Brackley trip brace not a hot prospect
I THINK it’s safe to say that before Saturday’s kick off the one result we didn’t want was a draw.
The prospect of two Tuesday nights in Brackley isn’t ideal or anybody’s idea of thrilling.
But the result means our unbeaten run stands at eight games and with our excellent away form, who knows, by the time you read this dear reader we could have won and have qualified for the next round with a bit of money to bolster the bank account.
The result did give us an indication as to how much we’ve improved over the previous months.
Back in August we lost heavily to an excellent Brackley side 2-4, they dominated play seemingly converting almost every chance they had and if I remember correctly, with a little bit of gamesmanship that at times could have been seen as cheating.
On Saturday they never looked like scoring four, in fact I don’t think they had more than two or three chances all game.
We on the other hand had several decent efforts and at least one shout for a penalty.
The first half was evenly balanced, with neither side offering much by way of entertainment.
Danny Lloyd was taken out and should have been awarded a penalty but the referee, as he did so many times, ducked the major decision and gave nothing.
In the second half the game came alive. They scored after confusion reigned in our area. From the Cheadle End it was hard to see if anyone was to blame but to County’s credit, we came back at the Saints from the re-start.
Big K found the ball at his feet in the six yard box but somehow his snap shot hit the crossbar and bounced out when it looked easier to score.
The referee remained weak when he didn’t send off their already booked number 8 (Arnison) after a horror tackle. Instead he called their captain and wagged his finger, no surprises then when he was substituted just minutes later.
We pressed and that pressure paid off when Danny Lloyd, with virtually the last kick of the game, struck an unstoppable shot across the keeper and into the top corner.
The faithful went crazy because it was a great goal – not, I hasten to add, because they wanted to go to Brackley!