Alvechurch: Randle (Jezeph 90+5), Dugmore (Cassidy 69), Burton, Neto-Teixeira, Williams, Carter, Abbey , Edge (Clayton-Phillips 69), Waldron, Concannon (Jones 90), Hamilton (Soule 87)

Aston Villa : Zych, Ealing, Munroe, Smith, O’Reilly, Lindley, Pierre, Alcock, Lutz, Barnes, Afoka Subs: McDowell, Simpson, Mitchell, Pavey, Wright

A bonkers game of football, that swung one way and then the other, and culminated in a similarly themed penalty shoot out that Church edged 5-4 after 14 penalties taken.

Villa led 2-0, 3-1 and 4-3, before Church pegged them back at 3-3. 4-4, and then took a 5-4 lead with just two minutes of normal time remaining.

In a breathless end to the game, Villa pinched a fifth goal to send the game straight to penalties.
It was the third tie running in this season’s competition that Church had had to face the challenge of a penalty shootout, and it proved to be the most dramatic yet.
But more of that later.

It was definitely a night where attacks were on top. There were too many mistakes at the back for both sides to look back with great satisfaction, but it may be the first time that Church have been involved in a five-all draw – the record books need to be scoured!

Despite a bright start for Church, the Villa youngsters raced into a two goal lead with a sublime strike and a smart finish, but both were aided and abetted by defensive mistakes.
The first, on 9 minutes, was courtesy of a fine strike by Villa full back Munroe, but Church failed to deal quickly enough with the short corner, and keeper Randle should maybe have done better with the touch he got on the ball to keep it from flying into the top corner from 25 yards.
The second came more clearly as the result of a mistake , with Williams being caught in possession 40 yards out, and Lutz took the ball on before delivering a clinical low finish across Randle into the far corner from the edge of the box.
Two down after 19 minutes and it looked ominous for Church, but the game settled down somewhat, and the best chance for further scoring came at the Villa end on 22 minutes when Hamilton ran at the defence and shoots and watches as his shot deflects against the visiting goal and over for a corner.
The first substitution of the evening arrived just after when a clash of heads between Church’s Net-Teixeira and Villa’s Barnes led to the latter leaving the fray.
Church pressed again when a nicely worked move and a Dugmore cross sees Waldron deliver a snap shot just wide of the angle of the goal.

Villa squandered a good chance on the half hour when Pierre put the ball wide of an open goal after Afoka had squared a pass to him on the edge of the box with Randle in no-man’s land. A crucial point in the game as it turns out, as 0-3 might have been a bridge too far.

Villa were very threatening on the counter and in another such swift move Alcock fires a shot straight at Randle before the ball is scramble away for a corner.

A lifeline came in first half stoppage time when Abbey teed up a free kick strike on goal from 20 yards, and the ball hist the back of the net with keeper Zych not moving to reduce the arrears to one.

Half Time: Alvechurch 1 Aston Villa 2

Villa restored their two goal lead on 58 minutes when a long through ball down the middle evaded Williams, and Lutz showed composure to take the ball on and slot past Randle from fifteen yards – a crushing blow for Church after having played themselves back into the game.

Within five minutes, Church had pulled a goal back when Burton feeds Abbey on the right of the Villa box, and as the ball falls to Concannon, his bouncing shot from 12 yards eludes keeper Zych and hits the far corner of the net. The keeper will probably feel that he should have done better, but he could really do noting about the Church equaliser a minute later. Hamilton out-muscles O’Reilly just outside the box, take the ball on towards goal before lashing it into the roof of the net from the angle giving Zych no chance.

Villa know that they are in a game now, and with a quarter of an hour to go, the home side think that they have completed the comeback and taken the lead. Concannon’s corner is converted by Williams’ head in trademark Williams style, but the referee disallows it after the assistant flags, presumably for offside against Abbey who is lurking centre goal but neither moves towards nor touches the ball as it wings its way goalwards.
A minute later, Hamilton jinxes to edge of the box and drives on target, and the ball is pushed against the post by Zych.

A disallowed goal, and the woodwork struck, and the inevitable sequence of events brings a goal for the visitors against the run of play. Mitchell steers the ball across Randle and into the corner from deep inside the box after another swift counter from Villa, and with twelve minutes to go the visitors again have the lead.

Church respond in kind, and two goals in four minutes leaves the outcome of the tie again back in favour of the Southern League side. On 84 minutes Hamilton is barged in the back by Munroe inside the box, and a penalty is awarded
Soft maybe, but Abbey is not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, and duly despatches his second set piece goal of the night, this time from twelve yards, to bring about parity once again at 4-4.

Four minutes later, and with just two minutes of normal time . remaining, Church remarkably claim the lead when a corner is only half cleared, and Abbey reacts quickest to steer the ball through a crowded sux yard box from ten yards.

Into stoppage time and who knows when this madness will all end?
Not quite yet as it turns out, and Church fail to deal with another close range effort on goal, the ball is spilled, and Lutz steers the ball in from close range to claim his hat-trick, and send the tie to penalties.
Significantly Dan Jezeph is sent on to replace Randle in the remaining time in readiness for the spot kicks.

Fourteen penalties taken, nine eventually scored.
1-0 Villa (Munroe)
Still 1-0 when Abbey’s shot comes back off the post.
2-0 Villa as Smith converts
2-1 Villa as Waldron coolly finishes.
3-1 Villa as Afoka rolls the ball in.
3-2 Villa as substitute Soule scores
Remains 3-2 Villa as Lutz has his shot saved.
3-3 after Clayton-Phillips; shot comes down off the underside of the bar and the assistant agrees over the line
4-3 Villa as Lindley lashes the ball into the top left hand corner.
4-4 as Aurio keeps his cool to score low to the left.
Still 4-4 as Mitchell fails to score.
Jones to win it, but his Panenka clears the bar much to the dismay of any with Gold and Black affiliations!
Still 4-4 as Simpson fails from the spot before ex-Villa youngster Brad Burton has the chance to win it with his spot-kick – AND HE DOES!