Opposition view

By Jeff Barnes

Velocity Trophy 2nd Round

Report by Kevin Watts.

Hayes & Yeading progressed through to the third round of the Velocity Trophy at the SKYex on Tuesday evening but it required a penalty shoot-out for Paul Hughes’ side after Bostik Premier side Potters Bar Town pulled the game back to 2-2 with a controversial stoppage time spot kick.

The gaffer made two changes to the starting XI that had demolished Ashford the previous game with Lewis Toomey coming in for Lee Barney and Priestley Farquharson replacing Tom Jelley while Duncan Culley retained the captains armband with recent injury victim Scott Donnelly being rested.

To the game itself, well for the first 25 minutes there was pretty much nothing to shout about as a rather turgid affair saw both defences well on top with not a shot on target to pass comment on from either side.

This soon changed however on 28 minutes when with the first strike on target of the game, United took the lead. Ed Asafu-Adjaye played an excellent ball down the left line into the run of Toby Little, his first time cross found Duncan Culley just inside the area and he appeared to be bundled over but while everybody looked to the referee, Lewis Toomey smashed the ball past ‘keeper Charlie Taylor to break the deadlock.

Minutes later Asafu-Adjaye himself went close from fully 30 yards, his drive just dipping too late and going over the Scholars goal.

With just a couple of minutes remaining in the half Toomey won possession from the last defender and played the ball straight to Scott Bridges who broke into the box before being upended by James Budden as he turned to shoot. Bridges soon dusted himself down and stepped up to drive United into a two goal lead at the break.

United started well in the second half with a quick move between Bridges, Culley and Toomey seeing the latter fire a low cross in from the right that David Sota slid in to block with the ball appearing to strike his hand before rolling to Taylor who grabbed it gratefully as referee Smith waved play on.

A minute later Bridges picked out Culley who got his shot away quickly but was just off target and then on 55 minutes the visiting Scholars got themselves back in the game when Michael Murray fired a 20 yard free-kick past the United wall, beating jack Smith low into the bottom corner.

Ten minutes later the visitors could have drawn level as Sandro Costa Dias Fernandes raced past Roddy Collins, the defender doing enough to force an off balance shot that was easily dealt with by Smith.

A 20 minute spell of United pressure followed without troubling the scorers. Collins picked out Hassan Jalloh who then cut in from the right only for Taylor to hold his low shot and Taylor was soon in action again, this time to push away a header from substitute Great Evans who rose highest to meet a Little cross.

Jalloh was then denied on two occasions, the first seeing his low driven shot blocked away by a sliding Chris Doyle and this was soon followed by another low effort that this time was turned wide by Taylor.

With just a couple of minutes to go, Evans broke away with just a single defender and goalkeeper in front of him, he worked space for a shot from 20 yards but was off target to the left of the Scholars goal.

Then in stoppage time a burst through the middle by the visitors Ryan Forde saw Priestley Farquharson make what appeared from the sidelines to be an excellent recovering tackle to toe the ball wide only for referee Smith to point to the spot. Murray stepped up and cheekily chipped the ball down the middle to effectively take the tie to penalties.

With United inches perfect with their first three kicks and the same for the first three from the Scholars (Bradley Sach, Lee O'Leary, Chris Doyle), what turned into the deciding effort saw the visitors Dernell Wynter fire over the top with their fourth kick followed by Little giving United the edge. The Scholars final kick saw Murray level it at 4-4 before Tom Jelley stepped up and smashed home United’s fifth to take the home side through to the next round