With an opportunity to visit a new ground tomorrow in the FA Vase (weather permitting!), I decided to stay local today and head down to Wick Lane to see Downton take on Western League 1 side Cadbury Heath.
I arrived at the ground to find a lot of people sporting red and white scarfs - it turned out the first 50 people through the door got one for free. There was a lot of local interest as this is the first time that Downton have reached this stage in the tournament. Some of the youngsters near me were trying to work out how many games Downton would have to win before they reached Wembley - cup fever was in the air!
The first period of the match went by really quickly as both teams tried to break the other's defence down. Cadbury Heath started to dominate and hit a shot just over the bar in the 16th minute. Downton tried to replicate this a minute later only to see the ball go into orbit. Cadbury won a couple of corners and showed an unusual preference for an outswinging cross to the edge of the area rather than inswingers into the box. From one of these outswingers we saw another 'navigational error' with a shot that almost hit the corner flag.
Downton gave away a freekick on the left side level with the penalty area after 23 minutes. The ball was crossed in and found a Cadbury head to power the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal with the Downton keeper left standing.
After celebrating the goal and winning the ball back from the kick off they put together some sustained pressure on the Downton goal. A mishit shot was deflected wide for a corner which Downton cleared before an unchallenged run through the middle saw the ball fly just wide of the post.
Downton have been playing well this season but there was little evidence of this in their first half performance. In the 27th minute a free kick was wasted when a high ball to the outskirts of the penalty area was headed past the keeper but on the wrong side to go well wide. Western hit a screamer in the 38th minute that flew across the goalmouth from an acute angle and wide.
It took a last ditch tackle to keep the deficit down in the 43rd minute as Cadbury Heath broke down the right and an inviting ball was played into the middle. Downton seemed to be their worst enemies at time with weak goal kicks and hopeful long balls that were easy to clear.
At the start of the second half Downton brought on the experience of Matt Holmes and he steadied the midfield with some intelligent passes and runs. Both teams made further substitutions due to injuries before Downton scored an unlikely equaliser in the 60th minute. The ball came into the area, was cleared to the edge before a great shot was deflected past the keeper who was diving to cover the trajectory of the original shot.
Downton almost gave away another goal three minutes later when they failed to clear the ball and were lucky to have another defender on hand to put the ball out for a corner when it came across the area. Cadbury Heath missed an even better chance a minute later after a superb dribble along the touchline led to the ball being crossed into the middle. From a yard out, an unmarked Cadbury Heath player had plenty of time to head the ball but could only put it straight at the keeper.
The pressure finally told in the 70th minute when a Cadbury Heath player took the ball forward and wasn't closed down. He took aim from outside the penalty area and his low shot went between the keeper's dive and the left post to hit the back of the net.
Downton weren't going to give the game up and as the sun set to give us a spectacular red skyline they made their last substitution and pushed players forward to try and get the equaliser. This plan worked to a treat as within four minutes they were level.
Gulliver won the ball on the edge of the area and put in a superb floating cross towards the centre. As the Cadbury Heath keeper came out for the ball McGregor and another Downton player challenged for it and one of them managed to poke the ball past the keeper and in. There were big celebrations on and off the pitch and Downton almost took the lead a minute later when a header flew just wide of the post.
In the 85th minute Downton were almost in on goal again but the final pass let them down. There was certainly some nervous tension around the ground as both sets of spectators wondered if their side would score again before extra time. This tension seemed to affect the players as there was a melee in the centre after two visiting players were injured after trying to tackle Downton players.
The referee had to add on some injury time for this and an earlier stoppage. Cadbury Heath's keeper started to take his kicks quickly and from one of his long clearances the ball ended up on the left side. The ball was brought forward down the wing and then passed into the centre. The Downton defence wasn't covering one of their opponents there and he slammed a shot into the back of the net with moments left to play.
Once the players returned to the area and the subs back to the bench, Downton launched a last ditch effort to try and equalise for the third time. The long ball was dealt with eventually by the Cadbury defence but a late tackle led to another melee of players with some pushing and shoving as tempers flared over. Once the referee had the game back under control there was no time left so as the freekick was hit upfield the final whistle went. A disappointing end to the cup dreams for the home team after a stirring comeback in the second half.
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