Alport (1) 1 Wellington (0) 2
(after extra time 90 mins score 1-1)
A goal in the second half of extra time ended Alport’s interest in the FA Vase at the first qualifying stage on Saturday. In front of an impressive 151 gate the Reds had only themselves to blame for the exit, after spurning several gilt-edged openings in the first half of normal time. And yet they had started the game so well against their Hereford-based opponents, Wellington. Jordan Elcock put the Reds in front after latching onto a slide-rule pass from Carl Everall after only eight minutes but after chance after chance went begging in the first 45, they dried up somewhat after it. And it allowed Wellington to stay in the game with Paul Jones smashing home a free kick on the hour to bring the visitors level. And when Mike Blundell saw what looked like an inch perfect lob bounce over the crossbar in the first period of extra time, you sensed that it wasn’t going to be their day. And so it proved when centre forward Josh Hunt was given the freedom of the borough to control the ball on his chest, before pirouetting and smashing the volley into the bottom corner past the faultless Rob Cooke.
Elcock began the game well for Alport and his finish past Matt Apperley in the Wellington goal was clinical. But Wellington looked handy up top despite looking a touch flakey at the back and if Whitchurch had had their scoring boots on they could have been dead and buried by the halfway stage. Blundell and strike partner Alex Hughes – paired as a front two for the first time this season – were both guilty of missing the target, with clear chances that could have added to Elcock’s early contribution. Whether or not that got into the psyche of the Whitchurch team it’s hard to determine. But with the failure to penetrate a Wellington defence that had clearly been read the riot act at the break, it seemed to hand the impetus to the away side who knew that they should have been out of the contest, but somehow remained very much in it. Alport have been guilty this season of conceding too many free-kicks in dangerous areas – and have been punished from enough of them to have learned their lesson. But when they conceded another one a few yards outside the box, Jones found the bottom corner to make it one apiece. Matt Williams had already seen an earlier dead ball situation brilliantly kept out when Cooke flew across his line to miraculously push the ball away. But this time, Cooke was helpless to do anything about Jones’ precision kick and the nerves continued to jangle for an out of sorts Alport team. Maybe they couldn’t cope with so many players absent who knows? Led by the impeccable Luke Goddard, Whitchurch pushed hard to win the game in normal time, but despite an incredible eight minutes of added on time applied by the referee – at least double what might have been added – they couldn’t avoid extra time. Blundell was so unfortunate with the shot that bounced over because had the Yockings pitch not been so firm, it would have been Alport who would have regained the advantage. But Hunt had the final say and when Apperley did brilliantly to push out a late Dean Twigg piledriver, the time was up for the Clockmakers.