Saturday 5th September 2009
WOODBRIDGE TOWN 2, BLOATERS 1
FA Vase 1st qualifying round
Woodbridge substitute Sean Rea had been on the field for no more than a minute before winning possession in midfield and hitting a 25 yard effort over Bloaters’ keeper Michael Hilton to give the home side passage to the next round. Hilton off his line got a touch on the looped shot but the ball arced over his head and into the net.
Already missing Alan Darby and Marcus Saunders through injury and Olly Savage through suspected swine flu, Yarmouth suffered further loss after only two minutes of this game when influential captain Adey Ager went down in a clash with a home player and needed four minutes of on-field treatment before being stretchered off. The diagnosis was damaged ligaments and Ager is likely to be out for several weeks along with Darby and Saunders, thus throwing all manager Paul Tong’s plans into disarray. But all the phlegmatic boss would say was: “That’s what you have a squad for.”
Woodbridge, with only one win in six Premier Division games, took a one goal lead in at the interval: in the 43rd minute, Ben Goddard burst into the penalty area past two defenders and squared to Jay Churchyard who beat Hilton at the second attempt.
Earlier, substitute Scott Woodcock delivered a string of dangerous crosses into the Woodbridge area, one of which Stewart Roach flicked on to Liam Bartley whose angled drive after 30 minutes brought a smart stop from Woodpeckers’ keeper Adam Wilson and on the stroke of half time Wilson again denied Bartley pushing an effort onto the post and away.
Yarmouth really had the better of play in the first half and so it continued into the second. Yarmouth won two quick corners both of which were met by Craig Robert’s head; unfortunately, the second attempt hit Jake Reed on the head necessitating treatment, and a few moments later the youngster was substituted by Fernando Vide who then provided some exciting runs through the middle.
Woodcock continued to provide crosses which went unrewarded and Thompson likewise when he replaced Bartley after 71 minutes. Yarmouth had not scored an FA Vase goal in the past five seasons but got their chance rather fortuitously from the spot.
The home side conceded a penalty for handball in the 78th minute that even the away supporters considered dubious, more a case of ball to hand than hand to ball, but after Wilson's initial block, Martyn Magee levelled matters from the rebound for his first competitive goal for the Bloaters.. With seven minutes remaining, Woodcock, with only the keeper to beat, missed a glorious opportunity for the Bloaters, firing straight into Wilson's arms after being played into the area by Roach.
Woodbridge introduced substitutes with the prospect of extra time looming but Rea's late winner earned a home tie for the Woodpeckers against Desborough Town in the next round.
Yarmouth – M Hilton, B Junior, A Sewell, C Roberts, A Ager (S Woodcock 5), G Palmer, L Bartley (M Thompson 71), M Magee, S Roach, J Reed (F Vide 51), D Smith. Unused subs: T Gorbould, B Lowthorpe.
Referee: J Marin
Attendance - 93