Church “love” a penalty shootout – having reached the semi final of this competition last season without having won a game in normal time ; beating Darlaston, Boldmere and Aston Villa on penalties in the three previous rounds.

A floodlight “failure” ten minutes before kick off delayed the start of the game, which very much had a low key feel with a sparse crowd and little away support evident.

Alechurch: Emery, Dugmore, Dyer, Hallahan, Ofosu, Alabi, Evans (Clayton-Phillips 63), Agustien, Taylor, Kindred (Reka 63), Rowe (Batchelor 87) subs not used: Lamb, Manning

Boldmere : Smith, Allison, Knight, Dudley, Craven, Daley (Chibaya 7), Johnston, Gittings, Brown, Boothe, Sweeney (Parry 54) subs not used: Usher-Shipway, Hull, Byrne

Boldmere took the lead after 25 minutes after a poor backward header 30 yards out from Agustien saw the ball drop well short of Emery, and Boothe capitalises to pounce on the loose ball in no man’s land, and lobs Emery with ease from just outside the box.

Church had a good shout for a penalty on 33 minutes when Taylor robbed possession from the full back, and bore down on goal only to clash with the keeper in attempting to feed the ball across the face of goal. Remarkably the referee cautioned the Church striker for simulation, which it most definitely was not.

Half Time : Alvechurch 0 Boldmere SM 1

Church managed an equaliser with a quarter hour remaining, having experienced an uplift in fortune with the welcomed introduction from the bench of Nick Clayton-Phillips just after the hour mark.
A good run across the box by Rowe, who feeds Dyer, and the latter’s shot is palmed back into the heart of the area by keeper Smith, and Clayton-Phillips is in the right place at the right time to steer this rebound into the unguarded net.

Church have looked much the better side in this second half, and look to be the only likely winner if there is to be one in normal time.

But the game is perhaps destined to go to a shootout – as it does.

The shootout:
The first penalty proves to be the most decisive in terms of the outcome of the tie, as it proves to be the only one not converted.
Agustien puts his penalty over the bar, and although Boldmere’s first from Parry strikes the bar, it is on the underside, and it gives the visitors a lead that they do not relinquish. Hallahan, Dyer, Taylor and Dugmore all convert for Church, but so too do Gittings, Brown, Craven and Boothe for Boldmere, and after the statutory five each for both sides, Boldmere hold a conclusive 5-4 lead and claim their place in Round Three.