FA Cup First Round
United 3 Cheltenham Town 1
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Man of the Match: Nicky Wroe
United eased their way into the Second Round of the FA Cup after a Nicky Wroe hat-trick inspired the Gulls to a 3-1 victory over Cheltenham Town.
Paul Buckle had to make one change with Scott Bevan returning in goal to replace Michael Poke who hadn't received permission from his parent club Southampton to play in the FA Cup for the Gulls. Other than that enforced move it was an unchanged starting line-up from the Northampton game.
The match started at a one hundred mile an hour pace and Jake Thomson gave the crowd a taste of his pace with a searing run in the fifth minute which finished with a shot, although it is was a wayward effort. The fast pace was matched by the visitors and it was Cheltenham who took the lead in the sixth minute when a cross from the right was headed past Scott Bevan by Lewis.
Goal: United 0 Cheltenham 1 (Lewis 6)
It had been a frenetic six minutes but there was even more action to follow; Elliot Benyon was adjudged offside in the 7th minute after latching on to a mistake by Brown in the visitor's goal but United didn't have to wait long for an equalizer. Elliot Benyon got goal side of Low and as a long ball from Mansell dropped to the Gulls' striker's feet he received a nudge in the back from the Cheltenham player and it was an easy decision for the referee to make in awarding a penalty. Nicky Wroe calmly stroked the spot kick home, sending Brown the wrong way.
Goal: United 1 (Wroe 10 pen) Cheltenham 1
Seven minutes later and it was 2-1; a goal mouth scramble in the Cheltenham area finished with Chris Hargreaves having a shot blocked on the line but the referee deemed the block a hand ball and in the ensuing confusion Ridley for Cheltenham was shown a red card. Once again Wroe stepped up and even though Brown went the right way he couldn't get near the spot kick.
Goal: United 2 (Wroe 17 pen) Cheltenham 1
The sending off didn't seem to affect the visitors too much and for the rest of the half they gave as good as they got. Hammond had an over head kick go narrowly wide of Bevan's right post and Low forced Bevan into a save as Cheltenham continued to match United in attacking intent. Alsop flicked a header wide for the visitors while at the other end skipper Chris Hargreaves saw a header loop over. In an eventful and dramatic first half we could have seen more then the three goals that were scored.
Half-Time: United 2 Cheltenham 1
No changes at the break and United were gradually beginning to make their man advantage tell as Cheltenham's opportunities began to dry up and United looked the more likely to trouble the scorers again. Wayne Carlisle hit the post with a powerful right foot shot from 25 yards just before the hour mark and as the rain fell the belief of Cheltenham started to drain away.
Nicky Wroe completed his hat-trick in fine style with twenty minutes to go after Jake Thomson went on another mazy dribble which ended with a tackle from Townsend but Wroe was following up and beat Brown from twenty yards with a curling left foot shot. It was a fitting goal with which to score your first hat-trick and the first by a United player since Lee Thorpe against Grimsby in the relegation out of the Football League season four years ago.
Goal: United 3 (Wroe 70) Cheltenham 1
There was still time for Brown to deny Wroe a fourth goal with a fine one handed save and Scott Bevan produced a decent stop himself to stop Lewis pulling a goal back for Cheltenham. In the final minute substitute Scott Rendell hit a marvellous forty yard shot on the turn which beat Brown, cannoned off the right hand post went across the goal and to safety, it was nearly goal of the season!
Final Score: United 3 Cheltenham 1
