Papworth helps League into the national quarter-finals
18 Jan 2012

FA Inter League Cup

Lincolnshire League 4 Midland Football Combination 3 (after extra time)

SKEGNESSTown’s Liam Papworth played his part as the cream ofLincolnshire’s amateur players went through to the next round of the national FA Inter League Cup.

The Sills and Betteridge Lincolnshire League now meet the Cheshire League in the last eight.

Prior to the match there was a minute’s silence as a mark of respect for teenager Jimmy Whittam, aSkegnessTownplayer, who had died the previous day in a road crash.

Both keepers saved penalties during a game that was a great advert for the national FA Inter League competition.

Played on the frosty surface of Bromsgrove Sporting FC (home of the former Bromsgrove Rovers), the afternoon’s entertainment was lauded as excellent value for the neutral.  It certainly kept everyone on the edge of their seats.

Tom Sergeant of Boston United Reserves putLincolnshirein front from the penalty spot after 17 minutes, having been brought down by the home keeper, Craig Johnson.

Sergeant was also involved in the second goal two minutes later.  He robbed Zachery Blood of possession in the opponents’ half and fed full back Kurt Barwick (Grimsby Borough Reserves).  Barwick zipped in a cross that home skipper Matthew Shakespeare could only glance past his own keeper.

Conscious that they let a two-goal lead slip against Anglian in the last round, Lincs continued to press, but Sergeant’s golden opportunity to make it 3-0 in the 28^th minute was thwarted by the approaching Johnson’s excellent block.

Former Irish schoolboy international Chris Conway brought the Midlands side back into the contest with a cool finish after the ball dropped to him in space behind theLincolnshiredefence.

Conwaycaused more panic in the visiting rearguard on the stroke of half time, but Shakespeare skied the resultant chance over the cross bar.

Lincolnshirestarted the second half brightly and Heckington United’s Luke Hollingworth was inches wide with a left foot curler.

At the other end disaster struck the visitors when the impressiveConwayfired home at the near post from a tight angle after breaking down the left.  It had all the hallmarks of a cross, but theMidlandscamp were not arguing.  They were back on level terms and the momentum was with them.

There was more angst for the Lincolnshirelads in the 57^th minute, less than two minutes after the equaliser, when they failed to deal with a corner and Shakespeare headed home the loose ball to make it 3-2.

The hosts appeared unstoppable and whenLincolnshire’s skipper Ryan Barker (Boston United Reserves) took out Mykey Pryce as well as the ball in a last ditch tackle, the referee pointed straight to the spot.

HadConwaycompleted his hat-trick you feared the worst for the visitors in the last half an hour, but Boston United Reserves keeper Andrew Hewitt dived to his left to push his spot kick away and we now had game on.

It was end to end stuff as both sides tired, but the 78^th minute equaliser was like a bolt out of the blue. Ogden jinked his way in from the left and let fly with a right foot shot that found the bottom corner of the net.

And in the last minute substitute Nathan Smith ofMarketRasenTownlooked to have clinched the tie without the need for extra time.  He stretched for a header, which hit the bar and then the back of a diving Johnson.  Somehow it stayed out, but Smith was quickest to react to the rebound and blasted goalwards, only for Johnson to thwart him with a desperate save.

And so the game moved into extra time and second half substitute Scott Wilson (HorncastleTown) was beginning to make an impact with the benefit of fresh legs.

So much so that four minutes into the first period he was pushed over in the box and the game had its third penalty.

This time Sergeant’s spot kick failed to bulge the net as Johnson palmed it away.

As if out of frustration Sergeant tried his luck from 30 yards just four minutes later. His audacious attempt caught Johnson out and when the ball came back from his left hand postWilsonwas on hand to gleefully sidefoot home into an empty net.

Six minutes into the second period of extra time Ogden, one of sevenBostonplayers in the squad, was denied a second goal when Johnson clawed his dipping shot away to safety.

The final minutes were played out with the hosts throwing everything into theLincolnshirepenalty area, but the visitors stood firm.

*SkegnessTown’s Mark Thompson had also been selected to represent the league, but suffered an ankle injury during preparations for the tie.