FA Cup sponsored by e.on Second Qualifying Round
At: Ashby Avenue
Kick-off: 3-00 pm
Admission: £6; Programme: £1-50
Attendance: 151
Weather: warm with continuous sunshine
Duration: first-half: 49:12; second-half: 48:15
So far this season, my FA Cup trips have taken in three clubs from the East Midlands Counties League – Gedling Miners Welfare, Borrowash Victoria and Bardon Hill Sports – as well as the bonus Sunday tie at Cirencester. After Bardon defeated Barton Town OB, my initial thought was to watch their second qualifying round tie provided it was played at a ground I’d not previously visited. They were given an away tie at Northwich Victoria, a venue at which I’d seen Stafford play at on, so I looked elsewhere in the draw for today’s game.
One tie which stood out was this one between two teams with contrasting league form. Lincoln United had just a single league point near the foot of the Unibond League Division 1 South table while visitors Jarrow Roofing were challenging for promotion towards the top of the Skill Training Ltd Northern League Division 2. Giantkilling alert!
Yesterday my good friend ‘Walsall Neil’ suggested that the crowd for any football trip should ideally be greater than the mileage from home to the ground. He opted to make the 58-mile trip from Croydon to Clymping in Sussex while I opted to keep my FA Cup run going with this intriguing tie at Lincoln needing a crowd in excess of 88 fans. I was confident that a three-figure crowd would be attracted to Ashby Avenue.
The directions to Ashby Avenue appeared straight forward and so they proved to be. From the Skellingthorpe roundabout on the A46 Lincoln north bypass, I followed the ‘Birchwood’ sign towards the city and went straight through the first set of lights next to a filling station construction site. Just after passing the partially obscured lake to the right and recreation ground to the left and entering the 30 mph zone, Ashby Avenue was on first right (look out for the ‘Ashby Avenue Sports Ground’ sign) and the ground 200 yards on the right just past the tower block.
One the way, I spotted the team coach from a Stockport firm on the A52 near Radcliffe, which I guessed was carrying Witton Albion to Grantham.
A large sign confirmed the home of both ‘Lincoln United Football Club’ and ‘Hartsholme United Cricket Club’ and parking for spectators was round the right by the cricket pitch. There were fans milling around in Jarrow replica blue and yellow shirts and I picked up a programme from the turnstile before heading off in search of lunch. I found the Lakeside Fish Bar close by on Skellingthorpe Road though had I known the extensive menu in the football club’s canteen, even for a vege like me, I’d have probably eaten there instead. Still, I enjoyed my chip from the ‘LFB’.
Though the turnstile on the far side of the cricket pitch, the fully-enclosed football pitch (orientated north-east–south-west) ran lengthways. All the main facilities were behind the near goal with a changing room and hospitality building closest and separate canteen (aka The Willy White Suite) and club shop beyond. A sturdy plastic coated wire fence protested the building from shots hot wide of the goal. A plaque on the wall of the said building explained it was erected in memory of Bryan Smith. Down the left-hand touchline stood the main stand containing four rows of individual tip-up seats and at the far end was the Claudine Morley Stand covered standing behind the goal. There were a couple of interesting structures along the right-hand touchline. On halfway were the dugouts and press box with the Arthur Simpson Stand containing two rows of benches, located between the dugouts and far right corner. I opted to watch the whole game from a position on the back row of this quaint stand.
It is fair to say that Lincoln United’s league form this season had been in complete contrast to the cup. They went into this tie second from bottom in the Unibond League Division 1 South table with just one point from six games – a 3-3 draw at home to Kidsgrove Athletic a month ago. The only team below them, Willenhall Town, were only bottom because 10-point deduction.
In the FA Cup, Lincoln have beaten Friar Lane & Epworth and then pulled off a shock result in the last round to beat Unibond League Premier Division side Retford United in a replay. On Tuesday, good cup form continued as they hammered Loughborough Dynamo 5-1 in the Unibond League President’s Cup.
The programme gave the complete FA Cup record of both sides and I noticed that Jarrow Roofing were enjoying their best-ever run in the competition. They had already overcome three hurdles against more senior opposition in Armthorpe Welfare, Penrith and most recently Garforth Town. In the league, they were in third position (18 points from seven games, six wins and a defeat), seven points behind leaders Sunderland RCA with two games in hand.
Teams lined-up facing the main stand to exchange those fair-play handshakes. Teams stayed as they were after the toss and Lincoln (wearing white shirts, red shorts and sock) got the action underway attacking the Claudine Morley Stand end in the first half defending into the sun.
