Eastleigh 1 Swindon 1 

FA Cup First Round

 

RESULT: Eastleigh 1 Swindon Town 1

 

Eastleigh scorer: Mandron 64

Swindon scorer: Doughty 69 (pen)

 

 

 

In what has been a season to forget so far, a trip to a non-league side in the first round of the FA Cup must have had Town fans across the country hiding behind their sofas.

 

It couldn't happen, could it ?

 

As expected the plucky Hampshire outfit were more than up for the occasion - making the most of the carnival atmosphere with a spirited performance that, at times, had Town looking rattled.

 

Despite this, Town came closest to taking the lead - keeper Ryan Clarke doing well to claw away a Luke Norris header despite protests that the ball had crossed the line.

 

It was to be the non-leaguers that would finally make the pressure count - Michael Mandron nodding home from a Jake Howells freekick and sending the Silverlake Stadium into hysterics. 

 

The lead, however, didn't last long and Town were soon on level terms - the aforementioned Clarke this time misjudging the pace of the ball and bringing down Doughty in the box - who stepped up to slot away the subsequent penalty.

 

Following the match, coach Luke Williams commented "We had to do a lot of defending tonight and Lawrence was busy. It was a very tough side that we played against and I’m disappointed we’ve conceded a soft goal.

“But I’m very pleased with the amount of work the players have done and I’m very pleased that we’ve been able to come from behind and show that character that has been in question recently."

NEXT UP:

 

Charlton (H)

League One

Saturday 12 November 2016, 12.00pm