FA Carlsberg Trophy Third Round Replay
At: The Lamb
Kick-off: 7-45 pm
Attendance: 571
After conceding two quick goals just before the interval through Nick Wright (39th min) and Chris Nurse (43rd min), Stafford dominated the second half and Djoumin Sangare (73rd min) reduced the deficit. But in the end, the pressure couldn't be turned into an equaliser
Stafford were forced to make three changes to the side that started Saturday’s game at Marston Road. Jemiah Richards (broken foot), Ryan Lynch (end of loan spell) and Marco Adaggio (hamstring) were all missing so Chris Flynn, Tom Ingram and Dolapo Olaoye came in. Youth team defender Mike Hathaway was promoted to the subs bench.
Rangers got the game underway attacking down the slope towards the southern open end at The Lamb. But Tamworth got forward and almost took a second-minute lead. Nick Wright got into the Rangers area and hit a low shot against the left-hand post. Wayne Daniel cleared the rebound at the expense of a corner.
Stafford survived two early corners in quick succession and nearly scored from Damion Jarrett’s free-kick played into the home area. Ross Draper headed wide.
Daniel came to Rangers’ rescue in the 8th minute when he cleared off the line from Jake Sheridan’s low drive.
Rain started to fall at The Lamb. Daniel stayed up with the attack after a free-kick was partially cleared and sent a low 20-yard drive straight at Lambs’ keeper Alex Cisak.
Just after the quarter-hour mark, Danny Alcock dived to his left to push clear a well-struck shot volley from Jamie Reed, hit from the edge of the area.
A good move just outside the Tamworth area involving Kevin Street and Olaoye set up Draper who shot wide.
Midway through the half, Gareth Evans, sent off on Saturday, volleyed high over the Stafford bar.
Alcock was called intoo action again in the 33rd minute. The Stafford keeper produced a fingertip save to turn Gareth Sheldon’s rising 30-yard drive onto the bar. Chris Nurse’s follow-up effort from the rebound went wide.
There was no argument that Tamworth were creating some decent chances, aided by the wind. Evans fired over from well outside the area as he was tripped while Reed drilled a shot across the face of goal from the right and wide of the far left post.
The Lambs took the lead in the 39th minute. Wright got into the area and planted a low shot into the net past Alcock.
The lead was doubled four minutes later when Nurse headed home Des Lyttle’s deep right-wing cross.
Just before the break, Cisak failed to deal with Ingram’s hanging left-wing cross and Michael Briscoe cleared Jarrett’s shot.
Draper was booked soon after the restart, before Olaoye had the ball in the Tamworth net in the 49th minute. Jarrett was adjudged to have handled in the build up and there were no complaints.
In contrast to the first half, it was Rangers’ turn to apply the pressure. Olaoye and Street fired wide and Jarrett sent another shot over the bar from well outside the area.
Steve Hopkinson replaced injured Hazley and Neil Grayson replaced David McNiven either side of the hour mark.
Olaoye was booked for a foul on Lyttle in the 64th minute.
Rangers won their first corner, delivered by Jarrett which flashed across the face of goal before Daniel could make contact. From the third corner in a matter of minutes, Draper saw a shot blocked by a defender and Stafford appealed for penalty when Jarrett’s follow-up struck a defender. The referee indicated the ball hit the chest of the Tamworth defender.
Tamworth replaced goalscorer Wright with Matt Williams just before Rangers halved the deficit.
In the 73rd minute, Jarrett played a free-kick into the area which Sangare rose to head past Cisak. Flynn made sure the ball hit the back of the net but the concensus is that it had already crossed the line. Flynn was originally credited with the goal but it has now been given to Sangare.
Still Rangers kept battling forward and such was their dominance that Tamworth didn’t have an attempt of goal throughout the second half.
The referee wasn’t in the mood for giving a penalty as he waived away a really good claim in the 79th minute. Draper’s shot clearly hit the arm of Evans and the reaction of the travelling fans behind the goal suggested, shall we say, a difference of opinion with the man in charge.
The Lambs made a second change. Marcus Ebdon came on for Sheridan in the 84th minute and Lyttle was booked moments later for delaying a throw-in too longer than the referee required.
Sangare was pushed up as an extra forward. He picked up a pass from Olaoye and curled a right-foot wide of the right-hand post from outside the area.
Former Rangers favourite Craig McAughtrie got a good welcome from the travelling fans when he replaced Reed.
Stafford kept Tamworth under pressure. Draper chipped the ball forward into the area and Sangare sent a diving header straight at Cisak.
The home fans booed the five minutes of added time indicated by the fourth official. Deep into stoppage time, Rangers won a throw on the right. Flynn found Grayson who helped the ball on with an acrobatic overhead kick and Sangare headed over.
Teams
Tamworth: Cisak, Lyttle, Evans, Briscoe, Langdon, Sheridan (Ebdon, 80), Bampton, Nurse, Sheldon, Wright (Williams, 72), Reed (McAughtrie, 86). Unused subs: Law, Bains
Stafford Rangers: Alcock, Flynn, Daniel, Sangare, Ingram, Jarrett, Draper, Street, Hazley (Hopkinson, 57), McNiven (Grayson, 62), Olaoye. Unused subs: Hathaway, Allen, Gibson
Referee: Michael Naylor (Sheffield)
Attendance: 571
This match report was originally written for and published on the now defunct www.staffordrangers.co.uk
