harrowcupreplay051004

(after extra time, Harrow Borough win 5-4 on penalites)

Munday suffers from cruel penalty punishment

Folkestone Invicta suffered penalty shoot out heartache for the second successive season as they went out of the F. A. Cup on sudden death in Tuesday night’s 2^nd Qualifying Round replay against Harrow Borough.

With an inviting 3^rd Qualifying Round at home to Flackwell Heath the prize for the winners, this was a costly defeat for Invicta both in financial terms and potentially for the momentum of their season.

As at Welling in last season’s 3^rd Qualifying Round shoot out exit, Mark Munday was the unfortunate Invicta man to miss the decisive spot kick.

Munday’s kick was kept out by Harrow goalkeeper Keita Karamoko who got down to his right to become the visitors’ hero.

The Mali international goalkeeper had saved Scott Lindsey’s initial penalty for Invicta, but veteran Maurice Munden got the Folkestone side back into it when he saved Jesper Nielsen's third penalty for Harrow.

Clinton Lamb, Perry Norman, Marcus Campbell, Dean Marney and Abduai Yoki were all successful from the spot for Harrow, while Micheal Everitt, Paul Lamb, Simon Glover and Adam Flanagan all converted their kicks for Invicta.

Munday has a good F. A. Cup pedigree having played for Gravesend away to Aston Villa in the Third Round during the 1995-96 season and putting Margate ahead in their televised First Round tie at home to Fulham during the 1997-98 season. But the past two seasons have been cruel on the 33-year-old who was again brave enough to put himself in the position to miss.

In truth Invicta had played nowhere near as well as they had done against Welling last season and will see this as a missed opportunity for a morale-boosting cup run.

Roy Jones had given Harrow the lead in the 12^th minute, but Everitt brought Invicta level after 52 minutes.

Invicta went into the game without Martin Chandler (knee injury) and Drew Watkins (working overseas) and brought 16-year-old striker Luke Coleman in for his first start.

Harrow were themselves missing three players from the first game, including striker Fabio Valenti, but took the game to Invicta with wingers Yoki and Howard Newton supplying strikers Jones and Brian Haule.

The visitors were close as early as the third minute when Haule was put through down the middle and forced the game’s first corner from close range when put under pressure by the home defence.

And JONES opened the scoring when he sidefooted the ball in at the far post after the ball had come across the face of the Invicta goal from the right hand side.

Harrow were creating all the chances as Newton headed wide when the ball came in from the right after 16 minutes and Jones shot just over after 21 minutes when Haule played the ball across to him in a similar move to that which produced the goal.

Harrow nearly scored again after 33 minutes when a low cross from Newton on the right was touched wide by Yoki from close range.

Yoki took the ball on through the middle and let fly from outside the penalty area after 39 minutes as Harrow continued to dictate the play.

Haule was wide from close range after 49 minutes when Harrow had a good chance to increase their lead when Yoki played the ball across from the left to Newton on the right.

But Invicta did get better as the game went on and equalised when EVERITT thumped the ball home with the home side’s first real effort on goal after captain Lindsey played the ball back in when his initial shot had been charged down.

Harrow responded as captain Dean Marney headed against the post from Newton’s corner on the right after 56 minutes and the dangerous Yoki raced past both John Walker and John Guest down the left after 61 minutes but skied his shot over the crossbar.

Lamb was leading the Invicta charge and Glover headed at goalkeeper Karamoko after 67 minutes.

The game was opening up and the 77^th minute saw chances at both ends as James Dryden headed inches wide from a Lamb cross at one end and Yoki’s shot from the left flashed inches wide of the far post at the other.

Yoki was close to heading in from close range after 77 minutes when Newton put the ball in from the right and Guest headed away after 85 minutes when Newton found himself in plenty of space down the right hand side and put the ball across.

But Invicta nearly stole the tie when a Coleman header was headed off the line at the far post after 87 minutes following a corner on the left and Coleman shot wide when a quick Lamb free kick found him unmarked on the left after 90 minutes.

Extra time produced few real chances of note for either side before the spot kick drama at the Cheriton Road settled the issue.

Invicta’s small squad meant that 17-year-old James Everitt was given a place on the substitutes’ bench for the first time on a night when elder brother Micheal scored both during normal play and the penalty shot out.

FOLKESTONE INVICTA: Munden, Walker, Lamb, Flanagan, Guest, Lindsey, Coleman, Munday, Dryden, M. Everitt, Glover.  Unused subs: J. Everitt, Spearpoint, Dyson, Waters, Morrin.

HARROW BOROUGH: Karamoko, Nielsen, Sterry, Walters, Norman, Marney, Newton (Lamb 90 mins), Dogbe, Haule (Campbell 93 mins), Jones (Hamer 93 mins), Yoki.  Unused subs: Killick, Church.

Attendance: 315.