Blues bow out of FA Cup

For the first time this season the Blues failed to find the back of the net and consequently fell out of the FA Cup at the third hurdle. On the day, it was the hosts who were the better side and it was the Blues who failed to find the form required to pro

For the opening ten minutes the Blues did enough to suggest that they could pull of a memorable victory but as the game progressed so their goal-threat diminished and the home side looked the more likely to score. In the sixth minute Charlie Ruff blazed over the bar from a good position following some neat approach work from George Lutaaya and Romaric Logan but after that chances for the Blues were limited.

By the same token, Corby’s attacking efforts were being handled well by the Blues’ defence and with half-time approaching it appeared that the teams would go in at the break with the game scoreless. That all changed, however, when, in the second minute of injury time, Corby took the lead following a series of Blues errors. Having seen their crossbar rattled by a 25-yard free-kick in the 43rd minute the Blues were guilty of conceding a soft goal four minutes later when they failed to deal with a long ball down their right flank.

This goal significantly changed the game and clearly put a dent in the Blues’ confidence. For much of the second half they pressed forward in search of an equaliser but they were to find the Corby defence putting up a strong resistance that limited them to only a few half-chances.

The final result was still in the balance, though, until twenty minutes from the end when Corby added a second – and ultimately decisive – goal. The goal had a touch of good fortune in its making in that the cross that created it was unluckily deflected into the path of the scorer.

The needed a bit of luck of their own if they were to make a comeback, but they couldn’t find it, although Tyler Hatherly did go close with an overhead kick with eight minutes of normal time remaining.

A good crowd of 507 – which included a sizeable Blues contingent – had witnessed a highly competitive game but, unfortunately, they hadn’t seen the Blues at their best.

Team:, Charlie Mann, Joe Clemo, Macauley Joynes, Michael Toner, Jason Beck, Ollie Sharman, David Keenleyside (George Beattie, (69’), Charlie Ruff (Mark Twumasi 81’), Tommy Wade, Romaric Logan (Tyler Hatherly 62’) and George Lutaaya.

Subs not used: Todd Brownson, Matt Thomson and Chikosi Basden.