Ernie Batten’s Sheppey United slipped out of the Emirates FA Cup as Isthmian League Marlow showed just why they haven’t conceded a League goal yet this season.

With a defensive display of containment and frustration that the Ites were unable to find a way past and one that was to end in controversy.

The games only goal arrived just after half time when Junaid Bell drove the ball past a wrong-footed Adam Molloy after the Sheppey keeper had saved well from Nnamdi Nwachukwu and exploded into controversy when referee Joss showed Marlow sub-Marcus Mealing two yellow cards inside 90 seconds late on as the visitors stretched the official’s, and the home crowds patience almost to breaking point.

Sadly, though for Batten and his charges there was to be no remarkable comeback and the scenes of jubilation from the visitors at the final whistle showed that they knew they’d had one hell of a battle to be in the velvet bag for the next round.

The home side more than matched their higher ranked opponents for long periods and in a first half of very few chances, Sheppey almost gifted Marlow an early advantage, Lex Allan slicing onto the top of his own goal under pressure from Nwachukwu before the home side finally got into their own stride but Jack Midson who did well to beat the offside trap took one touch too many as he bore down on Simon Grants goal and the chance was gone!

Sheppey’s best chance of an increasingly tempestuous half came moments later but Billy Bennett shanked Taurean Roberts’ pull back wide of the left post when he should really have hit the target.

Signs of things to come came ten minutes before half time when a skirmish following a midfield coming together saw several Marlow players surround Mr Joss who must have been becoming increasingly frustrated with the amount of “chat” coming in his direction every time he gave a decision against the visitors.

After a tight first half, the second period began with great opportunities at both ends – Nwachukwu fired wide of Molloy’s left post when clean through whilst at the other end, Midson squared when it seemed the striker almost had the goal at his mercy.

What proved to be the games only goal arrived on 51 minutes – Molloy doing really well to beat out Nwachukwu’s angled drive, but the defence couldn’t back up their keeper’s good work and as the ball fell to Bell, he hammered the ball past the wrong-footed keeper into the bottom corner.

Molloy then did well then to deny Kamaron English before the game started to get very contentious which was highlighted when Mr Joss had to lecture English on the bench AFTER he’d been substituted!

As Sheppey pushed forward in their search for an equaliser, more and more space became available and from one such break. Mealing was inches away from Nwachukwu’s pull back.

But that was to prove the Marlow substitute’s last positive contribution as he was soon booked for a foul before less than two minutes later being shown a second yellow card for presumably something he said. Whether or not the decision was correct is open to question, what is not was the unacceptable manner and time it took Mealing to leave the playing area, something that the FA will surely look at!

That left Sheppey with around ten minutes of actual playing time to force a replay but try as they might the Marlow blue wall wouldn’t be breached – not that Sheppey didn’t have chances, Allen sent Grant to his knees from the edge of the box whilst Midson was agonisingly close to heading home Jefferson Aibangbee’s flick, but it just wasn’t to be.

It wasn’t pretty but Marlow won’t care as they return home in the next round whilst for Sheppey their “real” Road to Wembley begins next weekend when they head to Sussex to face Eastbourne Town in the Buildbase FA Vase.

SHEPPEY UNITED – Molloy, Howlett-Mundie, Sains, Hamill (Jeffrey), Bennett, Midson, Roberts, Birch, Allen, Hagan (Aibangbee), Wilson (Tenyue)

Subs – Smith, Carey, Freeman, Northwood

MARLOW – Grant, Bell (Marsh-Brown), Brown (Artwell), Chapple (Mealing), English, Nwachukwu, Olorunfemi, Ovenden, Richards, Rogers, Ehui

Subs – Campbell, Welch, Amajekodunmi, Driffil

REFEREE – Mr Joss