Arlesey catch Tilbury with their pants down

Dave Deeney

Dave Deeney scores late winner as Blues beat Tilbury in FA Cup

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Tilbury 1 Arlesey Town 2

ARLESEY booked a second qualifying tie at home to Hampton & Richmond Borough after Dave Deeney’s late strike sunk Tilbury in extraordinary circumstances.

Dean Sinclair had given the Blues a first-half lead when he fired home from six yards only for Aaron Matthews to equalise on the hour-mark for the hosts, and the game was looking as though it was heading towards a replay until an intervention from the crowd helped distract the home defenders.

With just six minutes left Arlesey won a free kick on the left edge of the Tilbury box but as the visitors prepared to take the set piece a home supporter climbed over the barrier, dropped his trousers and rugby tackled the linesman.

As the fan was being ejected from the ground there was a visible loss of concentration from the defenders, and taking advantage of this as the whistle went to resume the game Deeney swung the ball in from the free kick and it bounced off the inside of the post and into the net.

As Arlesey strove to press home their advantage in the closing minutes Chris Dillon got in a shot from inside the box that was only partially blocked this time before being cleared off the line, but the visitors, it turned out, did not need that third goal as two was enough to see them through to the next round, which takes place on Saturday, October 1.

Arlesey Town: Hayward, Mawer (Marsh 27), Bufano, Gray, Brown, S Sinclair, Mason, D Sinclair, Dillon, Fenemore (Goss 76), Deeney: Subs not used: Blackett, McGovern, Osborn, Browne, Toomey.