Ashford United come from a goal down to win 3-1
Ascot United were dumped out of the FA Trophy by Isthmian League South East side Ashford United on an afternoon where the officials came under intense criticism from both sides. Nothing should diminish the efforts of the Kent side from fighting back to win, but the game was largely spoilt by calamitous decision making.
Referee angers both teams in first half
The first half was a game of two quarters – Ascot dominating – and Ashford coming back into it – literally, after going behind.
Nine minutes in, Lui Edwards raced onto a through ball and cut in from the right before drilling low and hard under Jordan Gillmore (pictured, shooting-stars.co.uk); the visitors incensed at seeing no offside flag -or maybe one that was initially raised and then went down, or wasn’t initially raised and then should have gone up – only one man knows.
Harley Platel almost curled a well-disguised effort home in the 17th minute, but when Cam Rohart-Brown sent Edwards clear in the 19th minute it should have been 2-0 as, with all the time in the world to compose himself, he somehow fired wide with only Gillmore in his way.
But Ashford came into it and Sam Swyer’s brilliant one-handed save denied Mike West’s thunderbolt, although it was a woeful attempt to play out from the back that had gifted possession to The Nuts and Bolts.
West’s shot then brought hand-ball claims from the further irritated visitors who sought a penalty, although they quickly abated as they were forced to defend at the other end as Edwards teed up TJ Mboge, who was quickly smothered by the covering defence.
Mboge was cleaned out from behind – no foul given – before Rohart-Brown was booked in the immediate after-play for what was his first foul of the afternoon.
But when Oli Bate was left free on the right for the visitors ten minutes before the break there was danger brewing. He squared for Zak Whitelock, and Whitelock swept home first-time into the left.
Then, it was Ascot’s turn to have their feathers ruffled when Swyer spilt the ball under a heavy challenge, sparking under claims for another foul, but Ashford lobbed the loose ball into an empty net to make it 2-1 in the 40th minute under protests from the home faithful.
Second half yields more drama
Swyer would earn his second man-of-the-match award in as many games with a strong display and his save with his feet from Bate in the 56th minute went some way to justifying that.
But the low save down to deny Whitelock’s low-drive through a crowd of players on the hour mark was the best of the lot; at this point the tie was still up for grabs.
However, when substitute Connor Richardson was dismissed with ten minutes remaining the odds swung further in the visitors advantage. Richardson looked to have tripped Kareem Isiaka who was on the attack, although Isiaka ultimately appeared to trip under his own feet and there were covering defenders, but a red-card was the result.
Happy Gillmore gets away with one; AUFC visitors want AUFC hosts’ shirt
To further fuel the fire, Gillmore claimed a through-ball later-on, and although his feet were just inside his penalty area his arms were not – no foul – before substitute Kai Zini’s run in the 90th minute ended with his shirt being pulled half way up his back – also no foul.
Sam Sesay’s speculative effort fizzed just wide of an equaliser in the first added minute, but Whitelock drilled low into the bottom right at the other end a minute later to make it 3-1 and ice what was a fairly unsavoury cake from Ascot’s perspective.
It really wasn’t great, and Ascot were left contemplating a costly week on more than one count.
Ascot United: Swyer, Walters (Bullard-Jeffrey 71’), Rohart-Brown, Parkinson, Sesay, Allsopp, Mboge (Uzor 59’), Long (Richardson 59’ / sent off 80’), Edwards (Zini 71’), Platel, Clarke-Salter (Amiri 52’).
Venue: The Racecourse, Ascot
Attendance: TBC
Weather: 22c, partly sunny
Ascot United MOM: Sam Swyer (Ascot United)
Entertainment: 2
Away fans estimate: 30
One-word summary: Ruined