Wythenshawe Town VS North Ferriby

Wythenshawe Town 2 North Ferriby 2 (North Ferriby win 5 - 4 on penalties)

Report by Sam Shepherd

North Ferriby are through to the Round Two of the Buildbase FA Vase after a superb penalties win at WythenshaweTown. The Villagers were 2-0 down at half-time but second half goals from Leigh Hutchinson and Tom Corner took the game to penalties before heroics from keeper Jordan Douglas gave Ferriby a 5-4 win.

The home side dominated much of the first half and Ferriby took a while to get into the game as both sides had the ball in the net early on. Ferriby’s Leigh Hutchinson was adjudged to have fouled Matty Roberts before poking the ball past the goalkeeper and at the other end Wythenshawe were denied for offside.

Manager Chris Bolder was delighted to see his side go through especially after their second half performance when he said: “A very good day, we wouldn’t have said that at half time but everyone is pleased with the end result.

“The second half we thoroughly deserved to go through but penalties are always a lottery and credit to the lads who stepped up to take them, it takes courage. Also fair play to ‘Dougy’ in making two outstanding penalty saves and also one in the game itself.

“It’s fair to say the first half wasn’t up to the standards Ferriby usually set themselves as in that first half we were not good enough. They got told at half time and I thought the response was unbelievable; it was there for all to see.

“We want to make sure every single player understands what it means to play for the football club. First half we weren’t good enough but credit to the lads including the substitutes there was only going to be one winner in the second half.”

The home side took the lead in the 21st minute as Matty Bryan did well down the right and put in a cross to Darius Palma. He met the ball with a well placed first time shot that flew into the bottom corner to give Wythenshawe a 1-0 lead.

Just three minutes later the home side doubled their lead after a hand ball in the box from Levi Tarbotton. Brad Byrne stepped up and hit the spot kick high into the top corner past the diving Douglas making it 2-0 with less than 25 minutes played.

Despite going 2-0 down early and being off the pace Ferriby managed to work their way into the game and created a few chances before half time. The best sight of goal the Villagers had came from Ben Leyland who hit a shot from 20 yards that Callum Jakovlevs met with a diving save. 

Meanwhile at the other end Wythenshawe almost made it 3-0 but they were also denied by a brilliant diving save, Jordan Douglas came from nowhere to tip a deflected shot wide of the post.

It’s fair to say Ferriby were a different side in the second half and they dominated it from the off when a cross from Jamie Forrester should have been converted. Tom Corner then had a shot easily saved before Ferriby got back into the game in the 59th minute.

Substitute Danny Buttle beat his man down the left and dug out a cross that was powerfully headed home at the back post by Leigh Hutchinson to make it 2-1 and this gave Ferriby hope. Wythenshawe looked to add another goal when Matty Bryan hit a shot wide when unmarked.

Ferriby were dominating and it only seemed like a matter of time before they equalised. Substitute Josh Dennett unleashed his long throw from the right hand side and Tom Corner met it with a looping header that took an age to hit the back of the net to level at 2-2. 

The last fifteen minutes saw a Ferriby onslaught as Gary Bradshaw and Corner caused problems up front. Then a Forrester free kick created danger in the home defence as Niall Tilsley saw a header parried away to take the game to a penalty shoot out.

Penalties are always a lottery but it favours the brave and in this case it was Ferriby goalkeeper Jordan Douglas. Ferriby had scored all four of their penalties with Douglas saving the first Wythenshawe one leaving Gary Bradshaw to step up to win the game for the Villagers.

Unfortunately their all time record goal scorer had his spot kick saved but Laurence McKay kept them in it with the first sudden death shot. Wythenshawe needed to score to stay in the game but Douglas saved Grant Spencer’s kick and Ferriby were through to Round Two.

 

Wythenshawe: Callum Jakovlevs, Dom Smalley (Burton 55), Jerome Wright, Lee Gregory, Jan Palinkas, Matty Roberts, Brad Byrne, Michael Thomas, Matty Bryan, Jack Timmons, Darius Palma. Subs: Jordan Burton, Steve Drysden, Max Lewens, Matt Rowson, Chris Baguley, Grant Spencer, Fenton Reeves

 

Ferriby: Jordan Douglas, Ben Leyland (Dennett 72), Laurence McKay, Levi Tarbotton, Niall Tilsley, Liam Nelthorpe (Buttle 55), Danny Emerton, Iwan Heeley, Jamie Forrester, Leigh Hutchinson (Bradshaw 72), Tom Corner Subs: Joel Shortland, Lewis Exall, Gary Bradshaw (Hutchinson 72), Danny Buttle (Nelthorpe 55), Josh Dennett (Leyland 72)

Referee: Chris Cooper-Tonge

Man of the match: Jordan Douglas