After a late Southall equaliser in Sunday’s well-contested FA Cup tie, our scheduled Surrey Senior Cup tie with Ashford Town was postponed, as we instead welcomed the London club for a replay. With us on a six-game unbeaten run and the ‘All yet to taste defeat this season, everything was set up for an exciting night under the lights.
Monday’s draw also revealed that the winners of the tie would host Chatham Town in the third qualifying round. The Isthmian League Premier side are familiar opponents for us, having edged a tight 1-0 victory at Meadowbank in pre-season.
The game got off to a fast start as Southall looked to take control. Makael Scott burst down the left flank before being stopped by George Francomb, winning a corner for his side in the opening seconds.
Things soon settled into a pattern of end-to-end spells, but without any clear chances at either end. Harry Pinchard played a clever disguised pass through to Dennon Lewis, who won a corner, as we began to show more attacking intent.
Alfie Rutherford broke away down the right, persisting to win the ball back after his move looked to have been snuffed out by the Southall defence. He won another corner, which led to a flurry of consecutive set pieces, delivered into good areas but unable to be capitalised on.
Then, approaching the half-hour mark, an industrious drive into midfield by Femi Ilesanmi led to the ball falling to Harry Pinchard, who did well to keep hold of it. He worked it across to Dennon Lewis, who put a good ball into the box, and Alfie Rutherford was on hand to head home. 28’ 1-0
More of the same followed the opener, with George Nikaj directing a shot goalwards that looked destined for the back of the net, but ‘All keeper Milan Czerwonka pulled off a top save, tipping it onto the bar with a strong hand.
Despite our continued pressure, Southall hit back to level the game through Makael Scott. The No. 17 was again away down the left before showing incredible trickery to outfox George Francomb, then unleashing a swerving right-footed shot that caught Glenn Morris, and the rest of Meadowbank, by surprise. 41’ 1-1
We looked to respond to the setback immediately through Nikaj, who curled a shot just wide of the near post.
HALF-TIME: Dorking Wanderers 1-1 Southall
We took control and were on the front foot at the start of the second half, but another devastating Southall counter saw them take the lead. Daniel Roberts worked the ball down the left and whipped it into William Montague, who nodded a composed header past Morris. 54’ 1-2
We weren’t behind for long, responding with an equaliser just minutes later. Rutherford put a teasing cross into the box, and Nikaj’s pressure caused a mix-up in the ‘All defence. The ball then fell to Josh Barrett, who made no mistake in smashing home to restore parity. 57’ 2-2
The breathless start to the second half continued, with the newly introduced James McShane coming alive in the final third. He slid in Nikaj, who finished low to complete a seven-minute comeback and put us back ahead. 61’ 3-2
Southall came close to levelling again as Ryan Hope struck the bar with a central free-kick before the visitors broke once more, with Hope flashing a testing ball across the box that evaded everybody. The ‘All kept the attack alive, and Hope then forced Morris into a low stop from long range.
We looked to seal the game late on, and Nikaj robbed Mitchal Gough at the back before racing through on goal, but he poked a left-footed shot wide.
However, shortly afterwards, Southall won the ball and countered again, launching a direct pass forward that found Anthony O’Connor, who bore down on goal and levelled the game. 89’ 3-3
A tense few minutes ensued, but neither side was able to find an all-important winner before the end of the 90 minutes.
FULL-TIME: Dorking Wanderers 3-3 Southall
A golden opportunity arose for us just minutes into extra time. Nikaj latched onto a loose back pass, but his effort was well stopped by Czerwonka. The rebound fell to Barrett, who had time as he ran onto it, but our No. 39 was also denied by the goalkeeper.
Southall persisted, and Daniel Roberts floated a cross into the box that flicked off George Francomb’s head, leaving Morris wrong-footed and only able to watch the ball go into his own net. 102’ 3-4
HALF-TIME OF EXTRA TIME: Dorking Wanderers 3-4 Southall
We came out needing to bounce back, and we did just that minutes into the second period. Charlie Sayers played a low ball from the left, which was set back across by Francomb. It ended up at the feet of Josh Barrett, who curled it into the far corner for his second of the game. 107’ 4-4
Not giving up in our search for a winner, we continued to push. Harry Pinchard was tenacious in midfield, winning the ball well on halfway before driving into the final third. He played George Nikaj through, who executed a cool finish that came off the left post on its way in. 116’ 5-4
We saw out the remaining moments of the game before the referee eventually put an end to a drama-filled FA Cup tie at Meadowbank.
FULL-TIME OF EXTRA TIME: Dorking Wanderers 5-4 Southall
Another home tie now awaits us as Chatham Town visit in the third qualifying round on Saturday 3rd October.
We now look forward to this Saturday, when we host Braintree Town, looking to continue our momentum as attention turns back to the league campaign. Buy your ticket here.