29/08/10: The Victory Club (1) v (1) Silksworth WMC (Victory Club won 6-5 on penalties)
Scorer: M. Dryden
Team: Rodgers (GK), Mountford, Bunyan, Davison (c), M. Dryden, Farrell-Collins (Harding), Lamb, Hudson, S. Dryden (White), Robson, Smiles
Unused Subs: None
Yellows: None
Reds: None
The Victory Club produced arguably the shock of the round as they dumped Silksworth WMC out of the League Cup. With the scores level at 1-1 after extra time, The Victory held their nerve to win 6-5 on penalties against their Premiership opponents.
Victory manager, George Ross, was forced into making four changes to the team which started last week’s draw against New Demi. Lewis Swan, Scott Hunter, Steve Jackson were all away while David White also dropped out. In came Anthony Farrell-Collins, Steve Dryden and Nathan Hudson with Alex Rodgers donning the gloves in place of Swan. Ross also made a tactical adjustment and switched to a 4-5-1 formation with James Smiles ploughing a lone furrow up front.
The Victory started with the wind on their backs but struggled to gain an early foothold in the game as their Premiership opponents enjoyed prolonged early spells of possession. Indeed Silksworth had the first attempt on goal but Rodgers was equal to a shot from distance. Silksworth continued to press and a cross from the right wing was headed over his own bar by Victory centre back, Paul Bunyan. The Victory responded though and a good passing move resulted in the Silksworth keeper saving a right footed effort from Smiles. After a poor quality first half, the game remained goalless.
Silksworth began the second half positively, now in the knowledge that they now had the advantage of the wind. An early warning sign for the Victory came when a free kick from just outside the left edge of the box narrowly whistled wide of Rodger’s goal. A flurry of Silksworth corners midway through the second period failed to break the deadlock although Victory left back, Mark Dryden, could count himself a little fortunate as his sliced clearance looped agonisingly over his own crossbar. The Victory made a double alteration with twenty minutes remaining with Peter Harding and David White replacing Anthony Farrell-Collins and Steve Dryden, who had taken a whack on the ankle. In a rare second half foray forward, the Victory almost opened the scoring but Robson saw his left foot shot saved by the legs of a sprawling keeper. Despite being under the cosh for most of the second period the Victory held out to force the game into extra time.
After a goalless first ninety minutes, Silksworth needed just five minutes of the additional thirty to force themselves ahead. A Silksworth corner was not cleared and even though Rodgers managed to save an initial effort on goal the ball fell kindly for another Silksworth player who scrambled the ball home from close range. Supporters on the Silksworth touchline celebrated and surely thought that was the goal which would see the home side crumble and secure their place in the next round of the cup.
That was not to be the case though, as less than five minutes later and the game was all square again. Harding rolled a right wing corner short to Mark Dryden and he used the wind to his advantage as his cross, carried by the wind, sailed over the head of the flat footed Silksworth keeper and into the back of the net. One goal each and very much game on again.
The second half of extra time saw little in the way of attacking intent from both teams, no doubt wary of being done on the counter attack. In fact it was the Victory who came closest to winning the contest. Robson beat his man down the left and squared the ball to Harding but his composure let him down at the vital moment and he stabbed his right footed shot over the bar. Moments later and Robson himself had a chance. Put clear by Smiles’ slide rule pass he also panicked with the whites of the goal posts in front of him and skewed his shot well wide of the left hand upright. As the referee blew for the end of extra time, the Victory could be happy with their overall performance but now knew that a place in the next round would be decided by the lottery of penalty kicks.
Choosing the five initial penalty takers proved to be an easy task as when asked who fancied one only five volunteers came forward – Greg Davison, Peter Harding, Stephen Robson, Simon Mountford and James Smiles were the men entrusted with the responsibility. In goal, stand in keeper, Alex Rodgers, had the chance to make himself a hero. The tension pitch side was almost unbearable. Davison stepped forward first and coolly slotted home his penalty sending the keeper the wrong way. Silksworth replied in kind and then the rest of the allocated kick takers for both sides also converted and after five penalties each no one had yet missed. This created a problem for the Victory as out of the remaining players yet to take a kick no-one seemed keen. Drawing lots to decide the next taker was considered before in the end Paul Bunyan stepped forward. Incredibly, despite having a left footed shovel for a shot, the Victory defender calmly netted his spot kick to put the pressure back onto Silksworth. As the Silksworth player strode forward you almost sensed how nervous he was and so it proved as he could only look on in horror as Rodgers plunged low to his right to save the penalty and send the Victory Club through.
