15.9.15 - FA cup 1st Qualifying round - Matlock Town

Drawn against a team two leagues above us meant most Bay fans were thinking that it was the end of our FA cup run for the year. At one point the dreaded manflu looked to be winning over its battle with my body and a trip to Hillheads might have to be cancelled. The boy Mark came to my rescue with the offer of a lift and I managed to beat off the strength-sapping effects of this scurrilous virus!
Everyone was there tonight: except for the wavering Bob and Moira (very suspicious their continued support for North Shields in these mixed times for the Mighty Bay).

Shanksy!

Bovril and bubbles....great!

It all seemed to be going swimmingly as Shanks out-muscled a visiting defender on the winger before beating George Willis in the visiting goal. In the only worrying attack, Chris Reid had to be called upon to dramatically scissor / overhead kick the ball off the line with Andy Jennison beaten. Things got even better when Shanks hit the post and it rebounded perfectly for Chuck Norris to slam in the rebound on the volley. The half time whistle blew and apart from the brilliance of Reid, Matlock had hardly threatened and their whinging, hand-balling and play-acting tactics every time they didn't get the ball had got them nowhere: apart from a booking for Shanksy..but so what! We were quite confident and relaxed heading off for our half time teas and Bovrils. The cafe culture at Whitley was continuing to take shape so the lads took the opportunity to relax in the Bay Hot Tub that Tommy from the Tea Emporium must have knocked up after the Bishops game when Jane had thought it might be a nice addition, bet Bob and Moira wished they had been there! This was all to be our undoing!

Bang! Ten minutes in the second half, Joel Purkiss turned the ball in after a scramble around the Bay net then Shanks tried to keep a ball in that had just gone out and was sent off. Worse was to follow when Speedster Williamson went in for a 50-50 ball. Both him and a visiting defender dived in with equal determination but the visitor rolled around on the ground in distress (obviously) and the young man from Bristol City was off. With no attackers, the Bay were contented to hump the ball down the wings for the final 11 minutes and hope that was enough. Unfortunately 5 minutes from time another scramble resulted in the equaliser - the optimism had been replaced by anger at the ref's performance. The rumour that he was a Mackem sent from on high to disturb any Geordie team could not be confirmed but seemed likely. Two passing Police Officers arrived to calm the baying crowd of over 40s and under 18s but thought it all quite amusing so soon carried on with their beat. Back on the pitch, Jennison superbly tipped a Matlock shot over the bar in the last minute but there weren't many that could see the Bay hanging out for the whole of extra time without conceding. The FA gods were looking elsewhere with their favour and that was reflected in the grim silence that descended upon Hillheads. The hot tub time machine had gone for the Bay!

What can we do now, Paddy?

The ref continued his incompetence in extra time, booking the wrong Town player for a foul and ignoring most of the Bay's appeals for freekicks and awarding the visitors a freekick every time the wind changed direction. The home resistance seemed to have ended nine minutes into extra time when another scramble in the Whitley box ended in visiting Jack Siddall mis-hitting the ball and it trickled, seemingly apologetically, into the net. The first away goal we had witnessed at our end of the ground only confirmed the inevitable: we were out of the FA Cup for another year.
Up until half time of extra time, the team seemed to share the mood of the fans and were content to defend then clear the ball forward to non-existent forwards. However into the second half of extra time and Paddy and the boys seemed to have decided to have a go and things started happening around the visiting box and it wasn't the return of the hot tub! Frantic passes forward started ending up at Bay playing feet and they started attacking. Matlock seemed to have relaxed, convinced that they were through as well and so corner after corner came in and the defence panicked while the Bay attacked like wild demons. Jennison came up for every corner, leaving Chris MacDonald to guard the back although he was desperate to get involved himself. Most of the crowd roared him forward but Paddy was having none of it and told him to stay put....which was just as well as he was able to snuff out any of the breakaways. Apart from a loan effort that trickled towards the goal-line and out, he and the rest of the defence that sprinted back whenever things broke down, did an amazing job: not that there seemed much point in doing it.
Nae! Doom-merchants begone! For those amongst us who had expected the worst, there was an amazing finish. A stabbed shot, possibly from Aristotle, rolled wide with the keeper stranded seconds earlier. That was it! The ref then looked at his watch as he awarded another Bay corner. It was last gasp saloon time! The tumbleweed was drifting across the pitch and the vultures were waiting on the clubhouse roof, eating a mixture of scampi and bacon fries, when the corner was swung in one last time. This time Chris 'wonderkid' Reid headed in. Hillheads went wild.
Penalties it was....we charged around behind the goal, cheered the Bay heroes as they slammed all their penalties and barracked the Town players as they missed two of theirs and at the end of it all we won. Exhausted we floated home: 10:30 finish for football! Not bad value for the entertainment!
Full penalty shootout:

https://youtu.be/kqUMhTjaxlo

Getinthebag! Congleton Town next!