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| Witney United 4 Chinnor 2 AET - So near but yet so far |
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Hellenic Premier Division side Witney United were given an almighty fright
at Marriotts Stadium as Chinnor surrendered a two-goal lead to eventually
succumb in extra time, having been in command for an hour of the contest.
The away side’s performance was all the more encouraging given that the
squad had been whittled down to the bare bones by a series of injuries,
suspensions and other unavailabilities. Seventeen year old Ben Marshall
became Chinnor’s sixth keeper of the season, while Gareth Herbert made his
first start of the season on the right side of midfield and Darren Peverill
and Gary Marshall returned to the starting line-up. Neil Pearson, the most
senior player by five years, was handed the captain’s armband.
If the assembled crowd were expecting a routine Witney victory, they
received a surprise jolt almost immediately; when Gary Marshall’s seemingly
harmless 25 yard shot somehow squirmed from the grasp of Sean Purcell and
trickled into the corner of the net. The bizarre nature of the goal clearly
unsettled the home side and Chinnor were causing numerous problems with some
crisp, inventive football. From one such move, a link-up between Ben Hinton
and Ryan Davis saw Ed Janes force a save from Purcell. It was not long
though before Chinnor did double their advantage, as Pearson swung in an
inviting free kick and Nik Rhodes headed home unchallenged to make it 2-0 to
the visitors inside twenty minutes.
Witney were struggling to create anything at this point, although they were
beginning to exert some pressure on the Chinnor defence but several
set-pieces came to nothing. Their best chance of the half eventually came
about when full back Omar Takriti found himself in some space down the right
and fed Mark Habbershaw, but he shot wide of the target from an angle.
Chinnor were a constant threat on the break, as the midfield continued to
find Davis’ feet and with space to work in he was able to pick out the
willing runners time and again. From one such move, Davis sidestepped
Takriti on the halfway line and set Herbert free but he was unable to extend
the lead as he shot wide. Then, on the stroke of half time, came what
transpired to be the turning point of the match. Herbert was again put
through on goal and when Purcell could only half block his effort, Janes
appeared to be on hand to stab the rebound home, having won the race with
Tom Smith to the loose ball. However the referee had spotted some minimal
contact as Janes challenged for the ball and inexplicably the goal was
disallowed. Even the Witney players seemed surprised at the generosity of
the decision.
Half-time: 0-2
Naturally, Chinnor expected a Witney backlash at the start of the second
half but despite a couple of efforts they were repelling the threat fairly
well and their task was made easier when Habbershaw, who’d earlier been
booked after a scuffle with Danny Warner, was shown a second yellow card for
kicking the ball away. With nothing to lose, Witney made a double
substitution and threw caution to the wind. It paid off when Chinnor could
only half clear a corner and Witney skipper John McMahon curled a shot over
Marshall from 25 yards. Chinnor’s goal then led a charmed life as first
Jamie Cook lost his footing as he seemed set to equalise and then a Lee
Keyes effort was somehow deflected over the crossbar. However, the reprieve
was only temporary as on 68 minutes, Ben Hinton was adjudged to have bundled
over the onrushing Steve Knight and the referee awarded the penalty although
it seemed as if the offence may well have been committed outside the box.
Keyes drilled home the penalty and it was all square. At this stage, the
safe money would have been on Witney winning inside 90 minutes but it was
Chinnor who finished the game the stronger. After manager Carr made the
decision to push an extra man up front, Witney rode their luck to reach
extra time. Hinton twice went close with shots from outside the box before
the best chance came when Herbert advanced clean in on goal but shot against
Purcell’s legs. The final action of normal time came when Purcell pushed
Davis’ stinging drive over the bar.
Full-time: 2-2
Extra-time was only a minute old when this topsy-turvy cup tie took a cruel
and deciding twist for Chinnor. Warner’s clearance in the left-back area
was charged down by substitute Knight and somehow the rebound arrowed fully
20 yards on the angle past the stranded Marshall. Unsurprisingly Chinnor
were rocked by this fluke strike and although they continued to attack in
numbers, tired legs made chances hard to come by. It was almost inevitable
then that with so many people committed forward, chances would come on the
break. So it proved as Cook went on a marauding run that started in his own
half, leaving defenders trailing in his wake, before being upended by
Marshall. Keyes converted his second spot-kick and the game was up for
Chinnor. There was almost time for a seventh goal in the game when Davis’
cross-shot somehow evaded both the far post and the stretching limbs of
Marshall and Hinton.
A.E.T: 4-2
So it is Witney who advance to a meeting with Abingdon United in the next
round, whilst Chinnor must settle for the Supplementary Cup. At times
though, Chinnor ran their more illustrious opponents ragged and with several
players finding their best form, the Chinnor management will be hoping for
more of the same but the right result against Finchampstead – a team who
have proved notoriously difficult opponents for them in the past.
Team: Ben Marshall; Darren Peverill, Nik Rhodes, Danny Warner, Neil Pearson
(c); Gareth Herbert, Gary Marshall, Mark Jones, Ben Hinton; Ed Janes, Ryan
Davis. Subs not used – Darren Gregory, Richard Carr. |
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