Slimbridge 1–0 Amesbury Town – FA Vase Third Round
Slimbridge booked their place in the Fourth Round of the FA Vase with a hard-fought victory over Amesbury Town on Saturday afternoon, only the second time in the club’s history they have reached this stage of the competition, writes Tim Blake.
The Swans will now travel to Wiltshire to face Downton FC on January 17th. Their previous Fourth Round appearance came during the 2006–07 season, when they progressed to the Fifth Round before eventually losing to tournament winners Truro.
A solitary goal from Joey Shutt proved decisive, though on another day Slimbridge could easily have added to their tally.
Amesbury set out to play a physical game from the outset, and it took time for any real rhythm to develop. Slimbridge enjoyed an early spell of pressure, and on seven minutes a sustained attack saw efforts from Jack Smith, Aaron Evans-Harriot and Kian Kang all blocked in quick succession. On the quarter-hour mark, a Joe Shutt free-kick was met by Ryan Ponting, whose header drifted narrowly wide.
The visitors responded with a couple of opportunities of their own. Ben Morris fired a long-range effort straight at Steve Sarkodie before later dragging a shot wide after a swift break down the Slimbridge left.
Slimbridge continued to press. Another Ponting header from a corner on 25 minutes went just off target, before Evans-Harriot forced a fine save from Amesbury goalkeeper Mike Horne at close range.
The breakthrough arrived on 37 minutes. Tris Haswell delivered a looping ball into the Amesbury penalty area, and as Horne back-pedalled he could only parry the ball back into danger. Joey Shutt reacted quickest, finishing into an empty net to give Slimbridge a deserved lead.
The hosts played the better football after the interval, though the second half became increasingly stop-start as Amesbury resorted to a series of robust challenges. Referee Nathaniel Wormleighton was kept busy, producing several yellow cards as tempers frayed.
Early in the half, two neat moves involving Toby Soule releasing Shutt saw the striker first denied by Horne and then narrowly off target. With 15 minutes remaining, Evans-Harriot saw his effort deflected wide, and from the resulting corner the ball rebounded into play off the Amesbury post.
Despite continued provocation, Slimbridge kept their discipline and composure to see out the closing stages and secure a memorable FA Vase victory.
Travel details for the Fourth Round tie will be announced in due course.
Upcoming Fixtures
The First Team return to Thornhill Park on Tuesday (weather permitting) to face Westfields in the Marsh UHL Challenge Cup (7.45pm).
On Thursday (18th, 7.30pm), the Under-18s host Hereford Pegasus, again subject to weather conditions.
The Swans resume Hellenic League action next Saturday (20th, 3.00pm) with a trip to Cinderford Town.
Team: Sarkodie, Mara, Haswell, Kang, Hitchings, Ponting, Shutt (Hughes 60), Soule, Smith (Evans 85), Bell, Evans-Harriot (Rodgers 87)
Goal: Joey Shutt (37)
Supporters Club Man of the Match: Kian Kang
