Dereham Town 0 Spalding United 1
A dramatic late winner from Elliot Sandy earned ten-man Spalding United a 1-0 FA Trophy win at Dereham Town on Saturday.
Striker Sandy struck in the third minute of added time to steer Spalding into the third qualifying round of the competition, where they will face Stafford Rangers at home on October 8.
Fellow frontman Dylan Edge was sent off in the second half, but Spalding boss Brett Whaley felt that his team-mates rallied to ensure that they’d get him off the hook.
He said: “The manner of the result is very good for us, but perhaps the performance wasn’t quite as good.
“I think we went out and took control in the first half without getting that all-important goal.
“The second half wasn’t as good and we let them back into it, but we came up with a late winner and that’s all that really matters.
“We’re still struggling to get that complete 90 minutes together, but the results have been good and September has been a very busy month for us.
“As for the red card, Dylan shouldn’t have been booked initially – it was never a yellow card. But when you’re on a booking you need to be wary of what will happen if you make a mistake.
“He was a bit silly and I can’t really argue with the second yellow.
“Luckily for Dylan, we have a close-knit group here and the lads stepped up for him to make sure we got the result.”
The Tulips were unlucky not to take an early lead when Edge nodded against the inside of the post on ten minutes.
At the other end Michael Duggan was forced to make a super save as he clawed one out of the top corner, but it was Spalding who carried the greater threat
Indeed, Toby Hilliard saw another header cleared off the line just before the break as the sides went in level at 0-0.
The hosts were more prominent after the break and would have fancied their chances of going through when Edge was given his marching orders.
But substitute Sandy had other ideas and pulled off a slick turn before smashing home the winner with seconds of added time left.
Tulips: Duggan, Bucciero, Marshall, Barker, Stainfield, Cartwright, Jones, Clifton (Moreman), Hilliard (Sandy), Rolt (Broccoli), Edge. Not used: Draper, Penfold.
Attendance: 162.
