Sevenoaks stunned at Redhill comeback
Midweek football took me to Sevenoaks for an FA Cup replay against Redhill, perfect timing with needing a trip to Tonbridge to pick up the youngest daughter’s birthday cake sometimes these fixtures just fall into your lap!
Sevenoaks is my home town, growing up in villages around there and actually living a 5 minute walk from the Bourne Stadium (or Greatness Park) for some of my life.
I did make it there last season to watch Oaks take apart Three Bridges on a sunny Saturday afternoon, my first visit since moving to the South Coast some 15 years ago.
Two on their coaching staff in Jason Bourne and Julian Leigh, guys I know from Otford Utd and Tunbridge Wells days in the past always assure you get a friendly welcome and their boss Micky Collins has been kind enough to provide a few bits for blogs in the past, always grateful for that.
When it comes to blogging the first port of call is the team board, now I’m not sure if this is available at all clubs from Step 4 upwards but I was directed to a pile of team sheets to help my cause, the gentleman I believe was called Ray, possibly Ray Miles a former manager of the first team in years gone by, but very helpful this was for me.
After a 1-1 draw at the weekend, tonight was replay night and thrown in a little bit for me, a bit of scouting for East Preston this coming weekend, Redhill’s opponents in the FA Vase.
Sevenoaks would have hoped to hit the ground running and see the tie through and a place in the next round away to Phoenix Sports, but it took a little while for both sides to settle into the game despite some good movement from both sides across the pitch.
Redhill were the first to threaten, Nathan Hogan forcing a save from Ben Bridle-Card a couple of minutes in while on 10 minutes a surging run from Stefan Wright saw Jack Minchin get a hand to the ball, defenders scrambling the loose one away from the line.
It did threaten to spill over early on with one or two niggly tackles from both sides but the referee seemed to manage to calm the situation with a few yellow cards issued.
Just before the half hour Oaks went in front. On a quick counter attack Bradley Schafer shot’s was out of the reach of Minchin and went in the net via the inside of the post.
Sam King thought he had pulled Redhill level within a minute with a fine hit from distance but Bridle-Card was equal to it.
Six minutes later the Lobsters suffered again, another break at pace from the home side and the livewire Louis Collins skipped past two or three challenges before firing past Minchin. Collins spent last season at Dover Athletic until they finished for the season and looks a cut above at this level.
The home side were in cruise control three minutes later, Collins darting run down the right crossed for Jason Thompson to tap home, nine minutes, three goals and seemingly one foot in the next round before half time with the visitors unable to cope with the quick break football.
The two half time team talks must have been of complete contrasting words, for the early part of the second half it still didn’t look like Redhill were going to find their way back into the game but suddenly a lifeline appeared.
11 minutes into the half Aiden Brown poked the ball home after the ball pinged it’s way around and you could sense the Lobsters felt there was still a chance to get the game going their way, Sevenoaks just feeling they needed to find a way to close the game out.
Collins had that chance after the hour, his pace taking him clear of the defence but forced slightly wide by Minchin and hitting the post instead of opening up a three goal lead once again.
Brown would have felt he should have reduced the deficit minutes later but his shot went agonisingly wide of the post as momentum was starting to build for the visitors.
Thompson though had the chance to put the tie beyond Redhill with 17 minutes to play, forced to backheel the ball towards goal it didn’t quite have enough on it and was cleared away, Collins unable to get there quick enough to help it into the net.
Three minutes later and the Lobsters were finally back in the tie, Hogan’s cross from the left found an unmarked King in the penalty area and he scored to set up a nervy last 14 minutes for the home side, a case now of stick or twist?
Seven minutes from time the visitors got the equaliser, King put clean through to finish past Bridle-Card and complete what looked to be a remarkable comeback and send us all into extra time, at the very point of the game when the rain, thunder and lightning was at its height.
A minimum of five minutes of stoppage time went up on the board, but the visitors only needed two of those to complete one of the most unexpected comebacks, Hogan finding Brown who turned one way and then the other before unleashing his shot into the back of the net much to the delight of the visiting support whilst groans around me from Oaks fans.
With the final few minutes played out without incident Redhill had completed what seemed pretty impossible at half time, outplayed and 3-0 down but great character to believe they could do it and to use the cliché it was most definitely a game of two halves.
The FA Cup has certainly pulled up some results for me, a 5-4 at the weekend and a 4-3 on Wednesday evening, the next game I go to has got to have something special to match that I feel!