FA CUP EXTRA PRELIMINARY ROUND

ST NEOTS TOWN           7         GREAT YARMOUTH TOWN          1    

St Neots kicked off their new season with a stunning first half performance that left visiting Thurlow Nunn outfit Great Yarmouth Town reeling. Three goals in six minutes just before half time added to the two already in the bag and put the result way beyond the reach of their Norfolk visitors and although the second half was very much lower key it was a victory to savour. The final score-line equalled their best ever FA Cup result having beaten Holbeach United at home by the same score-line 16 years earlier. After a thorough testing set of pre-season matches with fresh faces added to his squad Manager Cameron Mawer opted to name ten of last season’s regular eleven in his starting line-up with the holidaying Sam Willis the only absentee. After the break the maximum five substitutes were given a taste of senior football and this naturally broke up the rhythm of the game, but valuable minutes were spent on the pitch by almost the whole squad. The visitors never gave up competing even after losing a player sent off half an hour from time so with that opener complete the squad will now prepare for their first league match back at Step Four in the National League System at home to Belper Town on 9th August.

It did not take long for the Saints to get into their stride. After just five minutes man-of-the-match Harvey Williams left his marker in his wake to cross to the near post where Charlie Bowen forced a fingertip save from visiting keeper Brandon Ling at the expense of a corner. Christian Tavernier sent his cross to the far post where Murphy Culkin beat Ling with a rasping low finish. After 14 minutes the visitors made an early substitution replacing the limping Leo Spooner with Aaron Sanders. The closest to a goal for the visitors came after 26 minutes when Ryan Jacobs set up Jake Spooner whose close-range effort rebounded from the crossbar.   Three minutes later St Neots extended their lead when a Williams cross found the head of Bowen at the far post and he headed down to hand Rhys Thorpe a close-range tap in finish to make in 2-0. With just seven minutes remaining in the first half St Neots went on a scoring spree adding three further goals. A Culkin corner was not cleared, and Kieran Barnes found a way through the packed penalty area to make it 3-0 and two minutes before the break, a defensive error handed Harvey Williams his sides’ fourth goal. Then within a further sixty seconds Kieran Barnes raced onto a lengthy clearance from goalkeeper James Goff to cleverly go round the stranded keeper to tap in a fifth goal.

Just after the break Yarmouth opted to change the shape of their struggling side with the addition of no less than three substitutes but it had little significant effect as Kieran Barnes helped himself to his third and his sides’ sixth goal after 56 minutes courtesy of a stunning run and set up by Williams. Two minutes later a lapse in the St Neots defence saw Yarmouth grab a consolation goal as two of their substitute players combined, Kyle Baker netting from a Sanders corner. Within two minutes St Neots had reinstated their six goals advantage as Sam Adams handled on the visiting goal line to pick up a red card and from the resultant penalty kick the impressive Christian Tavernier added his name to the scoresheet – only his second goal in 34 appearances. St Neots then sent on their remaining permitted substitutes, and the game became almost pedestrian with the visiting side defending in numbers. Visiting keeper Ling produced the save of the match to deny Michael Amaeshike and the game ended with St Neots dominating possession but unable to add to their impressive goals tally. In two weeks’ time St Neots travel to Lowestoft Town in the next round of the competition.

Today’s Saints Supporters’ Man of the Match, in association with The Greystones Public House, Sawtry – HARVEY WILLIAMS

 

 

 

 

 

 

St Neots Town:  Goff, Francis, Culkin, Tavernier, Parker, George, Furlong, Amaeshike, Thorpe, Barnes, Williams

Subs:  Henderson (for Parker 57 mins), Obeng (for Williams 61 mins), Ankrah (for Barnes 61 mins), Jessop (for Furlong 66 mins), Sterling (for Thorpe 66 mins).

Cards:  Tavernier (Y – 90 mins)

Goals:  Barnes 3 (32, 44 & 56 mins), Culkin (5 mins), Thorpe (28 mins), Williams (43 mins) Tavernier -pen- 60 mins)

Great Yarmouth Town: Ling, Wenn, Abbs, Cork, Herbert, Adams, Halliday, Jacobs, Spooner (J), Spooner (L), Dagnino

Subs: Sanders (for Spooner (L) 14 mins), Bailey (for Abbs 51 mins), Perry (for Herbert 51 mins), Baker (for Dagnino 51 mins), McNab (for Cork 57 mins).

Cards: Perry (RED – 60 mins), Herbert (Y – 11 mins)

Goals: Baker (58 mins)

Attendance: 298

Referee:  Jacob Nunn

(John Walker)