CUP JOY! Linnets secure extra-time win McIntyre ‘delighted’ for club after Avro victory
RUNCORN Linnets manager Calum McIntyre has praised his players after they claimed a dramatic 4-1 victory over Avro to progress to the next round of the FA Cup.
Following a 1-1 draw at Avro on Saturday, the Linnets were forced into a replay on Tuesday night at the APEC Taxis Stadium.
And the home fans were not left disappointed with a cup classic that saw the Linnets progress.
The match was finely poised with both teams cancelling each other out in a goalless first half, but things came to life in the closing stages of the second half when the Linnets were awarded a penalty with just five minutes remaining.
Iwan Murray duly converted what many thought was be a well-deserved winning goal.
But with just minutes to go, Avro equalised through Louis Potts.
Extra time beckoned, and it wasn’t long before the Linnets regained their lead.
Following a fantastic cross into the box by James Short, Murray notched his second in the 92nd minute with a powerful strike proving too much for the opposition goalkeeper.
And in the 109th minute Ryan Brooke clipped the ball in at the near post to put the home side in the driving seat.
A resounding victory was capped off in the final minute when Oladapo Olarewaju curled the ball in to put the finishing touch on a memorable match.
Speaking to the club’s media channel after the match, McIntyre said: “I’m really pleased to go through in the competition – it’s obviously the target when you are drawn in a tie and we have had to do it over the course of a replay and extra time.
“A word for our opposition, who made it an outstanding cup tie.
“They really asserted themselves on Saturday. We felt like the tie would be decided tonight on whether we could assert ourselves at home better than they did at home because they made it really difficult for us on Saturday and gave us problems.
“I felt like we were good value for it this evening but were made to work for it over the course of extra time.
“I’m delighted for the players, for their efforts, and equally delighted for the football club because it’s the FA Cup and everyone knows what comes with that.”
McIntyre’s side will now face Liversedge on Saturday, September 4, but the Linnets boss is fully focused on a league double header this Bank Holiday weekend, starting with a clash against Leek Town tomorrow night.
WIDNES joint-manager Steve Akrigg says he is ‘disappointed’ after Tuesday night’s 1-0 defeat at Kidsgrove Athletic.
The Whites fell behind when Lewis Bergin headed in following a dubiously awarded free-kick.
Despite their dominance, Widnes couldn’t find an equaliser.
To add to their woes, Kyle Harrison was sent off late on – and Akrigg was not happy with the decision.
“A 1-0 defeat is really disappointing but I felt that we had the game’s best chances,” Akrigg told the club’s official website.
“Obviously you have to take your chances but the lads have worked hard at a tough place to come - probably one of the uglier places in terms of having to grind out results and how you have to work.
“It’s always difficult in those circumstances but I think we overcame that at spells - we had Kidsgrove pretty much penned in their own half for the entirety of the second half but we’ve got nothing to show for it.
“I’m disappointed with the officials but we can’t control that. I didn’t have the best view of the sending off but I’m not sure how the referee came to the decision that he did.
“They’ve scored from a set-piece which we could have dealt with better but it was never a foul. If going up for a header and winning it cleanly is a foul then I wouldn’t have had a career in the game as a defender.
“Once the decision is given, we simply have to defend it better. That’s the situation that you can control and it’s a poor goal to concede from our point-of-view.
“Aside from that, we’ve battled hard with some really good individual performances but it’s a shame we didn’t get the result - anyone watching knows that we deserved something.
“Their keeper has made good saves but once they were 1-0 up, they’ve managed the game well and made it difficult for us.
“We had two one-on-ones that we really should have put away and I think that’s cost us in the end.”