FA Cup penalty drama for Town and Linnets
Game was hit by a floodlights blackout
WEST AUCKLAND TOWN ........... 0 RUNCORN LINNETS .................... 0 RUNCORN LINNETS WIN 3-2 ON PENALTIES FA CUP 1ST QUALIFYING ROUND
THE lights went out on West Auckland Town in the FA Cup after they were beaten on penalties by Runcorn Linnets at The Wanted Stadium.
It was a bizarre night in West Auckland as a cagey affair gave way to a floodlight blackout and then a dramatic penalty shootout in which neither team had their shooting boots on.
Runcorn got off to a flyer though as they dominated possession and won six corners in the opening 10 minutes.
Nolan and Crilly both went close for the Linnets as they pinned West Auckland back into their own half.
However, Runcorn struggled to make their dominance count and saw West Auckland fight their way back into the half with some solid chances of their own.
A scrappy second half was capped off in the 75th minute when there was a floodlight failure, plunging the night into darkness and the fixture into doubt.
Eventually the lights came on, but not at full capacity, as both teams played out a dour and cagey second half.
It looked like Runcorn had taken it in the very last second but they saw a great header fly agonisingly past the post to cement a 0-0 draw after 90 minutes.
So it was to go to penalties under the dim lights on a pitch black night in West Auckland.
It was advantage Linnets immediately as West Auckland missed their first spot kick and The Linnets converted their first.
West Auckland then levelled it at 1-1 before the Linnets went ahead with a great pen to make it 2-1.
Remarkably, neither side could bury the next four spot kicks, with Linnets’ keeper Wharton making some fabulous saves along the way, to keep it at 2-1.
West Auckland then levelled it at 2-2 before The Linnets put the game to bed as Jack Welsh stepped up to coolly convert the final penalty to go through 3-2.
Linnets manager Calum McIntyre said he was ‘delighted’ after a game that saw his side go into the hat for the next round of the world’s most famous cup competition.