Football Rovers’ youngsters impress in hard-fought cup defeat
BRISTOL Rovers’ FA Youth Cup dreams were crushed by Leyton Orient in the final minute of extra time at the Mem on Tuesday night, but they can be proud of their efforts in a 4-3 thriller, writes Sam Frost.
Reon Smith-Kouassi - a menace all night for the Os - struck the killer blow in the 120th minute of a fantastic cup tie that swung back and forth, sending Orient into the third round.
The Gas took an early lead through Jamarni Langlais, but Orient responded through Antonio Clements before goals from SmithKouassi and Charlie Pegrum put the visitors in command.
Byron Anthony’s Gas were not out of the fight, though, and they were sparked into life by a stunning free-kick from 16-year-old Kofi Shaw, who then popped up in the third minute of stoppage time to make it 3-3 and take the tie to extra time. Penalties were on the cards until Smith-Kouassi found the top corner at the death, sparking scenes of jubilation as the away bench poured onto the pitch.
The Gas had got the start they desired, though, after Langlais drove towards goal in the third minute and he was hauled to the ground just outside the box. From the ensuing cross, the powerful striker got across his man at the front post and he headed the ball into the top corner to give the Gas the lead.
But the Os took little time to respond, equalising in style in the 10th minute. A shot from SmithKouassi was blocked on the edge of the area but it landed kindly for Antonio Clements to strike first time and the midfielder lashed the ball into the bottom corner.
Orient were in the ascendancy. Gas goalkpper Ross Mason did brilliantly to get off his line and smother Thomas Avgoustidis’ shot after he raced onto a flick-on, but the ball broke to Pegrum who shot wide with the goal at his mercy.
Eleven minutes before half time, Orient should have hit the front. Left-back Charlie White gave the ball away in his own area and Smith-Kouassi pounced with Pegrum joining him in the area. It appeared a certain goal, but the pull-back was behind the arriving midfielder. The chance still was alive but Smith-Kouassi could not hit the target with a sprawling Mason in his face.
Mason was responsible again for keeping Rovers level five minutes shy of the pause, getting down to his left to palm Avgoustidis’ 20-yarder wide of the post. It was going to take a piece of quality or fortune to beat the keeper, and Orient went ahead with a stroke of the latter in the 42nd minute. Jerry Lawrence, who has featured for the first-team this season and is highly rated by Joey Barton, had the ball stolen off him in midfield and the break ended with Smith-Kouassi’s shot on the spin deflecting off a defender and bouncing over the outstretched arm of Mason.
Orient’s lead was deserved and they continued in the same vein after half time with Ayodele Ojo’s goal flagged for offside.
A third goal did arrive soon after, however. With 25 minutes to play, Orient went route one and Will Larvin could not deal with a bouncing ball. Smith-Kouassi snared possession and teed up Pegrum, whose shot from 16 yards proved too strong for Mason, who got a foot on it but could not keep it out. But the Gas kept the cup tie alive with a moment of brilliance from Shaw 18 minutes from time. Rovers won a foul 25 yards from goal and the midfielder’s swerving, dipping strike cleared the wall and ducked under the crossbar, leaving goalkeeper Noah Phillips with no chance. In stoppage time Shaw sent the tie to extra time. Lewis Pinchard held the ball up before picking out the surging run of White, and the left-back delivered the cross for playmaker Shaw to make it a brace and force an extra half an hour. Neither side was willing to gamble, and it seemed penalties were a certainty. But Smith-Kouassi had the final say, pouncing on a loose ball and firing home.