Match Report
R.U.R. Cup- Third Round
| Horsham YMCA 2 Jarvand 42,86 |
Three Bridges 2 Massaro 53 Webber 90 |
Date:4th November 2003 Location:Gorings Mead
Source Russel Staves, West Sussex County Times
YM MANAGER John Suter shouldered the blame after his side lost a dramatic penalty shootout to Three Bridges in the RUR Cup on Tuesday night.
The teams were locked at 2-2 with two minutes of extra-time remaining when Suter threw on Phil Churchill and Marwan Alafandi as specialist penalty takers.
Churchill buried his penalty to make it 3-3 in the shootout after Paul Young and the returning Phil Fitzgerald had also held their nerve to score and the it went to sudden death when Steve Davies and Matt Duffield beat Bridges keeper Alan Mansfield.
With the scores at 5-5, James Plumley flung himself to his left to save former YM defender Scott Langridge's penalty and the stage was set as Alafandi stepped up with glory just a kick away. The Gorings Mead crowd fell quiet in anticipation as Alafandi casually stepped up but the substitute hit his penalty straight down Mansfield's throat.
David Oakes equalised Damian Webber's excellent penalty and YM had another great chance to seal the tie when Plumley saved Clay Lamont's low effort. But veteran defender Peter Durrant missed his chance of being on the bottom of the team bundle by crashing the ball against the bar.
With all the drama it was like the infamous scene from the Dirty Harry film as the spectators got in a muddle trying to work out how many penalties had been struck, but Chris Hughes kept his cool to send Plumley the wrong way for a 7-6 lead.
Andy Lutwyche has been enjoying his spot in the limelight since appearing on The Salon but after another faultless performance at the heart of the defence struck his penalty against the bar to send the Bridges players into a mass celebration.
"It was my fault," admitted Suter. "I should never have got in the position where Marwan Alafandi was taking a penalty. He was the least experienced player and had not had a kick all game. I should not have tampered with it."
Earlier in the evening, Ramin Jarvand had put YM ahead in the 42nd minute with a goal good enough to win any game. Duffield's pass was slightly behind Jarvand but the striker hooked the ball into his path with a flick Thierry Henry would have been proud of before firing a left foot volley across the keeper from the edge of the box.
Bridges' marksman Pat Massaro underlined his status as one of the division's best forwards with a deft control and expert finish past Plumley to equalise eight minutes after the break.
Jarvand looked like he had won it when he deflected Young's low drive past Mansfield with four minutes left and Duffield should have made it three moments later but he steered Davies' cross past the far post. The Horsham skipper had earlier missed a golden chance when he was unmarked but headed wide from eight yards.
In the sixth minute of time added on, Bridges struck a cruel blow when Webber powered a header past Plumley from close range. YM had enough time to kick off before referee David Smith blew his whistle.
"It was the last touch of the game, it was heartbreaking when it happened and gave them something out of the game they did not deserve," complained Suter.
Amongst all the doom and gloom, at least the YM boss could take some satisfaction from a performance in which his side more than matched an opposition who are tipped for league success and reputedly pay weekly wages that would make your eyes pop out.
"They had a few players out, so did we, but they were not as good as I imagined they would be. We played some good football and the only thing you can take out of it is that we were better than them," said Suter.
The wet pitch made it a tricky night for keepers but there was little in the way of goalmouth incidents as the two teams put the feelers out in a drab opening spell. The fireworks over Queen Street were more of a spectacle until the game caught alight in the 23rd minute when a last ditch tackle from Lutwyche deflected behind Massaro's strike after the free-scoring forward had twisted and turned to work himself an opening.
The chance marked an end to YM's early domination and for a period it looked like Bridges might take the initiative and press forward in search of goals.
But it was YM who should have taken the lead, and only two good saves from Mansfield kept the scores level. First the keeper turned behind Jarvand's near post strike and from the resulting corner, he made a wonderful one handed save to keep out Durrant's towering header.
Jarvand showed the merits of shooting across the keeper when he put YM ahead four minutes later and the general feeling amongst the spectators cupping warm mugs of tea at half-time was that it was a deserved lead.
The goalscorer had the first meaningful chance in the second half when he blazed the ball over the bar and his effort was a stark contrast to the cool head and predatory instincts Massaro displayed to equalise a minute later.
Massaro's close control and quick feet were a constant menace and Plumley had to go to ground quickly to prevent the Bridges' striker doubling his tally in the 57th minute after another mazy dribble.
Duffield missed two headers – the second one a golden chance - as the game swung back in YM's favour and Bridges held on.
However, the visitors' defence gave Young too much space to shoot and Jarvand did the rest by touching it past Mansfield to make it 2-1.
Rather than protecting their slender lead, YM naively pushed forward for more goals and nearly got their reward in the last minute of normal time. Duffield, who put in a customary battling performance, won the ball in midfield and spread the play out left to Davies.
The former Littlehampton striker had time to pick his pass and returned the ball to Duffield who had charged into the box to support the attack. With only Mansfield to beat, the YM captain opened his body to angle a shot across the keeper but got a thin connection and deflected the chance past the far post.
Bridges responded to the let-off by piling down the other end and forced Plumley into two saves – the first a brilliant one handed effort to palm away Massaro's header that was arching into the top corner – but the hosts paid the penalty for not defending the subsequent corner.
Team:Plumley; Carden, Durrant, Lutwyche, Sleat (Fitzgerald 106); Young, Duffield, Brown (Alafandi 118), Oakes; Jarvand (Churchill 118), Davies.
