Steels 2-1 Marine

17/09/2022Last Updated: 20/09/2022

410 3 minutes read

Mitch Langton was the hero as he scored the last minute winner which sealed a 2-1 win for Stocksbridge Park Steels against Marine in the FA Cup.

The Steels took the lead through a header from Ross Goodwin. They were only ahead for a few minutes though as Jack Dunn equalised through a smart finish. In the last minute though, Mitch Langton hit a sweet volley to put Stocksbridge into the next round of the FA Cup.

The first half was not the sort of football you’d show to someone you were trying to get into non-league football. Neither side were able to create many chances as they cancelled eachother out with strong defences. Marine were close to breaking through when Djavan Pedro got space in the box. Instead of shooting he chose to try and find Lucas Weir, but Langton was there to block the pass and clear the ball away.

At the other end, Stocksbridge looked to set pieces to try and cause problems for Marine. A Tomas Poole corner almost did that. The corner would eventually fall to Luke Rawson who needed to turn before finishing. He was able to turn, but an important block stopped him from scoring two goals in two. Marine would have been aggrieved had it gone in though as captain Josh Wardle was down injured at the time of the shot.

The controversial moment was a point when Stocksbridge may well be irritated they didn’t get the goal. After the ball was initially cleared by Marine, Jordan Lemon latched onto the ball and launched a fantastic cross field ball looking for Poole. He found him as well, and Poole raced into the box and volleyed the bouncing ball into the back of the net. The linesman had his flag up to disallow the goal though, cutting any celebrations off. Ian Richards wasn’t happy with the decision though and he’d have to carry his annoyance into half time.

Marine had a big chance early on in the second half. Dunn was a constant problem for Stocksbridge and he caused an issue here when he cut inside and sent a shot off. Harrison Davison-Hale was equal to the shot and palmed it away. The ball fell to Lucas Weir who had an amazing chance to slot the ball into a net guarded by a grounded Davison-Hale but he could only hit it wide. Just like his dad David, whose time as manager of Sheffield United did not go well, he was having a nightmare time in Sheffield.

Stocksbridge would get the opening goal though. The Steels got a free kick just a few yards into the Marine half and Poole whipped it into the box. In the box was Ross Goodwin who had just come onto the pitch and with his first touch, he headed the ball into the back of the net. Just like against Atherton Collieries, it was Goodwin who opened the scoring in the FA Cup for Stocksbridge.

Marine didn’t stay behind for long though. Substitute Kielan Adams had the ball on the edge of the box and he laid up Dunn who was able to finish the ball into the bottom corner. It was frustrating for Stocksbridge who would have been having bad memories of what happened against Ossett United on Tuesday night.

The Mariners start to go forward with more purpose and speed as they looked to get the win. They had a massive chance when a ball from Jonny Spittle beautifully found substitute Callum Harris on the right hand side of the box. He would go one-on-one with Davison-Hale but the young goalkeeper continued his impressive form with a fantastic save.

Stocksbridge would get the win at the death though much to the delight of the home fans. Once again it was a Poole free kick from very deep which was whipped into the box. Charlie Oglesby headed the ball back to Langton whose volley found the top corner to send the home fans into rapture. During the celebrations, a coming together between plays saw Kenan McKenzie-Grey being sent off not long after coming on as a substitute though he earned the free kick which caused the goal with his first touch after coming on.

The Steels were able to hold on for the last few moments of stoppage time and seal the win. Stocksbridge not sinked Marine’s chances of going on another famous FA Cup run but booked a place in the 3rd Qualifying Round of the FA Cup for the first time since 2011.

MOTM: Mitch Langton