The day it rained goals at the Drove

I am usually pretty objective about YFC and when I was writing match reports felt obligated to try and be a bit impartial.

This was one of the few times I haven't left the ground with a smile on my face.

You can get that from reading the report here.

We had progression to the next round of the Vase in our hands with a 1-0 lead and the final whistle closing.

A rush of blood saw Wayne Morris sent off but we did the right thing and kept the ball in Sleaford's half until the final stages of normal time.

Even the missed penalty on full time didn't affect the fans too much. We were eating up the clock and almost home and dry.

But then the 10 men conceded and with no time to restart the game Yaxley heads fell.

Sleaford took the lead in the first half of extra time before extending it to 4-1 with 7 minutes to play.

For one of the few times since I started watching the club in 1980 the crowd turned on the players and Manager with the bench struggling to any sort of response from a tired and beaten team.

With a minute to go a marauding Sam Spencer pulled it back to 4-2 before Dan Cotton (who else?) got it back to 4-3 from the kick off.

In time added on in extra time there was still a chance for a replay but the visitors cleared the ball before mass celebrations on the pitch at the end as a frustrated crowd trudged out of the Drove, mood as black as the winter Fenland sky.

It seems odd to do a retro feature on a defeat, but anyone at that game wont forget it in a hurry.