The FA Cup is magic, so we’re told. After a hard fought 180 minutes against bogey-team Cray Wanderers across two matchdays, plenty of adjectives spring to mind. You’d struggle to find magical in many peoples’ descriptions, however.
Chances were at a premium in both ties, and despite a bright opening twenty minutes from the Blues to Tuesday night’s replay, they weren’t able to get a foothold in the game.
Ogo Obi, whose last minute penalty on Saturday meant we were even here in the first place, came closest to settling the tie for the Blues on three occasions. He had the ball in the back of the net in the first half, after a corner wasn’t cleared by Cray and he found himself beating down on goal. He duly buried the chance, but looked up to see the offside flag had been raised.
The second half saw him through one on one for a second time, this after he and Zack Newton won the ball high up the pitch. He took perhaps one touch too many, however, and allowed Rowley in the Cray goal to get out quickly and smother his attempt and clear the danger.
The final chance, and perhaps the best was from a cross in from Tanimowo on the left. Obi rose highest in the box and saw his header come back off the crossbar and away to safety, rather than nestling in the back of the goal.
It is a bit of a pattern now for the Blues, who have created some good chances over the last few weeks, but just haven’t quite been able to take their chances, often leaving the door open for a gut punch from the opposition.
On this occasion, it was from David Smith who broke quickly along with Imran Kayani in the fourth minute of added time at the end of the first half. Bearing down on goal, Kayani squared the ball to Smith, who fired it into the bottom corner from a tight angle. It was the goal that proved to be enough, and while Cray looked sharp on the break, it was their best chance of the game.
The fact they took it, when the Blues couldn’t take theirs, means it’s they who face Hastings at home in the 3rd qualifying round, with both clubs having a golden opportunity to make it the 4th qualifying round, where they could potentially mean National League opposition.
For the Blues it will be back to league action that weekend as they travel to Dover on the 28th September. But before then, Chichester will visit Summers Lane on Saturday. Don’t miss out.
Wingate & Finchley: Grainger; Cracknell; Byron; Iontton (Deslandes 42’); Webb; Achuba; Garrett-Douglas (Oladipo 72’); Georgiou; Obi; Newton (Roberts 83’); Tanimowo
Unused Subs: Adegoke; Frempah
Comments