Early Igozouln goal enough to beat visitors
Anas Igozouln’s early goal was enough for Ascot United to defeat Milton United in the Emirates FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round on Saturday. The debutant took just three minutes to open his account, but his side were fortunate to hold onto their lead against a well-organized Milton outfit.
New faces join familiar stayers in new-look line-up
Manager Jamie Tompkins had secured a mix of experience and youth in the pre-season shake-up and straight into the starting line-up went three new players: defender Ben Van Aurich, midfielder Sean Fraser and winger Igozouln. However, king for the day amongst the eight other players boasting 563 appearances between them was defender George Lock, awarded the captain’s armband in recognition of reaching an outright club record 263 appearances of his own.
Ascot ahead early-on but frustrated soon after
The Yellamen made a lightning-fast start and were ahead inside just three minutes. Ben Harris, in space just inside the visitors’ half, threaded a wonderful defence-splitting pass through for Igozouln to run onto, and he duly rounded ‘keeper Timmy Mungall before wrong-footing a covering defender by rolling the ball into the left-hand corner (pictured, shooting-stars.co.uk).
But the early promise failed to explode further, and it was Milton United who enjoyed the lion’s share of possession and Cameron Mills fired wide of the top left hand corner after Sam Elkins had earlier picked out Harry Thomas on the right.
Home ‘keeper Mark Scott then dived full stretch to keep out Thomas Moore’s cheeky free kick to the near post, before doing well to thwart Louis Joyce after Milton had countered from Joe Gater’s errant pass.
Yellamen carve out chances but lack composure
Thomas then headed wide under pressure from Van Aurich as Milton continued to probe, although they almost undid themselves at the other end when Elkins’s woeful clearance fell to Sean McCormack, who blazed over from distance when there were surely better options.
Moore’s free kick – awarded after Van Aurich was penalized for a clumsy tackle – then brought a sprawling save from Scott to keep his side ahead, and they might have extended it just before the break only for Harris and Sean Fraser to get in each other’s way when attempting to convert McCormack’s delivery in recycled play; one-nil as the sides changed ends.
Scott and Bailey keep Milton at bay
Scott was in action 30 seconds after the restart to thwart Joyce when clean through, and there were claims for a penalty in the 53rd minute when Harry Thomas went down under Josh Edwards’s tackle after he had rescued the situation following Van Aurich’s hesitancy.
In Tompkins’ absence, deputising manager Dean Greenwood made five second half substitutions, including tactical exits for both Harris and Gater having both received yellow cards. One of the remainder – Dan Bailey – would go on to make two crucial challenges to keep Milton at arm’s length. The first of them – a crunching tackle on substitute Jake Moss – snuffed out what had looked like a threatening counter-attack with seven minutes remaining, but the better of them came in the eighth of nine added minutes when he somehow got enough on Joyce, who was licking his own lips at a seemingly gilt-edged chance from close range that the big defender quashed at full stretch.
In between those challenges, Milton’s Harry Sturgess saw his header float over from an 86th minute corner as the home faithful’s hearts rose to their mouths, but at the other end Taylor Morgan should really have done better when racing onto Alfie Grant’s long pass as the ninety minute mark ticked past; his shot dragged wide of the left hand post from right of goal.
But the result is all that matters courtesy of the hosts’ only shot on target, and The Yellamen will now travel to Virginia Water in the next round in two weeks after they overcame Brimscombe & Thrupp 4-2.
Ascot United: Scott, Lock, Van Aurich (Holland 53’), Tack (A. Grant 87’), Gater (Bailey 71’), Edwards, McCormack, H. Grant, Harris (Taylor 53’), Fraser, Igozouln (Payne-James 75’). Subs unused: Tucker, Ellis
Entertainment: 2
Reporter’s Star Man): Anas Igozouln (Ascot United)
Away fans (estimate): 20