Dodgy Penalty Decision Sets Tone For Narrow FA Cup Defeat

Around 1100 Church fans made the trek into darkest Gloucestershire for this historic tie, and but for the restricted ticket allocation, might even have outnumbered the 1600 or so home supporters who bothered to turn up, with an almost empty behind the goal terracing at the North End and swathes of empty seats in the main stand on view. Having already come back from a road trip with a Gloucestershire Football League Club’s scalp this season, why not a second time?

Alvechurch: Jezeph, Burton (Bower 83), Sephton (Olaloko 90+4), Willets, Carter, Neto-Teixeira , Abbey, Edge, Hamilton, Concannon, Waldron subs not used : Brown, Cassidy. Randle, Williams, Taylor, Hallahan, Spiers

Forest Green Rovers: McGee, Casey. Moore-Taylor, Bernard, O’Keeffe, Hendry (Stevenson 74), McGeouch, Boyes, Peart-Harris, Wickham (Cargill 74), March subs not used: Jones, Fiabema, Robertson, Thomas, Bunker, Bennett

The balance of the first half swung on one contentious decision just after half way in. There was perhaps an inevitability about it one supposes. But Josh March “won” a 24th minute penalty, that set Church’s game plan back a step. It was soft at best, and a poor punishment for a nothing coming together, probably initiated by the attacking player. Ex-Premier League forward Conor Wickham, remarkably still only 29 stroked the ball in to wake up the vocal chords of the disappointing home support.

On the day when FIFA called Cristiano Ronaldo a "total genius" for the way in which he won a penalty for Portugal in their World Cup victory over Ghana, the debate will not go away soon it seems. At a briefing in Doha, FIFA technical study group (TSG) member Sunday Oliseh said strikers are "getting smarter". Oliseh, who played at the 1998 World Cup, feels Ronaldo was clever in his movement to win the penalty that allowed him to score his 118th international goal. Maybe the strikers are getting smarter?" said Oliseh. "The Ronaldo penalty, people can say what they want about him, but the smartness to wait for that second, to touch the ball, continue his leg and then get the contact. That is total genius. That word “contact” again. Closer analysis shows that the Forest Green player manufactured the clash with Teixeira and initiated the contact. But there you go.

Despite the set-back Church survived any further damage to the scoreline and the Wickham penalty was the only score registered in the first half, allowing the visitors to re-centre themselves at the break and come out and try and win the second half.

Half Time : Forest Green Rovers 1 Alvechurch 0

And the beginning of the second period suggested that there was a game on, and it took only four minutes for the first objective, a leveller, to be achieved. Church dominated possession in the early minutes of the half, and looked as if the half time break had actually done them good, and a free kick decision in the visitors’ favour, 22 yards out, gave the massed ranks of Church fans down the one side of the ground a moment of expectation.

Jed Abbey and Ethan Sephton stand over the ball, and perhaps the keeper, McGee, was in two minds as to whether it would be the left or right footer that would provide the delivery. It was the right footer Abbey, and with a short run up, despatched the ball arcing into the top left hand corner with McGee flailing to get near it.

It is a goal for the highlights reel, and showed what was possible if Church could get near enough to the Forest Green goal with composure.

But parity only lasted 2 full minutes, and as Boyes swung a looping cross into the box from the left, March bundled the ball goalward at the far post and it squirmed into the far corner of the net with Jezeph clutching at thin air. Soft definitely, handball probably, as lip readers will also conclude in the dialogue between the players in the "celebration".

Despite the injustices, Church might have believed they had been handed a lifeline with eighteen minutes remaining when Forest Green defender Bernard saw red after dragging Waldron back by his shirt and getting a second caution. The game failed to open up though, and Church found everything they had to throw at the home side stifled before it could ignite, and the game fizzled to a conclusion without any further drama.

Dan Jezeph in the Church goal had been the busier of the two keepers, and the home side did create the clearer openings, including hitting the post in the second half, but that’s football, and Church were so close to snatching a result that would have surpassed all others, and a Third Round spot never truly looked forlorn hope right to the end. A little more of the run of the ball, or the whistle, and who knows? Putting Church’s achievement in context, nearly 650 clubs failed to get this far in the competition. A second ever appearance in the 2nd Round, and a second ever league scalp in the form of Cheltenham Town, beaten in the previous round.

As we sign off from this year’s competition, we look forward to our next FA Cup game – 2nd September 2023 (1st Qualifying Round)?