Cool Khalid seals 2-1 cup win

Khalid Simmo’s 95th minute free-kick spared Ascot United’s blushes against dogged step five Chislehurst Glebe in the Emirates FA Cup Preliminary Round on Saturday. Having watched their opponents enjoy most of the chances and draw themselves level before half time, Simmo’s late strike – in the final minute of added time – send Ascot through to the first qualifying round.

Cup trail commences with visit of Southern Combination outfit

Whilst Glebe’s early league form in the Southern Combination was patchy, they had opened with a dominant Extra Preliminary Round win at league rivals Faversham Strike Force two weeks ago, and were looking to add to the £1100 prize money already banked for that victory.

Ascot, meanwhile, entered the competition at this stage – four further qualifying rounds after this one would need navigating before the first round proper – but the main question was whether they could build on their midweek league win over Binfield.

Visitors start well but can’t punish Ascot

The visitors belied their status and should have been ahead in the opening stages after creating all of the chances.

Firstly, home defender Bailey Lamb’s block diverted Jamie Obianigwe’s shot away from danger in the 7th minute before Josh Edwards fouled Montrell Deslandes in the box, only for the latter to see the initial spot-kick decision chalked off for an earlier offside.

Emmanuel Shoderu then headed wide from Khavain Williams’ 22nd minute cross when he should have scored, before Ascot went up the other end and scored with their first chance. This time, Baback Dehghani released Jaheim Kamara down the left, Kamara showed good feet before crossing for Cheik Sylla, and he nipped in to beat ‘keeper Tm Benham first-time.

Ascot pay the penalty at end of half

But The Foxes refused to lie down and striker Jamie Philpot missed a sitter when he lobbed wide after being clean through in the 34th minute, but they got their reward in the 45th minute when Edwards fouled Deslandes in the box again – penalty the result – and Philpot rolled the ball into the bottom right.

Ascot’s only other chance came when Khalid Simmo picked out Dehghani to fire into the side-netting in the 36th minute, but The Yellamen went in at the break with arguably more of the team talking to do.

Stop-start game ends with moment of magic

The second half was a poor affair, punctuated by stoppages and whistles, and it was the visitors who continued to carve out chances with Rolex Buiti heading over Ryan Kelly’s cross to the far post six minutes in.

Plumley was then left sprawling as Obianigwe’s cross curled just wide of the right-hand post, before he produced a fine-backpedalling save to claw substitute Thibault Abie’s audacious free-kick from the half-way line over the crossbar.

But in the final ten minutes the Yellamen looked more eager to avoid a midweek date with the M25 as Dehghani fired over following a promising down the left wing and then saw his weak free kick easily held by a diving Benham two minutes later.

In injury time, defender Joe Nelder’s brilliant tackle thwarted Simmo as he shaped to shoot before Luka Radojevic’s equally fine goal-line clearance denied Kai Allsopp from finding the net in the immediate afters, and at this point it looked like deadlock would be the result.

But Simmo had other ideas when his side were awarded a 95th minute free kick; the lively forward curled the ball up and over the wall – via the faintest of deflections – into the top left hand corner to make it 2-1 and break The Foxes’ hearts.

There was still time for three further minutes at the end of the initial five although Ascot held on, even when substitute Nadwane Harris ghosted in to head wide from a last-gasp hail-mary.

The home fans rightly stayed behind to applaud the visitors off the pitch.

What’s next for Ascot?

The Yellamen head down the A3 for a league clash at newly promoted Fareham Town next Saturday, before Southall visit The Racecourse on Bank Holiday Monday.

Ascot United: Plumley, Lock, Murray (Allsopp 54’), Edwards, Fried-Jones (Sankoh 54’) Lamb, Dehghani (Garlinge 90+5’), Le-Paih, Sylla (Trickett 66’), Simmo, Kamara (Harry 54’). Subs unused: Swyer, Atkinson

Venue: The Racecourse Ground, Ascot

Attendance: 103

Weather: 22c, overcast

Reporter’s star man: Khalid Simmo (Ascot United)

Entertainment: 1

Away fans estimate: 6

One-word summary: Fortunate

Image: Ascot celebrate their opener (shooting-stars.co.uk)