Rovers’ Wembley joy thanks to Luis!
GREAT WAKERING Rovers keeper Luis Shamshoum saved the vital penalty kick in a tense shoot-out to set up a dream all-Essex showdown at Wembley.
Rovers’ Max Gnandi fired in a late goal that levelled the tie on aggregate to take the game to penalties.
And when he pushed away Worcester captain Chris Knight’s effort sudden death to seal a 5-4 shootout win, their Burroughs Park home erupted.
Marcus Bowers’ side will face a familiar foe next month in Essex Senior league rivals Romford – and the boss couldn’t quite believe his eyes.
“You only have to look at the pitch now, it’s unbelievable,” Bowers said.
“The lads are buzzing. I don’t think it will settle in now. What a feeling. I don’t think anyone is at home in Wakering because they’re all here. It was mobbed today – they were our 12th man, they got us over the line. It was massive.”
The tie’s resolution was put back a week after the first leg was postponed before the Blues took a narrow 1-0 first leg lead.
City boss Chris Cornes was serving a touchline ban due to a misconduct charge.
And it was his side who fell behind on the day when Rovers’ Jake Gordon levelled the tie.
Former Colchester youth product Callum Boylan drove towards the City goal before seeing his striker deflected into the path of Gordon, who volleyed the ball into the roof of the net from just inside the 18-yard box.
However, as the hosts continued to threaten, it was the imposing figure of
Dylan Hart who would give City the lead again from a defensive mix-up that resulted in an unmarked header a couple yards out.
Gordon, thought he’d levelled the tie again, only to have his deflected finish quickly overruled as office by the linesman.
Wakering had another chalked off before Gnandi, on as a sub, struck. Harry Talbot, kept at bay for a large parts, crafted out an opening, skipping past two defenders on the left before sweeping a ball across the box for Gnandi to drill into the bottom left corner with ten minutes to play.
The first six penalties were tucked away only for Anthony Martin to hit the bar for Rovers. But Kyle Belmonte then dragged his spot-kick wide with both sides staying level.
Jack Nolde put his away and Shamshoum followed that up with heroics of his own, reading centre-back Knight’s kick.
Assistant Ryan Rowe,who stepped in for the banned Cornes and saw his side win the Hellenic Premier in midweek, said that despite defeat: “The squad has had an immense season.”
For Bowers there is the league campaign to finish before a big day out.
“Little Wakering Rovers are going to Wembley,” he said. “It’s crazy. It doesn’t feel like it should happen but it is happening. We’ve got a big month now!” STAR MAN: Jake Gordon (Rovers) ATT: 1,400 ENTERTAINMENT: ★★★★★ REFEREE: Stephen Parkinson