AMMIES TOO HOT DESPITE MARINERS’ FIGHTBACK

MARINE fell to high-flying Salford City in the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup despite a valiant effort by the home side.

As the grey clouds began to appear shortly after kick-off, Salford made their presence on the game known and dominated the midfield for much of the first half.

To give credit where it’s due, Marine put up an excellent fight in the first half and they managed to carve out a few chances – some would argue they were unlucky to not take the lead.

Finley Sinclair-Smith and Danny Mitchley were a force for Mariners in the first half as the duo looked the most likely out of anyone on the field to grab a goal.

Adam Rooney was awarded a yellow card in the 25th minute for a late challenge on Martin Fearon; the home crowd were calling for a straight red but the referee wasn’t having any of it.

The first goal came in the 40th-minute as Danny Whitehead struck an effort from the edge of the box, which found a way into the bottom left corner of Fearon’s net.

Ibou Touray was instrumental for Salford in the first half, almost scoring himself before whipping in the cross that would ultimately give Whitehead his chance to strike.

Danny Shaw was shown a yellow card just before half-time following a late challenge on a Salford man threatening to break into Marine’s box.

Ged Kinsella was introduced for Marine at half-time, replacing Finley Sinclair-Smith, but he was the second substitute of the game as James Short was brought on for the injured Kenny Strickland within the first quarter of an hour.

The second half didn’t begin as planned for the National League leaders as Marine grabbed an equaliser in the 49th minute through a lobbed effort by Mitchley, which left Chris Neal completely dumbfounded. It didn’t take long for Salford to reclaim their lead however as Rory Gaffney’s looping header found its way over Fearon and into the back of the gaping net – before that the game could have gone either way. John Marsden was brought into the match for his Marine debut in the 58th minute, replacing James Murray, but it wasn’t enough to inspire a comeback for the Mariners. Mitchley had an opportunity to grab a late equaliser but his effort rolled agonisingly wide of Salford’s goal and it proved to be the final chance of the fixture. The win for Salford will come as no surprise, considering the current state of both clubs, but Marine can be proud of what they’ve accomplished in the qualifying rounds.