Droylsden F.C.-The bloods on the net!

CHESTERFIELD 1 – 2 DROYLSDEN

FA Cup Second Round Replay – Tuesday 23 December 2008

Report by Gary Owen

The Bloods' magnificent victory over their Coca-Cola League Two opponents at the fourth attempt was ultimately overshadowed by the prospect of Dave Pace's team being thrown-out of the competition for fielding an ineligible player in the match.

The player in question was two-goal hero, Sean Newton, who collected his fifth booking of the season, ironically in the fixture between these two sides at Saltergate on 9 December. This invoked a one-match ban to commence 14 days later, on 23 December. The suspension was to be served between 23 December and 26 December. Of course, at that time, the only fixture on the sheet for Droylsden was the home league tie with Vauxhall Motors on Boxing Day.

However, FA rules stipulate that the ban must be served at the first opportunity during the stated period. Had Dave Pace been aware of this, he has said that he would have brought the fixture forwards by 24 hours and played it on the Monday.

It is difficult to see how the FA can make any other decision but to expel The Bloods from this season's competition, despite this incident being due to a genuine error, and in no way an attempt to deliberately break the rules.

The magnitude of this disastrous episode, in terms of both morale and financially, cannot be under-estimated, and it is a calamity that it has stolen all the headlines from a truly memorable footballing night – one which at the time had made history for the club, as it had never in its 116 year history ever reached the FA Cup Third Round.

Inevitably, the game itself saw two goals from Newton either side of another bizarre effort by Jack Lester, that being before his dismissal in the second half, so the controversial moments continued on the pitch.

Early on, Colin Cryan looked like he had fouled Lester on the edge of the box, but the referee was having none of it.

Then, at the other end, Newton signalled his intent early on as he fired wide from a free kick.

Jamie Lowry then threatened the Droylsden goal on a couple of occasions, before Carl Lamb shot over for the Bloods.

Play flowed to the other end for Paul Harsley to shoot over for The Spirerites. However, the Butcher's Arms erupted on 31 minutes when Newton collected the ball high on the left flank, and he cut inside in an attempt to find an opening. He side-stepped three defenders, before finding the bottom corner with his right foot from the edge of the box.

Unfortunately, The Bloods only enjoyed four minutes in the ascendancy when Criag Mawson took a touch on Jamie McGuire's back-pass from the half-way line. Lester sniffed an opportunity, and he charged-down the Droylsden keeper's clearance, the ball striking his rear and rolling agonisingly over the line for the equaliser.

Mawson grasped a Lester shot at the second attempt with Jamie Ward waiting to pounce, but the scores remained level at the break.

Just six minutes after the re-start, Matthew Tipton was bearing down on the Chesterfield goal from the right wing, and he clearly had his shirt tugged by Aaron Downes, and Mr. Miller had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Newton belied his youth to take responsibility for the kick, and he gave Tommy Lee no chance with a firm left-footed strike into the bottom corner.

Newton again went close with a free kick from 25 yards, but the inevtibale onslaught then came from Lee Richardson's side. However, The Bloods defended resolutely, and Mawson was hardly tested.

When he was on 69 minutes, he saved from Ward, but couldn't hold on – the ball fell to Lowry, and with many expecting another equaliser, Mawson recovered to make a fine second block.

Chesterfield's plight was made even more difficult when Lester was dismissed for use of an elbow on Cryan with 6 minutes remaining.

Home substitute, Kevin Townson shot over in a rare counter-attack, and Mawson again held firm virtually on the goal-line from a Chesterfield flag kick after a Paul Harsley shot had been blocked at the expense of a corner.

The referee brought matters to a close to begin a crescendo of noise and another pitch invasion to mark what should have been the finest moment in Droylsden's history.

However, with all finally thinking this notorious cup tie was finally over, there was one merciless twist to occur which few could have contemplated – with perhaps Spirerites' boss Richardson being one of them, given his kind words in his post match interview.

Did he know something that no-one else did at that time?

TEAMS:

Droylsden

Mawson, Brownhill, Newton, Byron, Cryan, McGuire, Beck, Pickford, Brown, Tipton (Townson, 72'), Lamb.

Unused Subs.: Halford, Tandy, Sorvel, Burbeary, Clancy, Prince.

Chesterfield

Lee, Downes, Picken (Bowert, 83'), Hall, Gray, Lowry, Kerry (Currie, 68'), Harsley, Robertson, Lester, Ward.

Unused Subs: Austin, Winter, Boden, Algar, Bowert, Carson.

Referee: Mr. N. Miller (County Durham)

ATTENDANCE: 2,824