2006/2007 season Match no.12 - FA Cup, sponsored by e.on
Second Qualifying Round
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Solihull Borough 1 , ALFRETON TOWN 1

Replay, Tuesday, October 3rd, at the Impact Arena, 7.45pm.

Report by Gordon Foster (Mansfield CHAD) to follow later. Pics by Phil Lucic.

HOMEGOING Alfreton fans were left to wonder why they had to face a Tuesday replay after a match at Damson Park in which Town keeper Dale Roberts did not have a shot to save.
But Solihull, who play their football two divisions down the scale, punished Gary Mills’ side for their missed first half chances with an equaliser following a nowadays rare error from the ever-improving Roberts 13 minutes from time.
It could have been much worse, though, as several higher grade sides fell to lesser opposition and, as Mills said afterwards: “At least we’re in the hat for the next round.” Some other Conference North clubs were not as lucky against so-called minnows on a day of surprise results.
Anton Brown had set Alfreton on the way with a well taken goal just after the half-hour but, maybe influenced by the procession of planes taking off from nearby Birmingham Airport, they appeared to take a bit of a holiday in the second half and, at the end, were having to hold on even for the replay before being denied a last gasp winner themselves.
But, as Mills commented: “It’s the FA Cup, we were away from home and it was disappointing after turning round 1-0 up that we ended up drawing the match.”
The manager had some sympathy for his keeper who, in some of the matches so far, has earned the club points with some confident and excellent goalkeeping.
“Dale made an error, and he’s big enough to hold his hand up and say so,” added Mills. “He’d had nothing to do all afternoon, but he came for the ball, flapped at it, and it’s cost us a goal.
“As a goalkeeper your mistakes tend to get found out, whereas if you’re out on the park you sometimes get away with things.
“We had a good first half, but lost our way a bit in the second. That’s the FA Cup, and a team like Solihull are not going to lie down.”
Although the club are beset by injuries, Mills ended: “I’m not citing them – I still put a team out that should have been capable of beating Solihull, but we’ve got to get on with and complete the job on Tuesday.”
As one would expect when visiting a lower league club, the home side opened brightly, and there was danger when Gary Sucharewycz sliced an attempted clearance which Jerome Grandison picked up on the 18-yard line, and Mark Turner had to close him down quickly to avert the danger.
But when play switched to the other end in the eighth minute Craig Mitchell’s overhead kick sent Andy Tiday in on a one on one with home keeper Tony Breedon. Tiday appeared hampered by having too long to think, and ended up shooting past the far post. It should have been 1-0.
But it was the sign for Alfreton to take over the running for the rest of the half, and Lee Featherstone – pushed forward to left midfield – was a constant source of problems for the Southern League Midland hosts.
One particular ball into the box saw Tiday’s initial shot charged down and, when Borough failed to clear their lines, he had a second attempt which was too high.
Ryan Clarke was making some hay on the overlap along the right, too, and on a couple of occasions he found a way around the back of Steven Duck, but each time no-one was on the end of the subsequent cross.
On the second occasion, just after the half hour, Brown should have turned it in at the near post, but allowed it to run on to no-one in particular.
Nevertheless, Brown did better a minute later when, picked out by the always astute Marcus Ebdon, his bullet header brought a brilliant reflex save out of Breedon.
However, from Ebdon’s resulting corner it was third time lucky for Brown whose strong header fairly rocketed into the net to give Alfreton the lead that they deserved at that point.
Once more there were no takers onto Clarke’s by-line pull back, and then Breedon continued his heroic show – in contrast to his inactive opposite number – by charging out of his area to beat Craig Mitchell to a through ball by a whisker.
Mitchell was right out of luck in the early stages of the second half. First he was beaten by an awkward bounce of the ball as he ran menacingly into the area, enabling Ian Wood to clear, and then, after a sublime build up involving Featherstone and Clarke, the striker’s angled rising drive from the right rattled the bar and went for a goal kick.
In between, Solihull had their first worthwhile opening when Clarke’s uncharacteristic slip let in Loz Rawlings who fired hurriedly well wide.
To some extent the game turned on Borough’s 67th-minute substitution, when they sent on Aaron Farrall. Alfreton continued to attack as far as the 18-yard line where they inevitably broke down, but there was a warning in the 75th minute.
Ruck’s teasing cross left Mark Barnard only one option, to turn it for a corner, from which Rory May got no direction onto a free header. However, the ball fell to Jamie Petty who hit the side netting.
Two minutes later the home side were level when Farrall received the ball in space. Roberts had called, but didn’t claim it, and the substitute drilled a low shot into the net.
After the missed chances at the other end one could feel that one coming.
Breedon, undoubtedly Solihull’s man of the match, saved them again in the 80th minute as he produced another fine stop to keep out Sucharewycz’s firm header from another Ebdon corner.
Alfreton were pushed back in the final 10 minutes as the home side went all out for a winner.
But it was almost Town who got what would have been the deciding goal in the second minute of overtime, when substitute Tristram Whitman delivered a low cross to the far post and, just as Tiday was about to steer it in, Gary Moran stretched a leg to turn it for a corner.
SOLIHULL: Breedon, Moran, Ruck, Rowe, Wood, Munday, Grandison, Collins, May, Rawlings (Farrall 67), Petty. Subs not used: Crawford, Griffin, Mowl, Alborough.
ALFRETON: Roberts, Clarke, Barnard, Sucharewycz, Turner, Brown, Nwadike, Ebdon, Mitchell (Whitman 61), Tiday, Festherstone. Subs not used: Burbeary, Melton, Magee, Glass.
REFEREE: Stuart Burt of Northampton.
ATTENDANCE: 265.
SCORERS: Solihull – Farrall 77. Alfreton – Brown 33.
CAUTION: Alfreton – Tiday 88 (foul on Moran).
REDS MAN OF THE MATCH: Lee Featherstone.