Skem look solid but cup run ends
SATURDAY’S FA Cup exit at the First Qualifying Round stage was a costly exercise for Skelmersdale United.
The 2-1 defeat at home to Worksop based Handsworth Parramore meant that they missed on a £3,000 prize.
Monday’s draw for the Second Qualifying Round further exacerbated the situation when Handsworth drew the plum financial draw of a home game against FC United of Manchester, a team who bring with them a huge travelling support.
The result against Handsworth was a surprise but perhaps not quite the shock many might think.
Parramore had already won four of their five league games this season and are expected to be among the teams challenging for promotion to Evo-Stik Division One next season.
The game itself was a close one from start to finish and it could be said that neither team deserved to lose such was the intensity.
Handsworth started well and came close twice in the opening minutes; Callum Jones clearing his lines when Jon Hill got a toe to the ball and Aaron Moxam wasting a good opportunity.
Skelmersdale were well in it though and Remy Howarth was creating the visitors plenty of problems down the left, putting one shot over the crossbar.
The pattern of the game saw Handsworth working hard and closing Skem down well, but it was still Skem who looked the most threatening up front. Richard Brodie put Howarth in but this time he went wide of the post.
Soon afterwards Phil Mooney went close, forcing a good save out of Handsworth goalkeeper Chris Butt.
It wasn’t exactly deadlock but Skelmersdale broke it on 21 minutes.
Howarth’s enterprise down the left saw the ball delivered low into the penalty area, Bevan Burey caused defender William Eades to poorly clear, the ball ran to Mooney on the 18 yard line, he created himself and angle and drove the ball across goal into the bottom corner.
Handsworth responded by pressing harder and a cross from Hill went across goal.
In the 28th minute Handsworth equalised.
A tidy build-up down the right put the ball at number nine Simon Harrison’s feet, he jinked back and forth across the edge of the penalty area before firing the ball low inside Jack Sims righthand post.
Before the interval Skelmersdale twice went near to regaining the lead as they again looked the most dangerous outfit, however, keeper Butt maintained the equilibrium with saves from Brodie and Mooney.
In a reshuffle after the break, Skelmersdale brought Brodie back into a deeper role but still the high pace of the game continued, both teams going all out to win. Burey shot wide for Skem, while at the other end Hill put a header wide off the target for Parramore.
The winning goal which arrived on 69 minutes had more than an element of luck about it or at the very least was unorthodox.
Danny Buttle got a cross in from the left and the ball dropped near the penalty spot to Moxam who was leaning back, his leftfoot shot hit the ground a yard in front of him and looped agonisingly from a Skem perspective into the top corner of the net.
Skelmersdale threw everything at Handsworth.
Brodie was creative in the middle and set up Jonathan Crane one on one with keeper Butt, the full-back was to be denied his second FA Cup goal of the season by a tremendous save at his feet by the keeper.
Skelmersdale pushed men forwards late on but wave after wave of attacks were repulsed by the Handsworth.
When the final whistle blew Skelmersdale could say that they deserved a second bite of the cherry in a replay, they hadn’t played badly, but were beaten by a mixture of bad luck, a good goalkeeper and eleven very determined men.