Lowestoft & District League Cup 1st round- 01/11/08Ole Frank F.C- 2
Pot Black F.C- 3 (aet)
Match Overview- The visitors made several changes to their starting line up in order to give their large squad a run out, which saw Danny Rose, Neil Banks and Steve Collins all return to the starting line up.
A big, young and strong Frank side looked as if they were going to be a tough challenge in difficult conditions, as the strong wind and rain hammered down on a gloomy Normanston Park.
Frank deservedly took the lead when a low wiped corner was not dealt with and snuck in at the front post in a largely disappointing first half for the Division 1 side, as they failed to do the simple things and looked rather uninterested across the board.
After the break Reynolds and Collins made way for Tantony and Wall and Black now with the wind behind them pushed on, in search of a way back into this match. With Darren Laws being rested after a knock in last Sundays match despite being named on the bench, Manager Danny McKinley decided to throw Simon Durrant into the mixer after his six week lay off.
As L'Orange committed forward they were caught at the back by an excellently crafted move which saw Kev Sherwood left stranded between the sticks to increase there lead. With nothing to lose but there pride with 10 minutes remaining, McKinley switched his formation to 3-4-3 with Captain Darren Boyd heading to the front line, which payed dividends within 30 seconds as a great move saw Simon Durrant set the ball, for Boyd to fire home.
With only a few minutes remaining and chance after chance going astray, P.B keeper Hollywood lost his cool, as he kicked out after receiving what he deemed an elbow, as Referee L. Garrod pointed to the spot and produced a yellow card.
Although Hollywood atoned for his silly loss of control, with a outstanding double save from the spot, for the second week running. It was Kev Sherwood who played the hero again moments later after Max Wall drew a foul in his own half as P.B committed all there players forward with only seconds remaining the big keeper smashed the ball into the danger zone only to see his effort deceive the keeper and fly straight into the net. 2-2 and extra time.
With Frank shell shocked by their bad luck things never really got any better for them as their best opportunity came back off the post into the welcoming arms of the keeper. With both side feeling the strain of the conditions and extra time players on both sides began to labour, as Adam Bird who had, had a quiet game by his standards, had the final say when he lashed home a breath taking effort with his left foot from an acute angle clipping the near post on its way in at the far post.
With Frank dead on their feet, Black knew they had just committed daylight robbery, with not even enough time to restart the match, once again Football proved what a cruel game it can be.
Goal Scorers- Darren Boyd, Kev Sherwood and Adam Bird.
G.H. Windows & Doors M.O.M- Danny Rose, great all round performance and some colossal tackles.
