Last year at Hayes & Yeading United, the Rocks finished up with a 5-0 loss in the Cup after a poor second half performance but were hoping for payback in this FA Cup first qualifying round match. After such an impressive display away to old rivals Worthing on Bank Holiday Monday, they were hoping to build momentum.
Rocks were buoyed by the return of Craig Robson back in defence following his suspension but Harvey Whyte retained his captaincy. Early on Whyte did well to play it out wide to Kayne Diedrick-Roberts who ran across the defence before unleashing a low shot which crashed off the left post. But Rocks netted their first goal after just 52 seconds immediately following this chance. Mongoy ran across the defence before letting fly with a wonderful strike high into the net.
Moses Emmanuel made headway into the area but he was shut down by Ethan Robb at the back inside the box. Hassan Jollah slid in on a cross from the left but he skied his first touch but the linesman had his flag up anyway. Whyte did well to find Mongoy who outran and bamboozled the defender on the byline, before passing inside to Ashton Leigh inside the area but his low shot was pushed out again by Ravan Constable.
Whyte stuck out a right leg and the a Hayes attacking player went to ground in the area. Emmanuel took it which was saved by Amadou Tangara but the ball bounced out to Hassan Jollah who pounced to hook over Tangara on the rebound on 13 minutes to equalise. And Hayes and Yeading went ahead on 19 minutes. A throw in by Keano Robinson saw Emmanuel heading it onto the path of Francis Amartey who ran through the defence before he smashed it low and hard under Tangara.
Hancott was injured off the ball and Bognor were playing with 10 men for a while. James Crane came on eventually for Hancott on 23 minutes. Crane was involved straight away finding Diedrick-Roberts on the run but after stepping inside his shot fizzed high over the goal. Sanmi Odelusi went into the book after clearly impeding Leigh with arms round the neck and pulling his shirt off the ball.
Crane did well to curl a cross in from the left which was closed down by Constable. Nathan Odokonyero clashed with the goalkeeper whilst competing in the air and had to receive treatment. Emmanuel played it back to an onrushing Amos Nasha who struck it spinning well over the crossbar. Jollah was denied his cross after a short corner saw many Hayes players involved. Omar Rowe was making runs inside but Tangara closed this down.
Jollah was blocked again and then Tangara had to cleverly volleyball it over the striker to gather from a chipped pass. Jollah went down off the ball and with an apparent injury to his leg. The referee stopped play with Bognor in possession. He had to be replaced by Adam Cash on 42 minutes. But late first half drama saw Bognor get an equaliser. Diedrick-Roberts did well to run onto a ball down the right and he back-heeled it to Mongoy who got a shot away and Constable pushed it out wide. But Leigh followed it up with a cross which was bizarrely parried back into his own net by Constable in first half stoppage time. HT 2-2
Jordan Norville-Williams tried to combine with Emmanuel down the left side but Whyte did well to track him down and win a free-kick for Bognor. Cash played the ball through to Amartey who hit the ball first time but Tangara bravely put his body on the line to block that with his face somehow and out again. He received treatment for the incident and was checked for a concussion by the physio but did continue.
Amartey capitalised on Rocks losing possession down the other end. He ran through and was supported by Rowe who was closed down and then the pass forward was called offside. Mongoy did well to curl a low cross in and Odokonyero was there but Constable stopped it as the ball fell only just behind the Rocks forward. Odelusi went to ground in the box but it looked like simulation. Bognor pounced in and Diedrick-Roberts got a low cross in towards Mongoy but the goalkeeper got there first.
Davies chipped a free-kick was headed out. Norville-Williams did well to curl a cross in from the left but Tangara gathered it high in the box. Leigh's strike was blocked by Liam McDevitt before the same player strayed offside soon after.
Whyte near the touchline went to ground holding his ankle. This angered the home support as the referee stopped play so he could receive treatment. The offside flag stopped Mongoy in his tracks as he had another shot saved by Constable but a goal wouldn’t have counted. Rowe won possession in Bognor’s half but his cross was too much for Emmanuel.
Then Amartey squared the ball to Rico Greco who shot it off the corner frame of goal and it somehow bounced out again then into the grateful arms of Tangara on 74 minutes. But Bognor disappointingly went behind again as Emmanuel let fly from outside the box after a solo run, high into the left corner of the net on 76 minutes.
Davies went into the book. A foul on Rowe saw a freekick awarded to the hosts just outside the area. Rowe stepped up to curl the direct freekick high and wide. Rowe was deflected with his shot as another player ran back onside but the corner came to nothing. Ben Mendoza and Gavin McCallum replaced Whyte and Leigh to freshen up midfield on 82 minutes. A long stoppage ensued at the same time. This held up the match by around 2 minutes as a head injury to Emmanuel had to be inspected.
Davies hit a deflected shot at goal but it was saved by Constable in a rare chance for Bognor. Mongoy got the ball in but Odokonyero’s chance was blocked and somehow cleared with Davies up in the area as well. Mendoza crossed if from the right corner but Joe Dandy's diverted first touch was blocked and cleared. Then another cross was denied by Constable as he gathered another Bognor cross.
Emmanuel put the game beyond doubt on 90 minutes. A simple ball through following a defensive slip up by Craig Robson saw the striker run through to place a shot under Tangara and into the net. Odokonyero headed it inside to Mendoza who curled it low and hard and forced a decent save from Constable who dived to his right to push it away.
Bognor got a goal back right at the end which saw a cross pounced on by McCallum who spun his marker to shoot low and on the turn low into the net. Rowe walked the ball inside the box but his pass across to Amartey was closed down by Tangara as the referee blew the whistle to end the game. So Bognor are out of the cup but welcome Carshalton Athletic next to Nyewood Lane on Saturday, September 11 as they return to Isthmian Premier League action.FT 4-3
Rocks: Tangara, Davies, Hancott (Crane 23), Robb, Dandy, Robson, Whyte (Mendoza 82), Diedrick-Roberts, Odokonyero, Leigh (McCallum 82), Mongoy Subs not used: Bell, Flannigan, Wyatt.
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