What is more exciting than FA Cup play? Where you have the small town teams looking for glory and the chance to take on some of the biggest names in the footballing world.
It starts with the first round proper for Morecombe and Sheffield Wednesday, where the Owls traveled to Globe Arena to take on the Shrimps of Morecombe.
Morecombe: Roche, Fenton, Reid (Alessandra 80), Hunter (Jevons 59), Ellison, McCready, Drummond, McDonald, Wilson, Parrish (Haining 59), Carlton
Sheffield Wednesday: O’Donnell, Buxton, Batth, R Johnson, Bennett, O’Connor, Lines, Semedo, J Johnson (Sedgwick 70), Madine, O’Grady
1st Half: The Owls took control from the first kickoff. They were the dominating side in the first half taking advantage of the run of play and a majority of the possession. Lewis Buxton had the first chance for Wednesday in the 5th minute as he got the rebound from Chris O’Grady’s shot but he fired the ball wide. The Owls next chance came in the 18th minute as some great passing between O’Grady and Chris Lines setup the goal. Lines passed the ball into O’Grady, he gave a little give and go and Lines was lined up to strike the ball from distance and he put it in the far corner of the next to put the visitors up 1-0.
It only took a few minutes before Wednesday were back shooting at goal as they piled a couple of quick shots that forced Barry Roche into a couple of saves. Jermaine Johnson had the next big chance for the Owls as he fired a shot into the area but it hit off the outside of his foot and went wide of the goal. Morecambe had a few chances off free kicks but the Owls defense was there with the clearance each and every time. Garry Hunter tried a shot from distance and Richard O’Donnell was forced into his first save of the match. His quick kick found the Shrimps sleeping at the back, Nick Fenton missed his chance to clear the ball. That left O’Grady with a chance to chip it in over Roche, but O’Grady’s shot missed the goal. Gary Megson’s side went into the half with only 1-0 lead.
2nd Half: Jim Bentley must have given his players a very inspirational half time speech, as they came out with a whole new ferocity to the game. It started when Morecombe earned a corner within minutes of the start of the half. Laurence Wilson stepped up to take the corner and he delivered it beautifully into the area but there was no Morecombe player there to get on the end of it. A few minutes later Wilson had the best chance for the Shrimps, as his strike from distance had O’Donnell beat but it skimmed the top of the cross bar. With that chance the home fans started to get louder as they could feel their team wasn’t done for yet.
Wednesday though all but ruined Morecombe’s chance at getting a result from the game, when James O’Connor crossed into the box to find O’Grady and he headed the ball past Roche, who had no chance at stopping the ball. O’Grady’s all but made up for his miss earlier by putting the visitors up 2-0 with 58 minutes played. Danny Carlton though had a great chance minutes later when there was a little confusion in the box, the Owls failed to clear the ball and it landed at the end Carlton’s foot but his close range shot was saved by the quick thinking O’Donnell.
In the 61st minute Morcombe was pressing down the left side. Wednesday’s Lines slid into block a cross in the box, but his hand came up and knocked the ball down. The referee called a clear handball and pointed to the spot. Wilson stepped up and struck the ball with his wicked left foot and put in the bottom right corner of the goal. O’Donnell guessed right but all he could do was watch the ball go into the net. The Morecombe fans now had a sliver of hope. A couple of minutes later Gary McDonald tried his best to find the equalizer for the home team, but saw his overheard shot go right into the arms of O’Donnell.
Sheffield had a chance to open the gap in the score line when the home side committed a foul in very dangerous area, as Nick Fenton took down a Wednesday player right outside the box. Lines stepped up and struck the ball with pace and he placed it perfectly in the gap of the wall but Roche was there to make a great save to keep Morecombe’s chances alive. Lewis Alessandra’s deflected shot almost gave the home side their equalizer but it went wide of the goal. That last chance for Morecombe came in the 89 minute when Phil Jevon’s shot was saved by O’Donnell, and McDonald picked up the rebound and headed it in the back of the net. But the flag was up and McDonald was rightly called offside. The final whistle was blown and Sheffield Wednesday moved into the 2nd round of the FA Cup.
Next Round: Sheffield Wednesday will host the winner of the Maidenhead United/Aldershot Town replay in the 2nd round of the FA Cup.