At the seventh time of trying, Ashford United were finally able to get their highly anticipated FA Vase game against Hanwell Town played in awful conditions at Homelands.

The hosts started the game, their first of the month, with a familiar line up, wonderkid Joe Mant started in goal, Sam Conlon was chosen to lead the attack with Gary Mickleborough.

Getting to the next round would not be easy for the Nuts And Bolts as they faced one of the best teams at their level in the country.

Hanwell Town had only dropped four points all season as well as well as having a positive 62 goal difference, helped by their outstanding defence who had only conceded 18 league goals all season as well as their flawless attacking players who had scored 17 goals in their last four games.

Ashford had their own impressive statistics to be proud of, in 14 league games they had only lost once, scoring 39 goals and conceding 13 in their rise to the top of the Southern Counties East League by one point over Phoenix Sports, who they no longer need to face this season.

The visitors kicked off and within seconds the tone of the game was decided as Sam Conlon flew in to provide the visitors with early pressure. Conlon continued to apply pressure to Hanwell and after the ball was safely played back to Charlie Fanner he pounced onto the goalkeeper’s feet, getting hit by the ball in the process.

The hosts had the best early chance, but after a short corner fell to Tom Scorer on the edge of the area, the attacking midfielder could only slice a shot over the crossbar.

It took twenty minutes for the next major chance, after Scorer found the ball on the right wing before rifling a shot straight at the goalkeeper from the edge of the area, after Fanner was unable to handle the shot the ball was hurried away by the Hanwell defence.

It wasn’t long until Ashford’s next chance came, after a high cross towards the near post from Sam Conlon the ball fell to James Dryden who was able to head it back towards the growing crowd of players within the six yard box, after chances from Conlon, Scorer and Finch were blocked, Gary Mickleborough could only hit the post from 4 yards out before the ball was cleared to safety.

After an uneventful first half both teams really needed to gain some momentum if the game was to be decided within 90 minutes, but neither side was capable of breaking the deadlock, Ashford’s Kieron Byrne smashed a 20 yard free kick into the wall before Conlon took a long shot which was easily held by Fanner.

It took 55 minutes for the opening goal to be scored, a long ball from Ashford’s defence, found Michael Smisson, who, after beating the offside trap was able to send his onrushing marker to the ground with tricky footwork before the first half substitute was able to slide the ball past the hopeless goalkeeper to give the hosts their most important goal since their reformation three years ago.

The visitors finally had their first big chance of the game soon after they went behind, but Domonic Rhone was unable to send the ball past Joe Mant from a corner towards the far post.

After a slow period of play, a break from Hanwell’s Rickey Pittner got through on goal, after his first shot was saved he was went down after a challenge from Luke Cuthbert and a penalty was given after the defender saw a straight red card, Domonic Rhone stepped up and was able to convert past Mant to level up the game against the run of play.

Soon after the visitors scored again, after a long free kick was put into the six yard box, after a weak punch from Mant, Bill Healy was able to find space in the area to put a shot past the hopeless goalkeeper to turn the game around.

It got even worse for the hosts as minutes after the goal Jordan Miller, a defensive anchor for Ashford was sent off after a soft second yellow card for a push on Tom Duffy, leaving four additional minutes for the nine men of Ashford to get an equaliser.

They were unable to achieve this, so after a long and highly successful cup run, Ashford United’s adventure came to a controversial end.

 

Ashford United: Mant, Cuthbert, Byrne, Clarke, Miller, Jordon, Finch (Smissen), T Scorer, Dryden, Conlon, Mickleborogh (Wallace)

Subs not used: D Scorer, Harris, Sparks

Booked: Dryden, Conlon, Clarke

Sent off: Cuthbert, Miller

Hanwell Town: Fanner, Kennedy, Rhone, Dufpy, T Duffy, Kenny, O Duffy, Healy, Pitner (Duffy), Watson

Subs not used: Buckley, Rowlands, Inch, Davis

Attendance: 286