The first major incident came in the 3rd minute when Sam Wilkinson was booked for a heavy challenge of Roofing skipper Brian Rowe. A fan wearing a Notts County replica shirt with his son walked by and I wondered what he thought about Sol Campbell’s one-match strint with the Magpies.
It was the visitors (wearing all blue with yellow trim like the replica shirts I’d seen) who created the game’s first chance as Michael Hepplewhite and Paul Milner combined on the right. The former crossed into the area where Tony Thirkell saw a header held by Mario Ziccardi, who I remembered playing for Grantham in the past.
The raffle ticket seller came round, £1 a strip, and I enquired if the badge pinned to his tie was on sale. He said ‘yes’ and mentioned the club shop would be open at half-time. No chance of peach 141–145 being lucky?
Referee Michael Bell had his yellow card out again in the 10th minute to caution Jaarrow’s Robert Houghton for a foul on Sean Cann.
Jarrow certainly settled well in what could be described as the biggest game in the club’s history and they went close four minutes after the booking. A poor back pass header was intercepted by unmarked Michael Chapman who couldn’t be flagged offside. He broke into the area down the left and fired wide of the far post where the ball was cleared for a corner.
I sensed the home fans were getting a bit nervous, especially when Keith Foster whipped a free-kick across the face of the Lincoln goal. And the fans near me were again concerned as defender Ryan Porter was forced to produce a saving tackle inside the area to deny Hepplewhite a shooting chance.
Lincoln were clearly second best during the opening half hour but started to show more promise during the last 15 minutes of the half. Terry Fleming won a corner and one of the fans near me predicted a (Brendan) McDaid goal – the corner, however, came to nothing.
I spotted another replica shirt, a yellow Norwich City one, and he was on the phone taking about a keeper being sent off and a penalty. He must have been talking about City Fraser Forster who saw red after conceding a penalty at Gillingham.
Ziccardi produced a good save in the 35th minute to beat away an angled shot from Nathan Bonar who had got the better of McDaid.
At the other end, Cann got down the left and crossed into the area but Foster cleared the danger. “A goal now would be worth so much,” said the fan, no doubt lifted by Lincoln’s improved play. Little did they know that the visitors would find the net.
“Minimum of four minutes of added time,” came over the tannoy and it looked like being a goalless first half until the Roofers took the lead in the second minute of stoppage time. Thirkell latched on to a long ball forward into the Lincoln area, got the better of Terry Fleming and fired home at close range.
As promised, the club shop was open and there were two other Lincoln United badges for sale in addition to the 70th anniversary one I’d seen, each costing £3. I also picked up a Lincoln City Ladies programme as well from last month. I then joined the queue for the canteen and was once again served a tea by the two cheerful ladies behind the counter. By the way, I was unlucky in the raffle as none of the three winning stripes remotely matched mine.
The home side needed to up their game in the second half if they were going to avoid a giantkilling and they did just that by equalising in the 52nd minute. Like the Jarrow goal, it came from a long ball. Wilkinson exchanged a one-two with Jamie Forrester before sidefooting low past keeper Adam Dowell.
There was almost a quick-fire second goal for Lincoln, prevented by a good block by Dowell to deny the lively George Zuerner. The same player then fired into the side netting in the next attack.
Lincoln had their tails up and took the lead in the 60th minute. Zuerner latched onto a forward pass, got past Scott Donaldson, and confidently fired past Dowell.
Ziccardi produced a good save to push clear a rising shot from Chapman before the visitors made a change in the 70th minute with Martin Thompson replacing Donaldson. Lincoln made a change themselves three minutes later as Forrester was replaced by Sam Mullarky.
With 10 minutes plus stoppage time remaining, both sides unsuccessfully appealed for a penalty and, in the 83rd minute, Roofer’s defender Foster was booked for retaliation.
Ziccardi needed to remain alert and the keeper rushed out of his area to boot the ball clear as Hepplewhite closed in on a ball down the middle.
Jarrow played a last throw of the dice in the 89th minute when Paul Catto replaced Bonar though they were given little opportunity of forcing an equaliser in the ‘minimum of three minutes added time”.
I’ve had complains in the past that I simply go the game and come home. So, before heading back I decided to do a little bit of sightseeing and took in the old racecourse with the old stand still in situ, as well as a closer look at the cathedral.
Goals:
0-1 Tony Thirkell (45+2)
1-1 Sam Wilkinson (52)
2-1 George Zuerner (60)
