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Night of nightmares for Fleet

DISTRAUGHT: Fleet manager Liam Daish at the final whistle. Picture: MATT READING
DISTRAUGHT: Fleet manager Liam Daish at the final whistle. Picture: MATT READING
DAISH: "It hasn't sunk in but I believe that what happened will live with me, and I hope the players, for a long time"
DAISH: "It hasn't sunk in but I believe that what happened will live with me, and I hope the players, for a long time"

Bishop's Stortford 3 Gravesend & Northfleet 2 (aet)

GRAVESEND & Northfleet manager Liam Daish confessed that the memory of Tuesday night's FA Trophy quarter-final eclipse after extra-time by Bishop's Stortford would live with him for a long time.

Daish emerged afterwards in a state of shock, scarcely believing that his side had contrived to throw away a 2-1 lead in the final minute of normal time playing against 10-men.

He said: "I'm mentally drained and I'm still trying to get my head around what happened out there.

"It hasn't sunk in but I believe that what happened will live with me, and I hope the players, for a long time. We're 2-1 up at home with a minute to go against 10-men and we're not in the hat for the semi-finals."

By the time Norfolk referee Darren Cann whistled the end of extra-time, the Fleet had been reduced to nine-men against Stortford's 10.

In all, he brandished eight yellow cards and three red, dimissing the home team's Jay Saunders and Matt Lovell in extra-time having earlier sent Stortford's Alex Martin packing for violent conduct in the 44th minute.

And as his team-mates trudged off at the end, Jimmy Jackson was the last to leave. For a handful of seconds this exemplary club servant had looked certain to revel in the glory of scoring the goals that carried the Fleet into the Trophy semi-finals.

His spectacular 25-yard drive in the 90th minute deserved to be the match winner until naïve defending allowed Stortford substitute Duane Jackman the space to equalise in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

Saunders was ordered off in the 95th minute for a second caution and Matt Lovell in the 109th minute after handling on the goalline. His sacrifice was not in vain as goalkeeper Paul Wilkerson produced a world-class penalty save from skipper Dave Rainford's resulting penalty.

Stortford won the right to meet Hucknall in the semi-finals when Steve Morison gave his side the lead for the first time in the 110th minute.

Jackson opened the scoring with a crisp finish in the 41st minute before Rainford equalised with a 48th minute penalty after Saunders had handled. When Jackson netted in the 90th minute, the Fleet should have sailed into the semi-finals.

* KM-fm will be following Gillingham in their fight for Championship survival in every game home and away until the end of the season.

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