We’d gone down fighting in the first game of the League season, however this was the cup. Would we face a team from the ‘A’ Division, the ‘C’, the ‘D’ or even the ‘E’? No, we had a team from our division which meant we would be facing them three times this season! For the very first time we had all 14 available and it was only our 9^th game! Nick was happy as we had no ref assigned, so he was able to don the black.

The line up was:

Joby

Sam B Callum Jack Joel

Josh Sam K Tom Max

Joe Dan

Substitutes: Dan, Mark & Spike

They threw down their left. Sam ducked his head to try to win the low ball, but the bounce evaded him and they were through. They shot, but it was high and wide. A great ball down the line from Sam K was chased by Tom, and in trying to turn towards goal he won a corner. He hit a perfect corner in, and not one player challenged for the ball as it went across the goal. It was headed up by one of their players and as it came down Max hit a volley which went just over. They hit a ball over the top which Callum was the first to. He tried to pass it towards Joby but it bobbled as he did so and didn’t go far enough. Joby raced out to try to get there, but their attacker got there first and nicked it past him 0-1. Virtually from the kick Sam K passed the ball through into the middle where Joe was unmarked. He took one touch then hit it high to the right past the ‘keeper 1-1. Callum raced back to stop an attack and got it to Sam B. He hit a hard ball into the attack and Chilly was through, but his shot was tipped away by a diving ‘keeper for a corner. They attacked down the right and crossed it over. It evaded everyone as we ran back to goal and their player was at the back post 1-2. Next up was a note of controversy. We attacked in numbers down the middle and the bouncing ball had their defence turned goalwards. A Bromley defender got his foot to it and hit it high back towards goal, although going wide of the ‘keeper. He got there and caught it and the ref decided that it was a deliberate passback. Now I’m not going to say whether I thought it was or not, however I have seen them given in the same situation in equal measures to those that are not given. Where the ref made his mistake however was the siting of the free kick. It should have been given from where the ‘keeper caught it, which was on the goal line, about three yards wide of the post, however it was actually given at the point where the player had passed it back from. This meant that we had an indirect free-kick centrally just outside of the area. Chilly took a touch and Tom found the top right of the net 2-2.

HALF-TIME : FRYS 2 BROMLEY 2

Sam K won the ball with a header and chased through. He had a shot which didn’t seem that hard, however the ‘keeper dived late and it nestled in the back of the net 3-2. Tom then won the ball in the middle of the field and hit it through where Dan was racing in and as the ‘keeper dived at his feet, Dan did a wonderful little chip up and to the side of the ‘keeper with the outside of his right foot and it was in 4-2. They attacked through and Joby was bravely at their feet to parry it, however he couldn’t hold so Mark blocked the way and they had to lay it off to shoot and Max was on the back post. They then hit a high ball over the top into the edge of our area. Joby started to come, then stopped, then started again then stopped, and was then stranded off of his line as their attacker held off two of our players to hit it high for the far post 4-3. Another ball into our area again saw us fail to clear it and a headed ball backwards saw their attacker in and that was that 4-4. They were through again and we didn’t clear the ball. Joby came diving out to make the block but it came loose. Their attacker followed in and hit it upwards at the goal, however Joel had got back onto the line and headed the ball up, off of the crossbar and down, where it was finally cleared. Into the final seconds and extra-time was looming. They attacked but again we underhit a passback and Joby was tackled as he tried to clear it. A melee ensued but it wasn’t fully cleared and a shot from just outside the area was hit. Spike had got back on the line but it just cleared his head and went in 4-5.

FULL-TIME : FRYS 4 BROMLEY 5

Man of the Match – Chosen by Andy for excellent play and effort – Sam K

Afterthoughts…………………………………………………

Well I have to say I’m stunned. After twice recovering from going a goal down we raced two goals clear only to let them back into the game! I have to say that I felt we tired badly at the end and so we will now be doing extra fitness at training so that this sort of thing doesn’t happen again.