FA Trophy - Hornchurch 2 Burton Albion 1 (original) (raw)

Apparently Clough Sr doesn't make it to many away games any more. He goes to most home games though and I must admit that for a minute or two after Max announced the three minutes of added time the thought of meeting the great man played on my mind. That and where I'd left my A-Z and what time I would have to leave home to get to Burton for Tuesday's kick-off. But I guess that I'm not the only one not to have seen the move which led to John Keeling's winning goal -thank goodness I had the camera switched on and pointing in the right direction !

Burton started well and took the lead after 16 minutes, Darren Stride heading home from a Sam McMahon free kick - a worryingly easy goal. 6 minutes later, though, we were back on level terms. John Martin took the ball from midfield and crossed in from the right for Bertie Brayley to volley past keeper Matt Duke from 12 yards. For the rest of the half we were awesome - Martin and Brayley especially proving a handful. A Brayley shot from 30 yards could only be pushed away by Duke with 10 minutes to go, and he had to save well again a minute later from Andy Douglas. Brayley again went close with 8 minutes to go when he curled a shot narrowly wide from a Graham free kick.

Claims for a penalty after Andy Douglas was brought down in the area 8 minutes into the second half were waved away and a Gavin McGowan shot from 18 yards spun off a defender and went wide. Burton had a spell of pressure just after mid-way through the half and Andy White just missed a far post header from an Alex John Baptiste cross. With 15 minutes left Duke fumbled a Graham cross with Douglas right behind him but it was quickly cleared before Douglas could react. Lacking the bite we had in the later stages of the first half substitutions were likely, and George Borg timed it perfectly, bringing on Vinnie John and John Keeling with 13 minutes left. When Brayley poked the ball across goal from a Keeling cross in the last minute, thoughts turned to a replay but 2 minutes into injury time came the winner. Duke seriously shanked a free kick out of touch and the quickly taken throw from Martin was helped on by John and Brayley for Keeling who nudged the ball past Chettle and, as if he was in a training match, coolly slotted in under Dukes body.

Sorry Brian, maybe next year !

Line-up:- Gay, Gooding, Kerrigan, Adedeji, Matthews, Locke, Graham, J Martin, Douglas (John 77), Brayley, McGowan (Keeling 77). Subs not used:- Cowley, Rowland, McCartney (GK).