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Home > 2007-08 Season > Match Reports > Histon (27.10.07)

MATCH REPORT

Histon 4 Bamber Bridge 1

FA Cup 4th Quailfying Round

at Glassworld Stadium

Saturday 27th October 2007

By Dave Rowland

Despite going down to a 1-4 defeat in the Fourth Qualifying Round of the FA Cup at Conference Premier side Histon, Bamber Bridge contributed fully to a keenly contested and entertaining tie. Indeed, the South Ribble outfit gave a superb first-half display but unfortunately went in at the interval one-nil down due to a clinical piece of finishing a minute before the break. They did mange to get back on level terms early in the second period but were simply outgunned by their loftier hosts at the end of the day.

Brig arrived at Histon’s Glassworld Stadium in Impington hoping to claim a place in the First Round Proper of the FA Cup for the first time since 1999-00 when they met and defeated Isthmian League side St Albans City by 2-0 in Hertfordshire. They were also looking to improve on Tuesday night’s showing in the League when surprisingly going down 0-2 at home to Harrogate Railway Athletic. Their Cambridgeshire hosts, who won promotion to the Conference Premier last season when taking the Conference South title by 18 points over second placed Salisbury City, have done well so far in the top drawer this term. This being the first stage of entry for Conference Premier sides, they were equally as keen as their Lancashire guests of making progress into the First Round Proper. The possibility of meeting Football League opposition lay invitingly just 90 minutes away for the winners.

Phil Entwistle made two changes to the team that started the game against Harrogate Railway during the week. After recovering from injury, Paul McMenemy was brought back into the defence, thus releasing Tom Ince who took up a more familiar role on the left wing. Alex Porter was moved inside, replacing Neil Spencer as Ryan Salmon’s strike partner in the middle of the front line. Stephen Brown passed a late fitness test to take his place on the right of midfield, replacing Matty Mahoney. Histon manager Steve Fallon made a couple of changes bringing midfielder Erkan Okay back into the line-up following suspension and also welcoming the return of central defender Patrick Ada.

Each side lined up without one of their respective star strikers. Bamber Bridge’s Sean O’Neil had suddenly departed for Leigh RMI during the week and Histon were without the services of their leading marksman Cliff Akrang, who was serving the first part of a three-match ban following his sending-off at Droylsden in the Conference on Tuesday night.

The opening period was a lively affair and the visitors were first to threaten when Brig skipper Alex Porter found Ryan Salmon in space just inside the box. Histon goalkeeper, Danny Naisbitt, had to be at his best when touching Brig’s leading marksman’s shot around his left hand goalpost.

The Conference boys then came close twice on the counter, when first, Nathaniel Knight-Percival headed a Aidrian Cambridge long throw-in narrowly wide before a Matthew Langston header met the same fate. Brig were to have problems coping with Cambridge’s long throw-ins all afternoon.
Brig had started well and were more than holding their own against their loftier hosts and were unlucky on ten minutes when Glenn Steel just failed to reach a Porter cross. At the other end a Gareth Gwillim corner was shot over the Brig crossbar by John Kennedy.

Mercifully, the pace slackened and both sides settled down to play some neat and purposeful football. Brig, however, were the more inventive, conjuring up some delightfully penetrating moves and Tom Ince had a cross-shot punched away by Naisbitt on 20 minutes.

The visitors continued to apply effective pressure on the home defence who looked distinctly uncomfortable on occasions. The South Ribble lads were certainly incisive and enjoying the better of the exchanges. Salmon laid off a perfect ball for Porter on 31 minutes but the skippers shot was deflected by a defender and Naisbitt was able to make an easy save.

Salmon then robbed Patrick Ada before moving in for the kill five minutes before the break but his shot was blocked and then Williams was unlucky to see his header flash just over the crossbar following a Brown corner.
Disaster struck for the plucky Lancastrians in the 44th minute when they were made to pay dearly for not having taken advantage of their first-half superiority. Another long throw-in from the left by Cambridge was glanced home at the front stick by Antonio Murray who gave the home team an unlikely lead completely against the run of play.

Murray should have got his second straight after the interval when he fluffed a golden opportunity when firing an inviting lay-off by Knight-Percival past an unguarded net.

Bamber Bridge struck back with a vengeance on 57 minutes with a finely worked equaliser. Alex Porter got behind the Histon defence and chipped the ball in to the waiting Salmon who gratefully headed home past Naisbitt for his tenth goal of the season.

However, Brig’s joy was short-lived when, within ten minutes, Histon were 3-1 to the good. A well-struck Cambridge corner kick on the left was powerfully headed home by Knight-Percival on 61 minutes and four minutes later, before the visitors had time to recover, Danny Wright curled a low shot past McCormick following a neat pass by Murray.

This knocked the stuffing out of Bamber Bridge who were now playing second fiddle to the Conference Premier side. Dangerous dead-ball kicks and long accurate throw-ins by Cambridge began to really trouble the visitors rearguard and the pacy Knight-Percival was calling all the shots in midfield.

However, the gutsy northerners refused to lie down and were quite prepared to make a game of it and go forward at every opportunity. Stephen Brown and Ince in particular continued to run at the home defence and Adam Tong kept Porter and Salmon busy at the front with some well directed balls from deep positions.

Histon made the visitors pay for their audacity with a clinical finish in the 90th minute. A fine Langston through-ball caught the Brig defence fully extended and substitute Jamie Barker moved in to fire a delightful drive past the advancing McCormick to give the score-line a somewhat unrealistic look.

Bamber Bridge: McCormick, Fleming (Melling 67mins), McMenemy (Spencer 67mins), Williams, Tong, Steel, Brown, D Mahoney, Salmon, Porter, Ince. Unused Subs: Carroll, Watson, M Mahoney

Goals: -

Attendance: 535