Dan Defeats Dorchester
It was nearly an exact repeat of Saturday. Once again Ks fell behind to an early goal, once again they swiftly recovered to lead by the break. Once again they missed a hatful of chances to seal the game and once again they faced a barrage of late pressure from Dorchester. There were two big differences though. This time it was not Ryan Moss' birthday, and this time the Ks defence held firm until the end.
The start did not augur well. On just 13 minutes a low cross picked out Neil Martin, who was allowed far too much space to blast low past Rob Tolfrey. Martin hared towards the visiting fans in the Grolsch Stand who bundled him as if they already had one foot on Wembley Way.
Ks fans noted that the first half is always too early to bundle but would not be expected to proven right quite so quickly. Just a minute later Dan Bennett jinked his way into the box, created space to shoot with a fine dummy and placed his shot into Alan Walker-Harris' far corner.
On the half hour mark Bennett put Ks ahead. Good work from Reece Beckles, making his way into the box with a neat run before picking out Bennett, created the chance. Dorchester allowed Bennett far too much space and he opened up his body to sidefoot past the wrong-footed goalkeeper.
After the break Ks should have wrapped the game up but a host of chances went begging. Walker-Harris did well to save a close-range Pico Gomez effort from a Bennett free kick, Gomez slammed the bar after the ball broke to him following a George Wells run and Beckles couldn't quite convert in a goalmouth scramble.
The best chance fell to Gomez after he chested down an Aaron Goode long ball and held off Matt Oldring superbly to get through on goal, only to hit the post. When substitute Ricky Sappleton got on the end of a Gomez cross but could only stretch and put the ball over, it looked like it wouldn't be Ks' day.
The onslaught duly came but the goal didn't. Chris Dillon fired wide with a good chance, Tolfrey parried out a fierce Charlie Davis twenty-yarder and then the same player curled a free kick narrowly over after a Goode foul. All the while the referee was finding the game harder and harder to control but Tolfrey denied Bradley Tarbuck a late equaliser for the Magpies and Ks held on for the win.
For all that Ks were under the cosh Gomez had worked tirelessly to provide an outlet and as he collapsed exhausted at the full-time whistle he earned a big hug on the ground from Graham Harper for his efforts.
The prize is a tie against Truro City in the next round. Is it Ks' first ever game against Cornish opposition, I wondered as the game ended? A check of the alphabetical opponent list on Ks Web: Abingdon Town, Addlestone, ADO Rijswijk, AFC Hornchurch (playoff pain), AFC Wimbledon (stadium pain), Aldershot Town (losing Mazin Ahmad and Andre McCollin pain)...
Just as it seemed like this would be a long, painful and pointless fact to check, I quickly came across the All Cornish XI, who we beat 2-0 in a friendly in 1938. And it turns out we beat Truro themselves 5-0 the day before on a brief tour of Cornwall three weeks before the end of the Isthmian League season. Oh for a repeat and the chance of FA Trophy glory once more.
Match report by Simon Grier.
