By Liam Price
Nantwich Town and Sporting Khalsa will need a replay after a 1-1 draw in the FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round in the Midlands.
There were competitive debuts or second debuts for no less than 7 players for Nantwich, from Yusuf Mersin in goal to Bruno Cina up top.
The first shot in anger was probably the best opportunity of the first half as Ollie Pope found a pocket of space in the box but pulled the shot narrowly wide, off a bit of post or possibly the metal floor of the goal.
Kyle Burke then missed the target for Khalsa after some smart skill initially.
It was a half marked by two penalty shouts, one for either team, that were both not given.
First, Aidy Roxburgh tried to burst past his man in the Khalsa box and there was a call that he was shoved over, but the ref must have adjudged it to be shoulder-to-shoulder. For what it’s worth, the Khalsa bench looked shocked it wasn’t given.
In the immediate aftermath, Mersin had to be alert to push away a deflected shot as Nantwich were guilty of switching off.
A couple of minutes later, Pope again was involved; the ball came to him after Khalsa keeper Brandon Ganley had come out of his box to challenge, he went down injured and Pope had an opening but took a touch rather than shooting, giving the defence the chance to get back and block his eventual shot. Whether the goal would have stood with the goalkeeper down is another question.
It was Khalsa’s turn to have a penalty shout as the attacker got the wrong side of his man but again the referee showed no desire to point to the spot.
Joe Piggott, wearing the captain’s armband in the absence of Harry Davis as one of the vice captains, headed seemingly off the line right on half time from what looked like a cross.
It was just 7 minutes into the second half when Sporting Khalsa took the lead. An attack down the left was the source; a low cross was palmed away by Mersin but had the inadvertent affect of forcing the Nantwich defence to adjust, which they struggled to do. Chances to clear the lines were missed and Macauley Taylor was on hand to roll in for 1-0.
4 minutes later it could easily have been 2-0. Sub Kieron Whittaker burst through but Mersin got his 6ft5 frame behind it to make his best save, and the rebound was put over the bar.
The Dabbers had to find something or they were heading out, and they did in the last third of the game. The use of the bench was a strong factor in this, with Fenton Green, Iwan Roberts, Joe Collins and James Baillie all making a difference.
A header was sent wide from a free kick, before Baillie headed narrowly over from another accurate cross.
The biggest chance yet came via Pope; finally with some clear space he did everything right in lifting it over the onrushing Ganley but put it agonisingly wide of the post.
Collins sent a shot wide, then moments later a bad one for Green as he failed to get the necessary contact on a great low ball in from close range and Ganley was able to claim, but he should have been picking it out of the back of his net.
There was then a new situation as a Khalsa sub was delayed from coming on for 1 minute for the player taking more than 10 seconds coming off. It’s one of the new rules to reduce time wasting that was also invoked in the Middlesbrough Carabao Cup tie on Friday night.
There is an exception in this rule for players who are ‘clearly injured’, which is what the Khalsa bench claimed in this instance. In reality it did just look like some cramp, but it does raise the possibility of players that know they’re going to be subbed turning on or exaggerating an injury to try and subvert this rule. One to watch this season, as players and teams will always try to find ways round things.
Collins missed a header as the game approached stoppage time and it did look like being one of those days. But it all kicked off in those 5 additional minutes.
First, another Khalsa sub in Kai Cunningham was shown a straight red card for a lunging challenge on Roberts. It was not malicious but was badly misjudged.
Just after this, Piggott smacked the crossbar with a shot from around the penalty spot. Hard to see in real time was a remarkable reaction save from Ganley to push it onto the woodwork, which Piggott himself described after as ‘save of the season’.
Then not long after that was a penalty, given without hesitation this time by referee Thomas Kidd. Just as the clock was ticking towards the final minute, Josh Hancock slotted it straight down the middle to salvage the tie and send it to a second go on Tuesday night, but this time at the Swansway.
Teams
Sporting Khalsa: Brandon Ganley, Kristian Green (C), Mikkel Hirst, Che Ranger, Kyle Burke (Leon Machisa, 90), Dan Broni-Phillps (Kieron Whittaker, 25), Luke Shearer, Pete Taylor (Jamie Fox, 76), Isai Marselia (Rhys Halliday, 77), Ryan Shaw, Macauley Taylor (Kai Cunningham, 66)
Subs not used: Sam Griffiths, Abu Kanu
Goal: M.Taylor (52)
Red card: Cunningham (90+3)
Nantwich Town: Yusuf Mersin, Aidy Roxburgh, Perry Bircumshaw, Ethan Hartshorn (Fenton Green, 60), Joe Davis (James Baillie, 68), Paddy Kennedy, Ollie Pope (Callum Saunders, 75), Joe Piggott (C), Bruno Cina (Joe Collins, 69), Josh Hancock, Liam Fitzpatrick (Iwan Roberts, 60)
Subs not used: Zac Prior (GK), Mason McKay
Goal: Hancock (90+4, pen)