the opening of the game into their stride.

Only seventy-nine seconds had been played when Warren Goodhind’s lofted pass forward was headed away by Woking defender Mark Ricketts only for Luke Byles to play the ball first time into Richard Gillespie. Gillespie brought the ball under control before turning his defender at the edge of the box before curling a right foot shot that Woking goalkeeper Andrew Little managed to get a hand to but only to push on to the post before touching the back of the net to give Eastleigh the advantage.

Eastleigh should have increased that lead on seven minutes. Richard Graham cut inside his full back from the left flank and delicately clipped a right foot cross into the six-yard box where ex-Woking striker Jamie Slabber just could not get enough purchase on the ball to add to the tally, allowing Little to make the save.

Woking warned Eastleigh of their prowess after quarter of an hour when a free kick from their left flank from Ricketts was headed marginally over the bar by Moses Ademola. It was Eastleigh who were in control though and not really looking in any danger. On twenty minutes Goodhind's long throw was helped on by Tom Jordan at the near post and Graham’s shot hit the inside of the post then rolled back across the face of the goal with Gillespie agonisingly stretching but millimetres away from adding a finishing touch; but it was a relieved Woking defence that cleared the ball away. Eastleigh also saw a penalty appeal waved away when it appeared Gillespie had been clipped by Ricketts just inside the area.

With twenty-three minutes played Woking started to come more into the game with right-winger Ademola giving Eastleigh concerns. Ademola teased Byles before slipping the ball to Jerome Maledon on the edge of the area but the midfielder struck his effort wide of the target with Jason Matthews wrong footed.

Some sloppy play in the middle of the park on the half hour brought the Woking equaliser. Graham and Danny Smith were caught up in an exchange of passes which allowed Ademola a run at the Eastleigh defence, first skipping through Graham and Chris Holland before flicking the ball past Byles making himself time and space to play the ball into the feet of Maledon whose shot struck the inside of the post then hitting Matthews before rolling over the line, with Craig Faulconbridge on hand if it had needed a finishing touch. Maledon took the acclaim.

Some neat play by Woking three minutes later saw Elvis Hammond slip the ball into Ricketts who ran on only to see his effort saved by Matthews. Eastleigh then fell behind on forty-one minutes. Again it was Ademola the creator. Ademola collected a throw in from Ricky Anane, shrugged off a challenge from Byles, cut back inside before slipping the ball through a wall of Eastleigh defender's also out of the reach of Hammond but allowing the unmarked Faulconbridge arriving at the far post to drive home goal number two.

Two minutes later Eastleigh almost pulled themselves deservedly level. Another Goodhind long throw was headed away by Anane but only to Smith some thirty yards from goal whose volley brought an excellent stop from Little.

On forty-seven minutes Tony Taggart's cross brought a header from Gillespie which Little saved. Three minutes later as Woking looked to settle in to the second period, Hammond used his pace to get away from Holland racing into the area to be denied by Matthews. It was a minute later when Eastleigh again deservedly grabbed their equaliser. Byles started the move from the left back role feeding Gillespie who turned before playing the ball into the rampaging Anthony Riviere. Riviere outfoxed his defender before slipping the ball into the middle of the goal where the unmarked Slabber seemed to take an eternity in getting the ball out from under his feet then stabbed a low shot past Little.

A minute after Slabber had netted he almost added a second with a volley which was just wide, then a Byles long throw was flicked on by Holland - his flick reaching Slabber inside the six-yard box but the ball was not at a controllable height to allow him to hit the target.

With sixty-seven minutes played it was Woking who netted the third and crucial goal. Ademola collected the ball in the centre of the park flighting a ball over the top of Holland into the path of Hammond. Holland got his foot to the ball first but in attempting his clearance the ball struck Hammond and invitingly fell for the striker, ironically on loan from Sutton United in a deal that saw ex-Eastleigh striker Andy Forbes move in the opposite direction, Hammond just clipping the ball over the advancing Matthews. The Eastleigh defenders were convinced the striker had used his hand in bringing the ball under control.

The game opened up completely after that goal, half chances created at both ends in a typical cup-tie. On seventy minutes Jordan’s last ditch tackle on the edge of the box denied Maledon but the ball arrived for Faulconbridge who only managed to drive wide of the target. A minute later at the opposite end, all-out attack Eastleigh saw a Byles long throw cleared but only to Smith whose long range effort was off target.

With ten minutes remaining, following a Woking corner, Ryan Black's cross to the near post was headed over by Aswad Thomas. Eastleigh pushed men forward in search of the all-important equaliser and left themselves bare at the back. From one such rampage on the Woking goal, the ball was cleared giving Woking a three on one advantage on an attack as they sped from their own defensive duties. Again Ademola leading the charge but setting up substitute Dave Gilroy who shot weakly at Matthews.

It was good to see the return to action, albeit it for quarter of an hour for Adeniyi but Eastleigh tried to get back on level terms. The final chance arrived in the third minute of stoppage time. Goodhind's searching throw into the area found the head of Holland but the centre back could not find enough power to beat Little.

Woking - 231010