United and Dorchester will have to do it all over again after a 0-0 draw in this first round FA Cup sponsored by E-on tie. Having created chances United should really have got the job done at the first attempt, but credit to Dorchester who deserved their replay and made amends in a big way for the 9-1 defeat they suffered the last time the two teams met.
After an immaculately observed minute's silence ahead of Remembrance Sunday the game started brightly and as early as the third minute an Eddie Hutchinson header forced Dorchester keeper Gareth Stewart into a decent save to his right. Stewart had a point to prove after an unsuccessful trial with The U's in pre-season and was off his line on twelve minutes to save at the feet of the marauding James Constable after a swift run and through ball from the flying Lewis Haldane.
With the game mostly being played at Stewart's end of the pitch United were certainly on top in the opening quarter of the game with only Haldane's unfortunate gonads blocking a Constable shot and wide men Phil Trainer and Sam Deering joining play and feeding the ball in neatly to the lively Haldane and Constable.
Dorchester's excellent away following were noisy and supportive, and Jamie Mudge's attempted lob worried Turley for the first time on 23, but United really should have been in front moments later with Constable missing an absolute sitter. Matt Day's ball allowed Haldane to slip past his man and cross beautifully for Constable, unmarked and six yards from the empty net. Perhaps the despairing challenge of full back Mark Jermyn behind him put Constable off, but no excuses, he should have headed home rather than putting the ball a foot the other side of the post. It was the key moment of the whole ninety minutes.
Having just taken five minutes describing that miss I wasn't expecting to have to write the next paragraph about an even worse one! On 29 minutes the excellent Haldane was fouled wide on the left and Sam Deering's fast free kick was flicked on by Constable. Chris Willmott stormed in from the far post and only had to flick his head at the ball to score, but somehow met it far too cleanly and nodded the ball over the invitingly empty net. A defender's finish if ever there was one. To spare his blushes let's be fair and say it wouldn't have counted anyway due to an offside flag!
Constable fired a harder effort over the bar on 33, cutting across the area from the right before pulling the trigger, but having had at least 70% of the possession in the first half United had failed to finish off the Conference South side and the door was still open for Dorchester.
Inside 45 seconds of the second half Trainer had hammered a right footed effort over the bar from ten yards, but there was a worrying moment or two at the other end when Billy Turley was felled by a challenge from Ryan Moss and needed extended treatment from physio Alex Anzelmo, on the bench on a trial basis for the first time.
Dorchester had fought for everything and the frustration was starting to build among the home fans in the great crowd of close to 3,200. Yemi Odubade and Jamie Guy were given just over half an hour to try and unlock the stubborn Magpies defence. A couple of shots from distance forced Turley into action either side of those substitutions, the second a good save from a fierce Mudge effort, but United's earlier momentum had faded and passes were starting to go astray.
As ever the fans did all they could to lift their team and a Deering effort bounced back off of the chest of Stewart on 73 minutes with no one on hand to seize on the rebound. The effervescent Deering and the pace of Odubade looked United's best routes to goal, but if Moss had taken his chance on 80 minutes after outmuscling Willmott then it might have been the dreaded giantkilling.
Instead Dorchester dropped deeper but defended even more stubbornly and United could find no way through. Mind you, a disallowed goal in the the second minute of injury time might have made it a completely different story. Ref Waugh disallowed it,much to Dorchester's dismay.
A replay at the Jewson Stadium on Tuesday November 18th then. Not an easy task, but at least United's name is still in the hat
Att: 3,196
Away:376
