The Road to Cardiff - Down and Out

Despite scoring twice Odd Down FC went out of the FA Cup on Saturday at the first hurdle after losing away to Backwell United 3-2.

Tony Quoi opened the scoring for Down on 15 minutes when he rounded off a fine sweeping move, but United equalised 10 minutes later when Richard Hewitt smashed home a Bradley Haynes' through ball. United then ensured that they went in at half-time ahead when Hewitt was quickest to react after Mark Byrne's shot had hit a post. Mark Tilley equalised for our boys after the break but Ryan King made sure of the home win and progress to the next round when he fired past Tristan Westlake late on.

Odd Down manager Chris Mountford was left fuming afterwards, "When you go away from home and score two goals you expect to get something out of the game," raged Mountford. "But if people don't do the jobs you ask them to do then, as a manager, you are powerless. If players haven't got the initiative to take on board what the management are trying to say, you've got no chance. I think certain players are having trouble with the standards we are trying to set at this club." Ooooh!

That leaves Bristol based Backwell United to carry our baton onto Cardiff. They will meet Bridgewater Town, who also in the same division, on Saturday at the Backwell Recreation Ground (capacity 1,000) in the Preliminary Round.

I don't know much about our new heroes except this. I wonder if James Bird can help, who before his scintillating career in insurance plied his trade at nearby Banwell FC?