Late Blow Forces FA Cup Replay for The Farm – writes Jack Davies
Bristol Manor Farm were moments away from booking their place in the next round, only to be denied by a late Mangotsfield equaliser in Saturday’s FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round tie.
For the first time in over a decade, The Farm stepped out with a new face in the dugout, as Will Justin took charge of his first competitive fixture. His side started brightly, with early pressure creating the game’s first opening — loan striker Brandon Bak glancing a header just wide from Tom Symons’ corner.
Mangotsfield slowly grew into the contest but needed some desperate defending to keep things level before the break. A second Symons delivery caused chaos in the box, with a flurry of blocked efforts somehow staying out thanks to a combination of bodies on the line.
After the restart, the hosts came close as James White nodded just past the post, but it was Farm who struck first. Just after the hour, Brad Selwood showed strength to hold off a defender before releasing the ball wide under a good advantage from the referee. The cut-back was met by Bak, who calmly swept the ball into the far corner to mark the first goal of the Justin era.
Farm looked to kill the game off, with substitute Jaden Neale injecting real quality. He saw two efforts saved and looked to have earned a penalty after being tripped in the box, but the appeals were waved away.
That moment would prove pivotal. Deep into the closing stages, a long throw wasn’t cleared, and Kyrese Morrison pounced at the back post to level and send the tie to a replay.