Veterans denied on penalties

DURSLEY suffered an agonising exit from the Nags Knockout Cup as they lost on sudden death penalties at West Bromwich side Sikh Temple.

In fairness, Town were second best for much of the game but could easily have won after playing the whole of extra time with a man advantage.

The home side played more fluently from the off and threatened the Dursley goal on several occasions in the first 25 minutes.

On the half hour Sikh Temple were presented with a golden chance to take the lead when the otherwise immaculate Steve Billett conceded a penalty.

However, his blushes were spared when apprentice veteran Keith Watson pushed the resultant spot-kick away. Dursley briefly sparked into life thereafter and Rich Spencer headed a good chance wide of the target.

A minute before half-time though, the home side got the goal that their play deserved.

Visiting full-back Mark Temple missed a ball across the edge of the penalty area and the home winger had time to hammer a terrific goal across Watson. Sikh Temple continued to dictate the game after the break, although it was town that came closest to a goal when Stuart Grimwood curled a free-kick inches wide with the goalkeeper a spectator.

However, Town did force an equaliser five minutes from time.

Steve Colborn challenged the goalkeeper for Temple's high cross and the ball dropped to the feet of Andy Llewellyn who made no mistake from ten yards. The home side then had a man sent off for persistent fouling - the majority of which had been on Kev Clark.

With the match all square at 90 minutes extra time was played, but that failed to separate the sides so the game went to penalties.

Llewellyn had the first kick of the shoot-out saved but Watson stopped the home side's fourth, which meant that with all the other efforts going in it went to sudden death.

Unfortunately for Dursley, Watson proved less adept at taking penalties than saving them and blasted wide, leaving Sikh Temple to win the match with the next kick.