FA Cup: Ndlovu on mark again but Saints face a replay

Brackley Town will have to try and get past Nuneaton at the second attempt in Tuesday's Emirates FA Cup replay.
Top scorer Lee Ndlovu gave Brackley Town the lead at NuneatonTop scorer Lee Ndlovu gave Brackley Town the lead at Nuneaton
Top scorer Lee Ndlovu gave Brackley Town the lead at Nuneaton

Saints drew 1-1 at fellow Vanarama National League North outfit Nuneaton in Saturday’s second qualifying round tie.

When the two sides met in the league at the end of August Saints ran out comfortable winners. The first half of Saturday’s FA Cup tie saw the visitors again shaping for a likely victory dominating the game and taking the lead into the break.

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The second half however was more even and, having equalised early on, Nuneaton grew in confidence and looked the more threatening in the closing stages.

The opener came on the half-hour mark from Shane Byrne’s corner. It was scrambled over the line with Lee Ndlovu in the thick of things.

Only a superb save by keeper Cam Belford denied Saints a second goal, a spectacular diving save keeping out Connor Hall’s fine header from an excellent right-wing cross by Glenn Walker.

Nuneaton were level in the 55th minute as Kairo Mitchell poked in after another scramble from a corner kick.

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As in the August game, it was a niggling and feisty affair and again Nuneaton finished the match with ten men following the dismissal of captain Miles Addison late on for a foul on Matt Lowe.

“We were pretty well in control through the first half and had good moments and you might look at it and think we should have been more than a goal to the good,” boss Kevin Wilkin said.

“In the second half it evened out and that has been the story of our season so far really, getting our noses in front but not seeing the game out. But we have the replay to look forward to when hopefully we will move the ball and give a better account of ourselves.”