Retford United 5 Fleetwood Town 1

FA Carlsberg Trophy 2^nd Qualifying Round Replay

Tuesday November 6^th 2007

Attendance 176

Goals: FTFC: Haddow 85min

RUFC: Harvey 5min, Godber 18min and 60min penalty, Hindley 57min, Goddard 88min

The long dark trip down to Retford was never going to be one to relish, but the small band of hardy followers who did so were comforted by the knowledge that we couldn’t play as badly as we had on the Saturday, and a bit of a goal fest was not unlikely. Hope does spring eternal but, as often is the case, it is dashed on the rocks of reality.

Manager Tony Greenwood had, the day before, agreed the loan of Mickey Saunders to Clitheroe. Lee Peatfield, near the end of his loan period, didn’t travel and neither did Lennie Reid or Johnathan Smith, both listed for match practice in the following day’s reserves outing. Richie Allen and Steve Foster both cried off during the day and so, presumably, Retford approached the kick off with some bemusement as the starting line up showed six changes from Saturday.

The Fleetwood team had a solid look about it with the return of Fitzgerald, Bell and Milligan; all first names on anyone’s team sheet.

Retford hid their bemusement, however, and Referee Mr Foley, of Eastwood fame, blew his whistle to signal the start of the Retford onslaught as they ran hard and fast at the Fleetwood defence for the first twenty minutes, cutting through at will and creating several chances, two of which they converted via Harvey (5 minutes) and Godber (18).

Town did manage to stabilise things at that point, limiting the goal chances, but not without bookings for Fitzgerald, Robinson and Moran, and whilst failing to set up any goal chances of their own.

So half time came with the score still 2-0; a not unsurmountable task we thought, once TG had had ‘a word’. Well, it just wasn’t to be. Retford returned to the field refreshed and we, increasingly, looked like a team who knew they had had their chance to win it back in Fleetwood. Gray and Denney replaced the ailing Mercer and quiet Taylor but, the pressure continued with two more goals from Hindley and Godber, the latter being a penalty that earned Martin Moran his second yellow and the early bath. Michael Brown replaced a tired Milligan and inspired a brief flicker of resistance as Paul Haddow knocked in a rebound that came back off the post before substitute Goddard broke away to bang in the fifth from the edge of the box.

All in all, a depressing evening, not helped at all by Liverpool knocking in eight goals in the live match on tv.

FTFC: Hale, Walmsley, Fitzgerald, Moran, Mercer (Gray), Robinson, Haddow, Pond, Taylor (Denney), Bell, Milligan (Brown) Not used: Donnelly, M Smith

RUFC: Turner, Wright, Farmery, Ford, Chambers, Simpkins, Hindley (Ashton), Fisher, Godber, Harvey (Goddard), Owens Not Used: Chappell, McGhie, Ludlam