Tuesday 21st October 2008
Great Yarmouth Town
3, DEBENHAM LC 6
(after extra time; score 3-3 at 90 minutes)
An amazing match in which Yarmouth
led three times saw Debenham take control in the extra time period of this Ridgeons League Cup First Round tie. Yarmouth had to play for all but the first 28 minutes with only ten men.
With several regular first teamers unavailable on Tuesday, Yarmouth joint manager Kevin Cruickshank took the opportunity to include some fringe and
reserve players, including the free-scoring reserve striker Darren Patterson, and gave a debut to Jamie Miller.
Bloaters’ captain Adam Sullivan opened the scoring in the tenth minute with a thunderbolt
of a strike from 30 yards with the ball taking an awkward bounce in front of ‘keeper Louis Johnson. David Lawrence,
making his first start of the season, saw a diving header pushed away by Johnson moments later as Yarmouth sought to get a real grip on this game.
Dominic Smith, having a great game in midfield, sent a magnificent pass to Johnny Watt advancing
down the right though the ball just ran ahead of him, but Yarmouth suffered a blow after 28 minutes when Watt was sent off
for what looked an innocuous foul on the touchline but sounded worse, and the antics of the visiting management on the line
were unnecessary; shortly after, Liam Bartley gave way to Marcus Godbold in an early substitution to redress the balance of
the side.
Elliot Pride made his one save of the half from a Rob Kemp shot, Chris Squire hit a Debenham
post with a shot that deceived Johnson, and the visitors’ Kevin Barker headed over from five yards to conclude an interesting
half.
A meagre crowd was warmed on a cold night by five goals in the second half which took the
game to extra time. Debenham equalised after 60 minutes with a twenty yard shot from James Heathcote. Yarmouth immediately brought on Patterson and a minute later were back in front when Godbold
headed home a Sewell long throw.
Pride saved on the line from a Debenham corner before the visitors equalised again after
70 minutes with a Warren Taylor-Holt angled shot from twenty yards out on the left. Miller came on for his senior debut, replacing
Sullivan, then the prolific Stuart Jopling headed wide.
The Bloaters again went ahead this time through Patterson after a good move down the right
and a cross from Sewell after 81 minutes and home hopes were high. But Debenham always looked dangerous on the attack and
found a third equaliser with just three minutes left with another effort from Heathcote, this time after the ball came to
him off a post in a goalmouth melee, though a prior foul on Toby Gorbould should have crossed that one off.
With the game to be decided on the night, the first extra-time period saw Debenham take
the lead for the first time after 93 minutes when Mark Powling followed up a blocked Jopling shot. Yarmouth had two chances to draw level but headers from Patterson and Gorbould only found
the ‘keeper.
As ten-man Yarmouth began
to weary, Debenham wrapped up the game in the second extra period through Taylor-Holt after 116 minutes and Jopling a minute
from the end.
Kevin Cruickshank thought
the reserve players that came in did well: “David Lawrence and Darren Patterson were excellent. Marcus Godbold did not
start well but got into his game before he was injured, and Jamie Miller on his debut also did well.
“Everyone gave their
all for the team and even at 3-4 down we kept it tight and had planned to push forward in the last five to see if we could
take them to penalties. However, it all goes to show we have good strength in depth now at the club.”
Yarmouth – Elliot Pride, Johnny Watt,
Adam Sewell, Toby Gorbould, Adrian Ager, Alan Darby, Dominic Smith, Adam Sullivan (c) (Jamie Miller 75), Liam Bartley (Marcus
Godbold 32), David Lawrence (Darren Patterson 60). Unused subs: Mark Thompson, Michael Hilton.
Referee – Euan Goodman
(Ipswich)
Attendance - 41
