Match Report: Fleet Town 2(2p)-2(3p) Amersham Town
Fleet Town welcomed Amersham Town, who play a level below Fleet in Combined Counties Division One, although well clear at the top of that division, to The Mustard Seed Stadium on what turned out to be a wet Saturday afternoon for this 1st Round Proper tie in the FA Vase. With all the rain earlier in the week, there had been a dry enough slot for the ground staff to prepare the usual excellent playing surface for this important match.
With the crowd gathering and pre match warm ups completed, the heavens opened about ten minutes before kick off. Once the game got underway, accurate passing became an important element of the game, with the ball skipping off the slick wet surface, it was Amersham that appeared to settle to the conditions better, early on. After a quarter of an hour the visitors made their possession and chances pay when Harry Bennett crossed the ball into the middle of the box, it was knocked back to Gurkan Gokmen waiting on the edge of the area to hit a shot, which flew past Callum Smart into the left side of the net, to put Amersham ahead. After giving away several free kicks and what appeared to be two or three final warnings Luke Preedy of Amersham was finally shown a Yellow Card on 27 minutes. From an Amersham free kick, taken by Louis Stead, the ball was headed on in the middle of the box to fall to the feet of Jonny O’Sullivan to shoot and score to put Amersham 2-0 ahead on 28 minutes.
As the heaviest of the rain eased, Fleet got themselves back into the game when Mohamed Konte ran down the left and clipped the ball towards the near post where Louis Blake was waiting and under close pressure from a defender, he was able to clip the ball past Ryan Lehane in the Amersham goal and score for Fleet after 35 minutes. Fleet kept the ball well and knocked it around between themselves in midfield, looking for an opening, when the chance presented the ball was knocked forward to Sam Marks out on the right, his cross found the head of Connor Young, but Connor’s header went over the bar. After the slow build up of that move, the next attack was a quick deep ball forward to Brad Manning in the box, Brad was hauled down and a Penalty awarded to Fleet Town. Connor Young placed the ball and waited for all of the complaints to clear, when the referee was ready he blew for the kick to be taken and Connor steered the ball into the bottom right corner of the goal as Lehane dived the other way and Fleet had pulled the game back to 2-2, after 42 minutes. Fleet could have snatched the lead before half time when Mihail Marinescu was through and shot, keeper Lehane was able to stick a leg out to kick the ball away off the goal line. Half time came with the game level at 2-2.
Fleet poured forward from the kick off looking for an early goal, Louis Blake played the ball out to Sam Marks on the left, taking the ball into the corner before playing in his cross, the ball was knocked back to Luke Phair on the edge of the box, but Luke’s shot rose and cleared the cross bar. Amersham’s Luke Preedy did not learn any lessons from the first half and he soon earned himself his second Yellow Card and was shown a Red and had to leave the field, Amersham were left with almost the whole second half to survive with only ten players. Amersham noticeably slowed play down and contain the play of Fleet Town. Only late in the half as Amersham tired were Fleet able to make their man advantage count for something and create the opening they had been looking for all half. Fareed Hakeem-Habeeb run up the right was able to knock the ball back to Connor Young, his shot was almost straight at keeper Lehane who blocked it, the ball ran loose to Louis Blake, he shot but it passed wide of the post. Fleet had a loud penalty shout when sub, T.J. Taylor went down in the box from a strong challenge but the referee waved away all their appeals. Similarly a minute later Fareed Hakeem-Habeeb was left in a heap on the ground right under the nose of the linesman but nothing was given. Into added time another chance for Fleet to get a winner, a cross was played into Connor Young, he shot to the left of the keeper but Lehane dived towards it and stretched his arm and was bale to palm the ball away. Full time was reached and the score remained at 2-2. But in this post covid era there are no replays in this competition and no extra time now, the game being decided by the lottery of a Penalty shootout.
The shootout was taken at the top end of the ground in front of a bank of Fleet supporters, as Fleet had been attacking that end in the second half. Fleet had the pressure or advantage of taking the first kick :
Connor Young repeated his Penalty from the match, into the bottom right corner of the net as Lehane dived the other way again (1-0). Jake Tabor for Amersham lifted his Penalty over the bar (1-0). Louis Blake for Fleet had his kick saved by Lehane (1-0). Louis Stead for Amersham had his kick saved by Callum Smart (1-0). T.J. Taylor for Fleet had his kick saved by Lehane (1-0). Louis Bircham scored for Amersham (1-1). Luke Phair for Fleet fired his kick too high for Lehane to reach but hit the underside of the bar and the ball bounced out (1-1). Harley Sells scored with his kick for Amersham (1-2). Sam Marks scored for Fleet (2-2), so it came down to the last kick and up stepped ex Fleet Town player Meshash Williams to take it for Amersham and he scored for Amersham to win the shoot out 3-2 and earn a place in the next round.
FLEET TOWN:
1 Callum Smart, 2 Bradley Manning, 3 Mohamed Konte, 4 Joshua Nunes, 5 Liam Pestle, 6 Rayon Atkinson, 7 Mihail Marinescu, 8 Luke Phair, 9 Louis Blake, 10 Connor Young, 11 Sam Marks.
SUBS:
15 T.J. Taylor (on for Konte 66 mins), 18 Fareed Hakeem-Habeeb (on for Marinescu 81 mins). Not Used 12 Olu Ayodeji, 14 Naz Miah, 16 George Mackie, 17 Callum Mackie, 19 Malcolm Dixon.
Fleet Town are back in action on Tuesday night at The Mustard Seed Stadium with a home League match v Cobham.
