Match Report Saturday 8th August
Sherborne Town FC 1 - 3 Baffins Milton Rovers
Emirates FA Cup
Sherborne Town 1 Baffins Milton Rovers 3
So, another quick exit from the FA Cup, but at least the experience was not quite as humbling as last year's 7-0 mauling by Westbury. When Baffins raced into a 3-0 lead by half-time a similar score-line looked on the cards. Thankfully, though, the Zebras restored some pride with a second-half fightback.
Manager Luke Jackson had some tinkering to do due to Ollie Hebbard's unavailability and Aaron White's return to the starting XI. Josh Ansell made his first start for the club at left back, with his former Wincanton team-mate Charlie Watson deployed in a more attacking role.
Another scorched, rock-hard surface for both teams to contend with as Zebras began attacking the Castle End. After a cagey start, Alex Murphy beat the offside trap and made a lung-bursting run down the right flank before hooking the ball across the goalmouth from the byline. Henry Lawrence-Napier was poised to pounce but keeper Dylan Kramer managed to smother the ball right on his toes.
Zebras, however, struggled to gain a foothold as they were harried constantly by the boys in blue from Hampshire. And when they ceded possession in their own half, Baffins broke the deadlock in the 18th minute following a swift counterattack down the left wing. Seemingly presented with the freedom of Raleigh Grove, Max Allen was able to almost pass the ball into the net.
The hosts responded. Within two minutes, Jake Graziano, set free down the right channel by Ant Herrin's pass, crossed low to Watson, who in turn tried to tee-up Murphy, but the ball escaped under the striker's foot and the chance had gone.
Shortly after, Murphy fired a shot after cutting inside from the left but Kramer saved with ease. At the other end, a Baffins effort was sliced wildly into the car park.
Then, what proved to be a pivotal passage of play arrived on the half-hour mark. Graziano's right-wing cross into the penalty area found White. He nudged the ball on to Murphy whose thundering shot from 12 yards cannoned back off the cross-bar. The goal-frame had barely stopped shaking when Baffins countered, once again down the left wing, and proceeded to double their lead, Allen's shot wrong-footing Marshall with a wicked deflection off Jordon Matthews. Agonisingly for the home team, the ball rolled slowly into the far corner of the net. Murphy's piledriver against the bar minutes before was one of those 'if only' moments.
Still, Zebras were losing the midfield battles and when Ansell committed a foul wide on the right it led to a third Baffins goal on 38 minutes. The free-kick was flighted towards the back stick, Marshall failed to claim and Allen found the net to complete an extremely soft hat-trick.
Half-time 0-3.
It didn't take long for the home management team to ring the changes in the second period, and a re-energised Zebras were thrown a lifeline with a goal on 68 minutes. Three substitutes were heavily involved. Joe Crisp threaded a nicely-weighted pass through to Ash Guppy, whose left-wing cross was neatly controlled by Archie Bryce eight yards out. The youngster kept a cool head and steered the ball beyond Kramer into the bottom corner of the net.
The Baffins rear guard were beginning to look ragged. In the 74th minute White's long throw was flicked on to Graziano, whose shot from just inside the penalty area looked destined for the net until Kramer scrambled down to his left and managed to divert the ball around the post.
Baffins were content to sit on their lead, causing little threat up front apart from one Curtis Robbins effort which was blazed high and wide and a Beau Mullins free-kick fired straight at Marshall. They spent most of the time moaning to the referee, although they cannot have had too many complaints when an already-booked Scott Faulkner was shown red in the 85th minute for a late lunge on Matthews.
Zebras never gave up and Matthews met Guppy's corner with a header which wasn't too far off target. The home side's work-rate could not be faulted but Baffins showed more quality on the ball so few quibbles over the outcome.
Team: Marshall, White, Ansell (O Crisp 70), Matthews, Williams, Lawrence-Napier (McCabe 60), Graziano, Mullins (Bryce 60), Murphy (Guppy 51), Herrin, Watson (J Crisp 51).
Goal: Bryce (68).
Attendance: 132