FA Cup 3rd Qualifying Round

[Mark Neal]

We have been drawn at Home against Bostik Premier 3rd placed LEISTON in the next round of the FA CUP. Saturday 30th September.

[Rijs]

Unbeaten this season, chasing promotion to our league... just the sort of banana skin game we have slipped on regularly in the cup in recent years. In fact, haven't we ALWAYS lost to teams from lower leagues in recent seasons?

[exile]

As Bognor is still a recent nightmare, I think we will be better prepared this season, so long as we keep it tight at the back.

[ChrisB]

Sept 18, 2017 21:12:11 GMT Rijs said:

Unbeaten this season, chasing promotion to our league... just the sort of banana skin game we have slipped on regularly in the cup in recent years. In fact, haven't we ALWAYS lost to teams from lower leagues in recent seasons?

Not quite "always", but five times since we last got to the First Round Proper: so I don't think we should view Leiston as the underdogs with any degree of certainty or comfort!

[Mark Neal]

We did beat Shortwood United a few years back for bit of positivity! ( Albeit the year before we went out at there place, eek!)

[shutler]

Heard last night that we only have nine first team players available and every other player is a Nomad ☹️ Not knocking the youngsters but surely this proves the size of our squad is completely inadequate? Jonah has been going on for a while about getting new players in not not one has arrived ☹️

[Padz]

I don't think it's quite that dire, but obviously not ideal.

We are missing Grant & Fleet(susp), Chamberlain(Pompey don't want him cup tied), Bennett & Hendo (injuries)

I think we're all in agreement that we do need a couple of bodies in
(Mainly a no nonsense CB and another striker) but you'll always struggle to recruit good quality players who aren't cup tied in any case

We still have enough quality available , the bench will be subsidised with some of the younger lads who have impressed for Nomads

Stevens, Navarro, Oastler, Poku, Jones, Pearce, McEachran, Sinclair, Fofana, Paterson, Forde , will likely be the starting 11 I'd imagine

[ChrisB]

Yes, so 11 'regulars' to start + three from Nomads as subs. Not ideal, but you have to make the best of what's available and it would always be difficult to 'import' at this point when clubs do not want their players cup-tied.
But imagine the position if, like Brackley Town with their 'Saints', Nomads had, for the first time, played in the FA Cup as they are entitled to do and all the Nomads' players were cup-tied!! However, I still feel that, in a more settled period, it would be good for Nomads to enter the FA Cup, as well as the Vase...but I'd hope for better attendances. 19 and 21 for the two home Vase ties was incredibly disappointing.

Mark, in his pre-match comments, sees Leiston as potential "giant killers", and the website item sees the game as a potential "banana-skin". Personally I'd see this as a match between two very closely-matched sides, with the visitors higher in confidence and with more momentum.
They're not like the Shortwood, Redbridge or Yate who we've fallen to in the recent past. A win for City will be a very good result indeed.

[exile]

My view on 'cup-tied' players is that the FA should now review the rule, and make it possible for a player to be considered eligible if he has moved after his original team has been knocked out. That would be fair. If however he was moving clubs while both of them were still involved, then that would remain unfair and disallowed. Perhaps they could retain more stringent regulations for clubs in the Football League.
I am sure that whoever is playing for us tomorrow will do their best, and I am hoping to be there to see a City win!

[hedges]

3-1 Oxford
Att- 250

We will win this one....more money in the kitty 🙂

[Rijs]

Would love to see a win (wouldn't we all?) in the most important match so far this season, but I see Leiston as favourites given current form, our weakened squad and our poor track record in cup games against teams from lower leagues. We'll have to work very hard to keep them out: they'll be right up for this one.

[Mark Neal]

City to win 2-1. Att- 245

[Padz]

I'll take a 1-0, 258

A replay would be a nightmare on a Tuesday night

[clive]

City to win 2-1 ( att : 299 )

[shutler]

Fingers crossed 2-1 Ox win art 244

[ChrisB]

COYH.

Didn't see that result coming after Leiston had gone ahead for a second time. Great resilience shown by the team to bounce back.
Pity about the attendance (185)...lowest for a home FA Cup tie since 2010 when we lost to Mangotsfield.

Looking forward to Monday's draw.

Nomads did well in second half after what sounds like a bit of a thumping before the break.

[toocoulson4schoolson]

If ever a game didn't deserve such a great ending it was that one.

