Town head for the semi-finals

Saturday 12th March took a long time to come around. Taking you back around a month before Littlehampton Town had overcome Brockenhurst on penalties in the FA Vase 5th round, a competition they had been knocked out of but re-instated after Athletic Newham had fielded an ineligible player.

The draw for the quarter final’s pitted Town at home to the favourites North Shields, a side with a good pedigree in the Vase and competing in a league which has produced a majority of winners.

I was asked soon after the draw was made if I fancied doing the media coverage for the Littlehampton Gazette which is our weekly paper down in West Sussex, needless to say my instant response was of course!

It’s not something I get paid for, just about putting my name and my words out there and something that’s a pleasure to be asked to do. I’m not a Littlehampton fan, I’m not a Worthing fan but I do follow what goes on around me and beyond, I mean ignoring any part of non-league football is a little bit blinkered.

Whilst the draw was made a few weeks ago, Town have continued their title push and landed a league cup semi-final as well despite the excitement that was growing around the town and across social media as the date grew nearer.

On a beautiful sunny but windy afternoon on the South Coast a fantastic crowd of 2,245 settled in to see if the Golds could knock another set of favourites out of the competition, whose mammoth journey for some began at 5am on Saturday morning.

Most of the early exchanges were short, both sides feeling their way into a game with a lot at stake. Town were the first to take aim, Shields keeper Oliver Marshall with the first save and he was to be the busier of the two keepers over the next ten or so minutes.

Lucas Pattenden’s pace that troubled the visitors throughout the game, got him in behind the Shields backline but the winger over-ran the ball and Marshall gathered easily.

Shields themselves could have taken the lead on ten minutes, Callum Smith capitalising on a short headed ball back from Jordan Clark but James Binfield was alert to the danger and smothered the ball before Smith could get a shot off.

Pattenden again was sent clear of the visitors defence and while his lob beat the onrushing Marshall it also beat the bar and landed on the top of the net. The game then struggled to ignite a little, Shields not finding enough rhythm with their passing game whilst Town’s pressing was a main factor in why.

A spell of pressure came in the ten minutes before half time from the home side, Marshall saving superbly from Liam Humphreys’ well hit effort and his defenders coming to the rescue right on half time clearing off the line as Town were trying hard to break the deadlock but the sides went in level and a big 45 minutes to come for both.

The pressure continued at the beginning of the second half and seven minutes into the half the game tipped in favour of the home side as Anth Myers was sent off for a bad challenge on Town’s Tom Biggs, no complaint from the centre half nor his team mates.

Whilst the visitors were down to ten men, we all know that it doesn’t mean the game get’s easier to control as Shields tucked in to try and make it more compact for Town to have to get through.

Just after the sending off Pattenden cut inside from the left hand side but couldn’t get enough curl on the ball for it to bend inside Marshall’s far post. Patience was the key for the home side and although at times they were trying to force it a little too hard the chances were again coming for them.

Shay Wiggins had a glorious chance just before the hour mark, arriving late from a corner but couldn’t quite direct his header on target as Town pressure started to build again, substitute Dave Herbert seeing his 20 yard effort tipped round the post by Marshall.

Just as those in attendance were starting to think about another penalty shoot out the breakthrough finally came. A whipped in free kick from the Town left hand side saw player-manager George Gaskin get the final touch despite the efforts of Marshall and a defender to keep the ball out and sent the majority of the crowd into a ball of excitement with Golds 12 minutes away from the next round.

Containment was the name of the game for the final ten minutes, knowing Shields would come again and despite their best efforts attacking the end housing their fans they couldn’t create enough.

Seven minutes of stoppage time saw cramp, Town defending for their lives and one last effort for the visitors in the final minute, the ball bobbling around but finally cleared to Gaskin and as the front man was heading towards goal the whistle went and Golds were through.

Simply a great afternoon from getting there early whilst it was still calm to being there after the game for a while, to see a crowd that size fit into The Sportsfield was credit to the hard work that went into hosting the game.

That’s the part people don’t see nor mostly appreciate, there was every chance this one could have ended up at Bognor or Worthing so a huge amount of congratulations goes to the club and its committee, some of whom I know well, not just those on the pitch.

It was a disciplined performance from those in gold and black, for me Lewis Jenkins was the stand out. I know most have gone for Pattenden, his pace troubled the Shields full back all afternoon and had one of his efforts hit the back of the net to crown his performance then he would have been the stand out man.

Jenkins for me was always in the right place at the right time, mopping up loose ball, blocking and tackling, if one of those he wasn’t in the way of then the result could have been a different story.

Both Shay Wiggins and Dion Jarvis had great games too, the latter it not being his normal position and the substitutions made by Mitch Hand were spot on at the right time, all in all the perfect afternoon for a growing football club.

Credit to North Shields of course, no one is a poor team at this stage of the competition and they made Town work hard for the win too. Their season isn’t over either with a title to win and like Littlehampton promotion to Step 4 if they can do it. Great to meet Mark Carruthers, reporting royalty in the North East for the amount he does from the top end of the game down to this level.

Attention of course turns to the draw on Monday afternoon, 3.15 on talkSPORT2 and then back to league action on Tuesday night away at Crawley Down Gatwick, around six weeks or so left of the season you wouldn’t bet against them doing a complete sweep.