Match report: Brockenhurst 6-4 Fleet Town
Fleet Town crashed out of this seasons FA Cup at the first hurdle, going out in an exciting open goal fest down on a slick rain soaked pitch in the New Forest to Wessex League Brockenhurst.
Inside five minutes Fleet carved out a great opening but the final shot passed the wrong side of the post, but Brockenhurst took the lead after 8 minutes, they crossed the ball in from the left but it ran all the way though without an attacker or defender reaching it, the home side were able to collect the ball out on the right and lifted it back into the box where Elliot Simpson was able to touch the ball home to give Brockenhurst the lead. only five minutes later things got worse for Fleet when Liam Dixon forced his way between two Fleet defenders on the edge of the box and from that central position drove the ball past the dive of Jordan Brown into the corner of the net and Brockenhurst found themselves two goals up. Fleet continued to create chances, Luke trice taking a free kick from the right into the box, towards the far post, finding a Fleet head the effort passed wide of the post. Fleet’s afternoon was made more difficult when Louis Blake picked up a Red Card for his reaction to a bad challenge on him and Fleet were left to play out 70 minutes with only ten players.
Regrouping from this setback, after a long run down the right Fareed Hakeem-Habeeb crossed the ball and after a bit of a scramble Connor Young planted the ball into the net to pull a goal back on 27 minutes and only a minute later another ball in by Fareed found Connor Young and he scored again to level the game up. As the half drew to a close it was Fleet having the best chances, a shot and a header both going just wide, but the score remained 2-2 at the break.
It was Brockenhurst that went to the bench first bringing on Leon Borges at the start of the second half and as they took the game to Fleet gave themselves two early chances but both efforts went wide of the target. Then on 53 minutes Fleet went ahead for the first time in the game, a shot from Onome Emovon was only blocked by the keeper and Fareed Hakeem-Habeeb was first to the loose ball to force the ball into the net. Fleet only held the lead for 2 minutes before Brockenhurst sub Leon Borges got on the scoresheet and the game was all level again at 3-3. On the hour mark Connor Young crossed the ball into the six yard box and under no pressure a Brockenhurst defender steered the ball past his own keeper to put Fleet 4-3 ahead. This time Fleet held the lead for 8 minutes before Tom Sykes scored for the hosts to make it 4-4. As the game wore on play was being stretched and Brockenhurst had more of the ball, as the home side drove forward on their right Jordan Brown came out to meet the player and ball but a quick cross took him out of the equation and the ball found the head of Marcelo Rossi in the left half of the box and his powerful header found the net to put Brockenhurst back in front 5-4 after 77 minutes. With Fleet pressing for an equaliser a breakaway from the hosts forced Fleet to give them a corner, from this on 87 minutes the ball was headed in by Leon Borges for the home sides sixth goal to seal the game.
Brockenhurst go through and will be away to Isthmian League side Horndean in the next round.
FLEET TOWN:
1 Jordan Brown, 2 Joshua Nunes, 4 Luke Trice, 5 James Gorman, 6 Mohamed Konte, 7 Fareed Hakeem- Habeeb, 8 Ayub Kadiri, 9 Louis Brown, 10 Connor Young, 11 Samuel Marks, 18 Onome Emovon
SUBS:
3 Callum Mackie (on for Nunes 56 mins), 12 George Mackie (on for Hakeem-Habeeb 62 mins), 14 Tommy Taylor, 15 Jeremiah Achina, 16 Naz Miah, 17 Michael Colfer (on for Kadiri 56 mins), 20 Alvin Walters