The win was fully deserved in the end if only for the fight we showed to earn it. After we equalised I was worried that we were too scared of losing to push on for the win but Oastler and Poku both seemed hell bent on getting us forward to the point where they basically did it themselves.

Their first goal was just luck but their second was very well taken. Our first equaliser was a good corner (at last) and their 'keeper has made a great save from Patterson around the half hour mark. Pearce has done very well with our second goal and could have easily had 2 more in the next five minutes. Ezra's winner is obviously brilliant and he has done very well with the assist for Sinclair to seal it. Before that Oastler was a clear MOTM but you can't argue with a crucial goal and assist under pressure.

It was a shame to lose Paterson to that head injury (you know, the one the ref was right bloody next to but didn't want to stop the game for) but I thought Tutton played very, very well. It would have been nice to see the other Nomads lads get their chance and, if I had to make one major criticism of Jonah this season, it would be his unwillingness to bring players on in that final 15-20 minutes of games when we look like we are out of ideas. That said, I was calling for Landers (who I rate very highly) to replace Forde and he came good in added time so what do I know?

[shutler]

Excellent result, it was a battle at times but deserved the win. Panicked when Pato went off (hope he's ok?)thought we're buggered now but the lads dug deep. Brilliant to be in the hat on Monday let's hope for another home tie. Leiston were good at times but didn't show enough to win imho.

[Rijs]

Yes, all credit to the Hoops for sticking at the task in the closing stages when facing a well-drilled defence of ten behind the ball. Agreed that Oastler was outstanding today, though it was his being caught upfield that may have contributed to their (admittedly well-taken) second goal. Did their first take a deflection, or was Stevens unsighted? I couldn't tell from where I was. Pearce also played well, and he deserved a second goal with that shot which hit the bar. McEachran was lively too. Forde was too often outnumbered and left alone once Patterson went off, but at least we realised it was pointless hoofing long balls upfield, and tried patiently to work it around and through them, and for once this paid off at the end. Ezra's goal was instinctive and Rob Sinclair's well made and well taken.

As Jonah has said, we can score goals, and the problem is not conceding them. We nearly went two down in the first ten minutes, and we still have our hearts in our mouths when other teams counter-attack us at pace. I hoped Mo would strengthen the rearguard but he doesn't seem to have quite caught up to the pace of the game yet after his recent return from injury. But this was a crucial win, and may yet prove a turning point in our season if it boosts confidence, which seemed to be lacking until Joe scored that first goal.

As for the attendance, it looked like a few more than that to me -- my estimate was at least 30 more. I noticed the turnstile was just spinning, not clicking as usual when we came through, so I wonder how accurate the gate was?

[clive]

I thought it was a very good game and a deserved win against decent opposition, even if it was a long time coming

It looked to me as if their first goal took a huge deflection.

I thought Oastler was the best player on the pitch, closely followed by Zac. Their number 9 looked a decent player too. Pearce had a good last 30 minutes and Tutton did well when he came on.

I don't know what was wrong with their keeper that led to him having to go off. At first it looked like he had cramp but it then seemed to be much more serious.

[OWHH]

All the best to Leiston this season. They are a very tough outfit and we all new it would be a tough game.
I hope they have returned home safley.

[toocoulson4schoolson]

Their 'keeper was limping heavily as he left the ground so presumably he pulled something reasonably badly.

[Padz]

I'll echo the praise for Joe Oastler, he was immense and against a very tricky customer in Blake.

Pleased to see Ezra grab an important goal, will do his confidence the world of good, I really rate him, reminds me a lot of a young Garath Mccleary, still raw but is worth the time and investment in giving him more minutes

Ideally one of Haringey/Heybridge/Burgess Hill in the next round

[clive]

Regarding the attendance figure ( and I am sure someone will probably correct me on this ! ), I thought in the FA Cup the attendance was just the number of people who have paid to watch.

For other matches, the clubs can have many different ways to calculate the attendance eg counting complimentary tickets, season ticket holders who didn't show up, directors and officials, stewards, ballboys etc as well those who have actually paid. Arsenal always seem to have 60K plus for their league games regardless of the number of empty seats you can see as they count the season-tikcets !

I have no idea how City calculate their attendances.

[OWHH]

Next round draw live on talk radio tomorrow around 1pm.

talksport.com/football/fa-cup-fourth-qualifying-round-draw-coming-talksport-2-live-monday-afternoon-170929256516