HEMEL HEMPSTEAD TOWN 4 IPSWICH WANDERERS 1

FA CUP 1ST QUALIFYING ROUND REPLAY

TUESDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER 2005

Manager Jason Dozzell made several positional changes from the team that started last Saturday for this FA Cup replay at Hemel Hempstead with Matthew Cunningham coming back into the side after suspension. Mark Francis was included in midfield but Dean Tournay-Godfrey was still not fit following the injury sustained in the previous round.

Thomas, for Hemel, fired over the bar in the first minute to give Wanderers an early wake up call after their long and arduous journey through the rush hour traffic but the early minutes suggested that Hemel were not about to repeat their complacency of the previous game.

15 minutes had passed without Wanderers mounting a serious attack as Hemel opened the scoring through Carney’s turn and shot from the edge of the area. On 18 mins Carney broke from his own half down the left to leave the Wanderers defence standing but, despite having 2 men over, he chose to shoot into the side netting. However, Glynn got the second after he robbed Mark Francis in midfield and was able to shoot unopposed. Smith saw his first action of the match on 28 mins when Mark Francis curled a free kick round the wall and into his arms. It was three to Hemel on 37 mins when Valenti sped down the left and put in a deep cross that was headed home by an unmarked Yoki. From the restart, Marc Lowe found himself in a good position in the area and stung the ‘keeper’s hands with his shot. As the whistle was at the referee’s lips to blow for half time, Yoki chipped a ball from the right over Jamie Stannard’s head and Thomas was at the far post to score with a free header.

Hemel Hempstead 4 Ipswich Wanderers 0

The introduction of Rene Swann at the start of the second half gave life to the Wanderers attack but Hemel continued their complete domination of the game. Wanderers won their first corner of the whole game on 52 mins but Smith saved off the head of Keith Hetherington. 2 minutes later Carney won a heading dual with Chris Tracey to set up Thomas, who shot wide of Jamie Stannard’s outstretched hand. Hemel were finding it easy with Wanderers giving the ball away in midfield and allowing Thomas, Yoki and Carney to take pot shots at Jamie Stannard, without, however, adding to the score.

Rene Swann was finding room, as he had done at Humber Doucy Lane, behind the Hemel defence but his final ball was never quite enough for Keith Hetherington to latch on to. On 80 minutes Mark Goldfinch took the ball off the toes of Thomas as he broke into the area and, from the resultant corner, Jamie Stannrd tipped Carney’s header over the bar.

Both sides were still looking to score as the game drew to a close and it was Jamie Baker who scored a consolation goal on 87 mins with a long range effort that beat Smith at the far post. With the game going into added time Marc Lowe and Hemel’s Newby decided to test the referee’s patience by squaring up to each other in the centre circle; the referee passed the test by keeping his cards securely in his pocket.

So, an opportunity lost in the first game but an experience gained in the second. Jason Dozzell and Chris Tracey will probably not be ‘roasted’ so many times in one game for the rest of their seasons and all players can take credit for their attitude when up against superior odds.