Stafford Rangers:1 U's:1 - We'll meet again

NB: I have photos which I'll add later today or tomorrow

I had the following conversation with my other half on the way home from Saturday’s game:

Me – The FA cup’s coming up soon

Her – I hate stupid cup games

Me – Why?

Her – They’re pointless. We always play some terrible team and lose

She is, of course, sort-of right. Anyone other relatively new fans will also only remember constant cup-related misery. We haven’t been past the first round of any competition (except the LDV) since 02/03, and the last time we had a home tie in an FA Competition was when we lost a replay to Macclesfield - four years, four managers, and about a million players ago.

So it was no surprise to see us given an away tie at Stafford in today’s FA Cup fourth qualifying round draw. But before you reach for the cyanide take comfort in the fact that if Stafford play like they did on Saturday it will take a superhuman effort from our boys not to at least draw the game.

Marston Road is possibly the worst place I’ve ever been to watch a ‘proper’ United match. Canvey runs it close but at least you can see the whole pitch there. At Stafford, one of Setanta’s trademark black boxes is bunged right in the middle of the away stand meaning view is restricted pretty much wherever you place yourself.

Not that the home fans have it much better – the stand behind one goal is a tent, and at the other end is an erection with so much scaffolding attached I thought it was still under construction until the Stafford fans shuffled underneath it in the second half. Add to this a tiny, uncut, bobbly pitch, and the most laughable ‘toilets’ I’ve ever seen, and you get the quintessential tin pot non-league experience. The sooner we get out of this horrible horrible division the better.

United’s team showed two welcome changes, with Boylan and Rendell replacing Marvellous Marvin and LFW up front. Stafford, who were riddled with injuries, seemed content to sit back and hit us on the break, and United took advantage early on, putting together some good moves, with Pitt and Boylan at the fulcrum.

It was the wing back who gave us the lead, skipping in from the left, beating two men and guiding a low shot into the corner beyond the dive of the keeper. A great strike from a player I saw labelled ‘a luxury’ on the messageboard last week – some people are never happy.

Rendell could’ve doubled our lead when he tapped in Wolleaston’s cross, but he found himself denied by the offside flag (I was in no position to see whether this was justified or not), and minutes later the home side made us pay. And what a rubbish goal to concede it was. A long ball over the top drifted towards Dan Gleeson, who for some reason headed the ball across his own goal under no pressure from any opposition player. First to react was veteran striker Neil Grayson, who beat Potter from 12 yards. 1-1.

Stephen Smith had joined the action in place of the injured Mark Convery, and he spurned a great chance to equalise soon afterwards. After playing a neat give and go with Rendell, he found himself clear on goal, but home keeper Scott Loach spread himself well and made the save. Loach was also equal to a long range blast from Wolly and a driven Smith free kick, while at the other end Warren Daniel had a header cleared off the line.

The second half continued in similar fashion, with United dominating possession but struggling to breach the massed ranks of Staffords back line. A couple of corners were cleared with ease, before we were handed a glorious chance to take the lead. Pitt’s cross into the box looked to have been dealt with by the home defence, but referee Tierney saw something almost no-one else in the ground did and awarded a penalty. Some reports say it was for handball, others a push, but it’s all fairly irrelevant as Boylan’s low kick lacked direction, and Loach was able to save with his legs.

Stafford almost made us pay minutes later when ex-U’s loanee Chris Flynn escaped down the left, and got a shot away which hit the post, struck Potter on the back, and was looping into the unguarded net until Albrighton appeared from nowhere to head off the line.

Soon afterwards JQ freshened up the forward line, bringing on Marv and LFW for Boyland and Rendell. This of course led to us going more direct, which played into the hands of the home sides lumbering back three. We continued to create chances - Pitt scrambled a shot wide from inside the box, and LFW turned well and rolled the ball across the six yard box where it agonisingly fell just behind the inrushing Robinson. But it wasn’t to be, and United were left to rue another two points dropped.

Unlike against Rushden, you couldn’t really fault our general build up play, but a combination of great goalkeeping and poor finishing let us down. To be honest I don’t think the chopping and changing of the forward line is doing us any favours, and JQ needs to decide his best pairing (which in terms of goal output is probably LFW and Rendell) and stick to it for a few games. One player who appears to be out of the equation for the moment is Marvin Robinson, who sustained a broken leg in a car crash over the weekend. Lets hope there isn’t any permanent damage, get well soon Marv!

Man of the Match: Courtney Pitt – A constant menace down the left. Almost all our good play came through him and he scored a terrific goal to boot.

Whinging Git of the Match: Stafford Manager Phil Robinson, who used his programme notes to moan about the U's not wanting to switch the kick off time to avoid a clash with the England match. Why he thinks anyone would forgo the pleasure of seeing their own team play, in favour of watching England stroll to an embarrassingly easy victory over some joke team from the Baltic is a mystery to me. Perhaps he should direct his vitriol at the real culprits – The FA who continue to schedule England games at 3pm on Saturday’s with little regard for anyone outside the Premier League.