F.A. Youth Cup – 1st Qualifying Round - 26th September 2007
WITTON ALBION 0 SALFORD CITY 4 - attendance 51
TEAM: Luke Hebblewhite, Matt Dennison, Gareth Boyle (Joe Gordon 85 mins.), Matthew Bailey, Darren Fox, Chris Smith (Ross Farron 63), Matthew Woolley, Joshua Coomber, Matthew Daniels, Danny Williams, Louis Bentley. Subs not used Eddie Foy & Shaun Burrows.
Just like the previous evening the actual score-line did not bear a true reflection of this cup-tie.
Neil Gill’s young charges settled quickly and enjoyed most of the first 15 minutes possession however the tone for the night was almost set when suddenly a shot from visiting striker Jack Burrows was pushed upwards by our keeper Hebblewhite and he relieved when he turned to find the ball bouncing back into his hands. Albion Skipper Woolley, with a snap shot in the 39th minute, went narrowly wide of the far post. With the defence seeming to have done the job it was a total calamity when in the final minute of the half Dennison mistimed his tackle on the lively Chris Hodgin leaving referee Daniel Hitchell no choice but to award a penalty. Hodgin himself taking it with enough power even though Hebblewhite got his right hand to the ball.
The opening five minutes of the second period reflected the first half but with their very first attack Salford made it 2-0, a quick ball down the right found Hodgin and he produced a cleverly perfect lob over the advancing Hebblewhite. To their fine credit the Albion team, on average a year younger than their counterparts battled on and produced a number of good attempts on goal. However in Chris Grant, City possessed a keeper fully determined to keep a clean sheet.
In a quarter hour spell Grant denied Daniels whilst Woolley, following a corner, saw his effort cleared off the goal-line. Daniels missed a golden opportunity when with the goal at his mercy he sent his shot wide of the left post. Coomber saw his lobbed attempt drift just wide of the right post whilst Grant produced two great saves to deny both Farron and Williams.
After all this attacking then how cruel, with two minutes remaining, when Albion’s own keeper Hebblewhite produced a good save of his own from Brad MacDougall but with the ball loose the linesman adjudged that Jamie Hulme, following up, had managed to get the ball over the line before an Albion defender had headed away. It was then a long distance drive from MacDougall in stoppage time that completed the score-line injustice.