Saturday
5th August 2017
Emirates F.A. Cup Extra
Preliminary
Bromsgrove Sporting 2 Rocester 2
By Sam Goldsworthy
Wesson At The Death
As Romans Grab A Replay
Rocester claimed an F.A.
Cup Replay after an extremely competitive 2-2 draw away to newly promoted
Midland League rivals
Bromsgrove Sporting.
The Romans, who twice went behind to a rampant Sporting side, showed
great
desire to not give in and levelled
soon after both Bromsgrove goals,
but at the same time
should
have won
the
tie right at the death as Callum Riddell blew a
great
chance
to
win it.
In front of a bumper 602 crowd it was the home side that started the
brightest as Wade Malley dispossessed James Frost on the Sporting left flank
and struck a decent
shot,
but Adam Binks was there to parry it before diving on the ball to clear
up
the danger.
Rocester
soon
threatened when
Riddell's
cross
went into a dangerous area but neither Oli Roome nor Scott Wesson could get
a limb onto it.
Soon after Sporting
came
again
and
Romans
keeper Binks saved
well
from a cross which was dipping under his bar,
tipping the ball away.
Showing
why they had cruised to the
Midland League
Division
One
title unbeaten last season,
Bromsgrove's
Chris Lloyd had another effort at the Rocester
goal, but it was Rocester who then
missed the
clearest chance.
James
Frost picked out Oli Roome
with
a super cross from the right, and the young striker,
free and unmarked in the box,
had
the
goal
at his mercy only to see his first-time volley fly
just wide of the right-hand
post.
After this scare Bromsgrove turned the screw again and after another
powerful shot at Binks from Robbie Bunn,
they
finally
went 1-0
up
on seventeen minutes. Joe Brockley was dispossessed in the middle of the
park and this
resulted in
newcomer Wade Malley
smashing a
powerful shot
past
Binks.
However this seemed to spur the Romans
on
and after
Carl
Allen
had
headed a corner over
the bar,
the Romans pulled the scores level again on twenty one minutes. Another
great long ball from James Frost found a forward running Oli Roome,
who beat the out-rushing
keeper to the ball
and
took it
past
him before slotting it into the empty net.
A
big chance just before the
interval
fell to Riddell
when
another ball forward saw him lose the race with the Sporting keeper
Reece Francis,
however
Francis
struck
his
attempted clearance against
the
dangerous Riddell
and it rebounded
inches wide
for a goal kick.
Shortly after the restart another cross from
Frost
was
tipped over by
Francis as
it
was
dipping under the bar, but after a good spell for Rocester they soon found
the home side getting on top.
With
the home side moving up a gear
Bunn had an effort
well-saved
by Binks,
and the increasingly busy stopper had a narrow escape when Reece Hewitt
smashed a shot against the bar.
Bromsgrove deservedly
went
back in front with an individual goal by Bunn, who
drove
powerfully
past Matt King on the right hand side before
drilling a
low
shot
into the
far
left-hand
corner,
taking a little clip of the post in the process.
It seemed as though that was the end of proceedings
for
Rocester, and it would have been had Jason
Cowley made it 3-1 with a
decent chance.
However,
against the run of play Rocester
surged forward and
grabbed an
equaliser
to
force a
replay. Substitute Szondi found space on the right of the box and managed to
square a ball over on the floor
for
Scott Wesson to ssqueeze
a shot over the line through defenders legs, sparking
mad celebrations.
There could well have been bigger celebrations moments before the final
whistle when Riddell
found himself one on one with the
Francis,
but
he
attempted to dink the ball over the stranded keeper and the ball drifted
agonisingly over the bar.
As the full time whistle went Rocester knew they
probably should
have snatched it,
but at the same time
had
Bromsgrove been more clinical
could have lost it as well.
The teams will meet again on Tuesday night (8th
August)
at
Hillsfield to decide who will host Coleshill Town in the next Round in two
weeks time.
Scorers:
Sporting - Malley (17), Bunn (80). Romans - Roome (21), Wesson (84).
Romans: Binks;
Frost; Pratt (King 69); Brockley (Szondi 60); Lynch; Allen; Ritchie-Smith;
Wesson; Roome (Griffin 81); Martin; Riddell. Subs not used: Aliguma;
Simpson; Wood.
Referee: D.
Steatham (Bilston).
Attendance: 602
IMAGES:
Top Right - Rocester celebrate
Scott Wesson's late equaliser.
Click on any image to enlarge.
Above Left: James Frost gets
forward to whip in a cross.
Above Right: Only seconds
remain, but Callum Riddell's chip just clears the bar.
Below: 1 - James Frost takes
on a defender.
Below: 2 - Oli Roome tries to
get a shot in.
Below: 3 - Callum Riddell
tussles with his marker.
Below: 4 - Callum Riddell
fires this one just wide.
Below: 5 - Oli Roome on the
ball.
Below: 6 - Scott Wesson makes
a pass.

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