Wealdstone 0 – 0 Ashford Town (Middx) – AET (Ashford win 5-4 on penalties)
Wealdstone2R
4-5(P) (AET:0 - 0)
Ashford Town (Middlesex)Wealdstone crashed out of the Middlesex Senior Cup on Tuesday night as they lost on penalties to Ashford Town(Middx).
It was the visitors who came closest to opening the scoring early on when Joe Bennett got down the right flank before picking out Kofi Lockhart-Adams who headed against the outside of the post from close range when perhaps he should have done better.
Romone Rose then spurned a decent chance at the other end minutes later as he fired over the bar having been put through by Shabazz Baidoo.
A neat passing move between Lee Chappell and Tom Pett almost created an opening on the fifteen minute mark, but Chappell’s driven cross was knocked behind for a corner.
Chris O’Leary was next to go close when he headed onto the roof of the net from Pett’s out swinging corner.
Only an outstanding save from Rikki Banks at the other end five minutes before the break kept the scores level as he showed great reflexes to palm away a point blank range header from Jim Mann following Ed Thomas’s free kick.
Esmond James missed a glorious chance right on the stroke of half time when he headed over from inside the six yard box after Baidoo had flicked on James Hammond’s cross from the right hand side.
The second half began with Stones once again on top, and Ashford ‘keeper Kyle Merson did well to turn away a driven effort from Rose as it skipped off the frosty turf.
Merson was called into action again a few minutes later, this time diving bravely at the feet of Baidoo as he looked to get on the end of a Pett cross.
Baidoo was certainly looking to make an impression, and the former QPR man had another chance just past the hour mark but he just failed to connect with a driven ball across the box from the ever lively Chappell.
Wealdstone had a great opportunity to take the lead four minutes before the end when Ashford failed to clear a free kick properly with Aaron Tumwa hitting a powerful effort from the edge of the box which was cleared off the line by Mark Bitmead.
With the sides unable to be separated during 90 minutes, the game went to extra time.
Chappell came close to handing his side the lead five minutes into the first period of extra time when he burst into the box and hit a curling effort off the outside of his foot which curled just wide of the upright.
Pett came even closer a few minutes later as he dragged a shot onto the outside of the post following Peter Dean’s miscued overhead kick.
Pett had another one close to the end of the second period, hitting a great volley from the edge of the box which Merson gathered at the second attempt.
Try as they might, Wealdstone just couldn’t snatch a winner so the game went to penalties. With the score locked at 4-4 after the first five penalties, Perry Luckins stepped up to score the sixth penalty for Ashford followed by Esmond James for Wealdstone whose effort was saved with the result that it will be Ashford who advance to the next round.
Wealdstone: Banks, Hammond, Chappell (c), Tumwa, Cronin, Brooks (McCubbin 83), James, O’Leary, Rose (Rosier 55), Baidoo (Dean 76), Pett. Subs not used: North, Nicholas