Stoppage Time Heartache Blunts Church's Remarkable Comeback

Alvechurch: Jezeph, Burton (Cassidy 71), Sephton, Willets, Carter, Neto-Teixeira (Taylor 60) , Abbey, Edge, Brown (Hamilton 71), Concannon, Waldron subs not used : Randle, Williams

Leiston: Donkin, Hill (Barnes 27), Dunbar, Saunders, Jarvis.Ryan, Hitchings, Jarvis.Rossi (bailey-Dennis 71), Marsden, Davies, Quantrell (Fernandes 75), Fowkes subs not used: Mills, Spooner, Eaton-Collins, Okopolkpo

Church undertook the long trek to Suffolk in this latest stage of their Cup odyssey this season, and suffered a defeat in the dying embers of the game after staging a dramatic fightback from three goals down to threaten taking the destiny of the tie to penalties.

Despite starting reasonably well, and matching the home side for possession and play, Church found themselves chasing the game because Leiston were the first to find the clinical edge in front of goal, and muscled themselves into the driving seat in this FA Trophy fixture.
Unbeaten in eleven games, the Suffolk side showed why their attack is so respected, and having recently been bolstered by the signing of Joe Marsden from Braintree Town, looked even more formidable on paper.

And, so it proved on the pitch.

Just four minutes on the clock, and Marsden shows his hand with a free kick from 30 yards out that curls into the side netting just below the angle of the goal. But straight back to the other end and Tom Edge has a double effort from the eighteen yard line blocked by the massed ranks of the Leiston defence.

But there were only 8 minutes on the clock when the deadlock was broken – a little against the run of play. Fowkes springs the offside trap to latch onto a threaded through ball – the assistant’s flag stays down – and the Leiston forward slips the ball low past Jezeph into the corner of the net.

The lead was doubled on 21 minutes when a throw in wide on the Church right finds Fowkes on the corner of the box, and tracking across the face of the goal, the Leiston front man holds off the attentions of Ash Carter before lashing the ball past Jezeph from inside the D.
Church looked a bit stunned to be two behind in such an evenly contested game, but in reality had hardly laid a punch on the home goal – an Abbey curled free kick from 20 yards going wide of the near post being close but again not on target.

On the half hour, an angled drive from Danny Waldron is blocked away for a corner after a first effort from Leo Brown had already been blocked. It was better, but not only did Leiston survive, they edged further ahead before long. On 35 a defence splitting ball found Quantrell who was able to turn and shoot from a good position, and Jezeph palmed the ball away at full stretch. But the reprieve was temporary, and two minutes later a ball across the face of goal from wide, and Marsden is on hand, nipping inside Sephton in the left back position, to steer the ball in from close range.

Time for Church to stand up and be counted as the game was getting away from them.
And up steps Danny Waldron to take things into his own hands with four minutes of the first half remaining. He receives a long through ball wide on the left from Sephton, and drives in from the touchline before drilling the ball across keeper Donkin and into the far side netting of the home goal to drag a goal back for Church.
Church suddenly come to life, and Abbey drives over from the edge of the box as Church seek to reduce the deficit further before the break. And as the time ticks down Leo Brown delivers a volleyed effort on target from the edge of the box, before Leiston break themselves and Jezeph throws out a leg to deflect an effort from Davies after quick change in play from one end to the other.

Half Time: Leiston 3 Alvechurch 1

Five minutes into the second half Church survive a scare that could have undone all the good work from just before the break, when Fowkes drives on target and as the ball pings around the Church goal somehow survives with Jezeph fully involved in blocking a loose ball in front of a gaping goal. A minute later, a great triple save sequence for the Church stopper denies Leiston a fourth goal in a frenetic few minutes of action.

But straight to the other end and Brown screws a shot wide after taking the ball superbly into his stride, and then Jezeph is again in action to deny a drive from Dunbar at his near post.

The game then swings noticeably back in Church’s favour, and just after the hour Abbey curled an effort from 25 yards out that Donkin has to dive full stretch at to divert away for a corner, and then feeds Waldron for a sight of goal, and shot that Donkin beats away.
An action packed end to end game in this third quarter of the game, but keepers at both ends are on top, and the score remains 3-1.

And then the breakthrough finally came on 68 minutes when Waldron crafted a second goal for himself, making a forceful run forward after collecting the ball in the centre circle, and after powering into the Leiston box he lashed the ball in with an angled drive to put Church right back in it.

It’s end to end, and the game descends into chaos on 75 minutes when a looped ball a defender is gathered by Donkin, and an indirect free kick is awarded deep in the Leiston box.
With eleven men behind the ball and a crowded box the inevitable happens when Leiston smuggle the ball away after the ball is blocked.

Church’s comeback was complete with five minutes of normal time remaining when Waldron snatched a third goal, and the equaliser, with an improvised finish after great work from Concannon down the left flank, and after a blocked shot the ball seemed to fall behind Waldron, but he reacted instinctively to scoop the ball in, seemingly from behind him, from close range.

There looked to be only one winner now, as Church were looking for what had seemed an unlikely winner, but at least a penalty shootout seemed to have been redeemed from an apparently hopeless position.

But it was not to be, with the clock now ticking through stoppage time, Church fumbled a clearance, then gave away a needless free kick near the touchline. The ball is swung in, headed clear to 25 yards out, but Marsden returns it with interest, and it flies through the crowded area past Jezeph and nestles nicely for the home side to restore their lead with very little time remaining.