U18s bow out of the FA youth Cup

Monday 14th August 2023 (ko 7:45pm) – FA Youth Cup, Extra Preliminary Round (tie 56)

BEDFONT SPORTS Club U18 (1) 3 FLACKWELL HEATH Youth (1) 3 : penalties 3-5

Playing their first competitive game of the season, after just one friendly, was always going to be a tough ask for the young Eagles, especially as they were entertaining Allied Counties League divisional champions Flackwell Heath. Sports were in the capable hands of Martyn Spong and assistant Jim Wigmore as Mark Fabian was on holiday, but they were without a couple of key players, while the Heathens manager had driven all the way to Newquay and returned with five of his squad who had been attending a music festival there!
Flackwell started the stronger side, but Bedfont worked their way back into the game, and so were a little disappointed to fall behind to an Edward Saia strike on 40 minutes. However, 2 minutes into first half stoppage time, a super volley from Archie Gower brought the sides level.
The home side grew in strength throughout the second period, and Kieran Collins slotted a shot into the bottom corner to give them the lead at the end of a 62nd minute move which he had also started with an audacious piece of skill to lose his marker. Collins went close again soon afterwards, and a speculative cross from Jake Beck-Nardoni rattled the upright, as Bedfont sought to put the game to bed. They thought they had done just that when Collins was played onside from a ball that came off a defender, and he kept his calm to put Bedfont 3-1 up with only 6 minutes left on the clock. However, there was a sting in the tail, as a 90th minute trip by Khamis gave Saia the chance to pull one back from the penalty spot, and Saia completed his hat-trick in the 3rd added minute with a poacher’s goal after a hopeful ball in from the left was spilled by Johnston. Even then, there was a chance for Bedfont to win it, with Collins finding space in the box to shoot, but as he was about to pull the trigger the referee halted play as the Heath goalkeeper had sustained a head injury in a collision with one of his defenders. Play eventually resumed, but the final whistle sounded just moments later.

Extra time no longer applies in this competition, so it was straight to penalties, with Flackwell going first. The visitors in fact scored all five of their spot-kicks, through McCann, Saia, Jackson, Budden, and the winner from Andreev, whilst Bedfont began with successes from McKinney and Hewitt, before Collins put his attempt too high. Although Gower kept his side alive, the tie was over before the fifth was needed. Flackwell will now entertain Wembley in the next round.

BS: 1 Matthew Johnston, 2 Jake Hewitt, 3 Shaq Khamis, 4 Aryan Sony, 5 Niall O’Shea ©, 6 Archie Gower, 7 Kieran Collins, 8 Jack Nash (12 Daniel McKinney 61), 9 Jake Beck-Nardoni (14 Callahan Keadell 88), 10 Oscar Kruczkiewicz, 11 Viktor Genow [booked 28] (16 Aaron Flower 85); unused sub: 15 Daniel Wasik. [Red shirts (black hoops, white numbers); Black shorts (white trim); White socks].

FH: 1 Oliver Burger-Williams, 2 Benji Arthur (18 Lyuben Andreev 70), 3 Daniel Mutasa (12 Mackenzie Gould 55), 4 Marley McCann, 5 Bertie Heyes, 6 Nicholas Budden ©, 7 Elliot Day, 8 Adam Smith [booked 24], 9 Edward Saia, 10 Stanley Jones (14 Connor Jackson 58), 11 Gabriel Maslen; unused subs: 15 Leo Redfern, 16 Max Gibbings, 17 Nicholas Gammelgard. [All Yellow (black shirt numbers)].

Referee: Shay James (Waterloo); Assistants: Samuel Tuohy (Morden), Mark Barber (Brixton); est att 71.