| If this was a boxing match, it would've been stopped long before the need for extra time arose. In fact, it probably wouldn't have made it as far as tonight's replay. After the 1-1 draw at Cecil Street on Saturday the Tigers entertained Rothwell Town at Meadow Park for the first time in three seasons after both were relegated to their respective Dr Martens feeder leagues. |
| City were down to their bares bones and named the same starting eleven as the first tie, with just Kenny Howard, Karl Bayliss and Chris Burns available on the bench. Adam Hemming was away on a college course. One piece of good news regarding players though was Lee Smith signing a contract until the end of next season before the game. |
| The game itself was rather extraordinary. We started from where we'd left off on Saturday and City were in total control. To be fair to Rothwell, they looked like a reasonably limited side and played to their strengths. With five strung across the back home and away it's not hard why they'd only scored five league goals to date. The rest of their team seemed to be made from youngsters and looking at their league schedule it's always going to be hard to attract quality players considering that they spend every other Saturday on a coach somewhere to East Anglia or Kent. |
| It was all City for the first forty minutes. I could go on forever by describing each chance that we had, but opportunities fell to Tom Webb on three occasions, Lee Smith twice, Neil Mustoe twice, Jimmy Cox, Lee Jeffries and Keith Knight. Smith's one chance showed just why he'd been put on a contract when his run from the halfway line that beat at least four defenders before his weak shot undid his previous good work. |
| It was a crime that as least one of those chances hadn't hit the back of the net, but as these things go, Rothwell went and took the lead. Saturday's goalscorer Cornell Haughton teed up James Thatcher some thirty yards from goal and he unleashed a superb shot into the top corner. It stunned Matt Bath in the City goal and it stunned us. |
| With City somewhat shellshocked the Bones might've taken a two goal lead into the break when they were awarded a free kick on the edge of the box. With the wall lined up their man curled it just wide, much to the relief of the disappointed City fans. Burnsy's team talk during the interval would've needed to lift his team else an early exit may have been on the cards. |
| Rothwell may have anticipated that City would come out with all guns blazing at the start of the second half so they went straight onto the front foot to try to quell the threat. It didn't really pay dividends as the Tigers continued their dominance. We had two decent penalty shout totally ignored by the referee. First Lee Smith was held back as he made his way into the area and then when the ball was cleared the defender controlled the ball with his arm. |
| Rothwell broke and almost caught us out as Haughton was left unmarked, only the agility of Bath prevented his shot from squirming inside the post. |
| Tom Webb might've done better to get on the end of Lee Smith's lofted cross, but he, as well as the keeper misjudged the flight and the ball was put out for a corner. Webb made amends though as the corner was cleared back to him, he played in Keith Knight and the cross back in was well met by Dave Wilkinson as he beat the keeper to flick a header into the far corner for a much deserved equaliser. |
| All through the game it had seemed that once we got one goal we wouldn't stop. It was almost two in a minute as City attacked again straight away and Neil Griffiths smacked a header against the post. Lee Smith then sent a shot across goal and the referee wrongly added to City's increasing corner count in one of his bizarre moments. He had many! |
| Lee Jeffries showed that he had more to his game than just violence when he whipped in a fantastic cross that was so good that the other players stood and applauded rather than try to convert it. Both Hosky and Coxy had a couple of chances each before Lee Smith was clearly tripped inside the area, again the referee didn't want to know about it. |
| Wilko might've repeated his goal but missed when presented with an arguably easier chance than the one that he'd scored from, Coxy forced a very good save from the keeper and then Smith was upended again, and again the ref was unimpressed. Lee Smith responded well though and when a corner was cleared to him he volleyed it goalwards only to see it cleared by a defender's head, a good block but I doubt if their man can remember too much about it this morning. |
| As the game headed towards extra time, Rothwell upped a gear and City were caught out, needlessly giving away free kicks and putting pressure not only on themselves but on the City fans too. As daft as it might sound, we survived and the game required a further thirty minutes to see who would progress to the next round. |
| With both teams sat out on the pitch after the final whistle, some folks could be forgiven for thinking that it would go straight to a penalty shootout. Although, I doubt the ref would award any given that he'd ignored several appeals over the course of the original tie and the replay! |
| Rothwell opened the first period as if our dominance of the previous ninety minutes had mean't nothing, although we continued in pretty much the same vein. With the Bones stretched, we hit them on the counter and Jimmy Cox crossed low to the unmarked Keith Knight. His shot was parried and Wilko tried a spectacular overhead kick, which, well, his finish proved that he should leave the tricks to better suited players! |
| City eventually took the lead from another Knight corner when the cross seemed to elude everyone and Andy Hoskins stooped low on the penalty spot to head through a crowd of players and under the goalkeeper. It was the least that the Tigers had deserved and it also marked Hosky's fiftieth goal for the club. Just after we'd scored Baylo came on to replace Wilko, who'd been carrying a knock for a large part of the game. |
| The second period of extra time saw the visitors desperatly trying to find a way back into the game and in the course open up their defence to counter attacks, something which we like, especially attacking the T-End. We could've scored right from the kick off as Coxy ran with the ball all the way into the area before shooting just wide of the far post. |
| City had a couple of half chances before Rothwell came very close. First a free kick went just over and then their striker headed wide at the near post when he should've done much better. It was clear to see from his reaction that it was game over for them from then. |
| It should've been three when Lee Smith cut in from the edge of the area. With Neil Mustoe unmarked at the far post with an empty net, Lee opted to go for goal himself before a brave dive by the keeper killed the attack. Lee needs to lose the tunnel vision if he's going to continue his developement the way he has been. |
| It was 3-1 however a minute later when Jimmy Cox was rewarded for his hard work with a goal. He beat the offside trap and with a defender in tow shot under the keeper to send the T-End into raptures. A minute later he had the chance to repeat the feat but was pulled back and the ref finally gave City a penalty. Hosk sent the keeper the wrong way and it was four. |
| Kenny Howard replaced Lee Smith, yet he spent that little time on the pitch that it barely warrants a mention. In the dying seconds Hosky became the first player to be booked on the night when he was singled out from a brawl after he'd been late in a challenge. Maybe he was lucky not to have been sent off, but his two goals had helped to set up a tie at Bath in the next round. |
| I think we'll struggle to dominate that game as much as we did this one! |
