C B Hounslow 4 – 4 Wealdstone (P4-5)
CB Hounslow United2R
5-4(P)
WealdstoneWealdstone clung onto their unbeaten record to stretch their run into double figures at the expense of a confident Combined Counties Premier side CB Hounslow United at Bedfont & Feltham’s Orchard ground.
The game finished 4-4 with four goals coming in the last eight minutes, before the Stones eventually progressed 5-4 on penalties.
Andrew Juett gave Hounslow an early lead before the Stones regained advantage when Nathan Corkery and Billy Gibson scored. Gavin Bamford scored twice before Elliot Benyon marked his comeback from injury with a header. Jordan Ireland thought he had won it for the hosts with his 88th minute strike but Benyon scored from the spot with the last kick of the game.
The Stones made nine changes to the side that won at Truro with only Ciaron Brown and Nathan Mavila retaining their starting places. David Hunt returned from injury in central midfield and Benyon and Matty Whichelow made their comebacks from the subs bench.
Terence Cariba robbed Brown on the edge of the area to play in Juett before he calmly slotted through debutant Billy Granger’s legs to give Hounslow a seventh minute lead.
Stones worked hard to get level again and had four efforts stopped on the line before Nathan Corkery, who also made his debut, struck past Alex Wines in goal.
Gibson was then put through by Scott McGleish after United cleared a corner and the former-Watford man hit a shot past Wines at his near post to give Stones the lead.
CB Hounslow equalised from a set piece. A free kick was crossed into the box and Bamford was there at the far post, unmarked to slot past Granger. Bamford then regained the hosts lead on the 83rd minute from the penalty spot after Juett was shoved by Orlando Rodrigues.
Benyon then flicked in a Corkery cross past Wines in the 86th minute, scoring just seven minutes into his comeback. The hosts thought they won the game when Ireland started and completed a move which he placed past Granger in the 88th minute sparking jubilant scenes.
But Benyon had the last say when Omar Koroma was brought down in the fourth minute of injury time, allowing the Stones top scorer to double his tally on the night with the final kick of the game.
PENALTY SHOOT OUT:
1-0 – Juett hits enough on it to Granger’s right, out of the keepers reach.
1-1 – Gibson goes keeper’s right and Wines sticks in the middle of the goal.
2-1 – Billy Roach slots it down the middle, Granger dived to his right.
2-2 – McGleish scores penalty of the night, right into the bottom corner, silencing the fans who taunted him.
3-2 – Thomas Kanek goes to the keepers left, Granger got a palm to it but it wasn’t enough.
3-3 – Whichelow goes cooly and calmly to the keepers right.
3-3 – Bamford smashes his penalty over the bar.
3-4 – Benyon goes to Wines’ left, keeper gets a hand on it but it only helps it further into the corner.
4-4 – Ireland calmly scores his penalty to take it to sudden death.
4-5 – Mavila smashes his penalty in off the post to send the Stones through.
The win puts the Stones into the quarter-finals where they will face CB Hounslow’s landlords Bedfont & Feltham at Grosvenor Vale.
WEALDSTONE: Granger, Rodrigues, Mavila, Corkery, Brown, Hunt (Gordon 62), McGleish, Gibson, Francis (Benyon 79), Koroma, Lafleur (Whichelow 72) Subs not used: Samuels, Wright
By Chris Woods
Alan Palmer pictures HERE