Nuneaton Town 2 -1 Chesham United

Twelve months after suffering the agony of failing to make the play-offs,Chesham suffered the lesser agony of getting into them and losing.  After an hour everything seemed to be going well - Chesham were deservedly ahead and Nuneaton had been reduced to ten men, but the home team eventually muscled their way through as the home crowd came to life and roared their team on and Chesham tired.

There was only one change to the team, Nick Leach coming in for Andy Keepence who was injured on Saturday.  Nuneaton's supposed injury crisis turned out to be nothing of the sort as nine of their team played in the league fixture three weeks earlier.  Unsurprisingly the early stages were largely uneventful with both sides wary of making a mistake, and the only danger to either goal came after 20 minutes when Martyn Patching surprisingly dropped a cross from the left and Nick Leach was forced to hack clear.  However towards the end of the half things began to open up, and Sam Ledger and Dave Fotheringham combined to set Darrell Cox free on the left and his angled shot was touched away by home keeper Darren Acton. Nuneaton came back with a 30-yard shot from Rob Oddy that flew just wide of the near post, but Chesham were getting into their stride and broke through in the last minute of the half.  A long cross from out on the right touchline flew beyond the far post where Darrell Cox headed it back and Danny Burnell shot low into the net from the edge of the six-yard box.

In the opening minute of the second half a cross from Dave Fotheringham was headed out to Dom Marsala whose sweetly-struck shot was parried by Acton. Nuneaton were clearly fired up but Chesham were looking more likely to score again with Burnell heading wide at the far post, then shooting left-footed high and wide after John Kyriacou had seized on a poor clearance by Acton.  Twelve minutes into the half Patching punched away a corner and the referee spotted a head-butt by Danny Pitham off the ball and sent the Nuneaton player off.  Nuneaton broke away down the right and David Blenkinsopp set up Gez Murphy for a shot which he sliced well wide, but in the next minute Danny Burnell robbed Guy Hadland just outside the home area and the ball came to Darrell Cox who shot stright at Acton with the goal gaping.  Two minutes later the pattern of the game changed as Nuneaton battered their way down the middle and the ball reached sub Robert Foster who chipped the ball over the advancing Patching for the equaliser. Shortly afterwards a home corner was cleared and crossed back in by Kyle Storer to Guy Hadland who headed over. 

By now the atmosphere was becoming heated and the crowd's reaction got Dave Fotheringham booked for an innocuous challenge, then in the next minute John Kyriacou was baited by the crowd for going down after being kicked on the ankle by Justin Marsden who was rightly booked.  Kyle Storer became the fifth Nuneaton player to be shown a card as the referee needed to keep an eye on incidents off the ball, but Nuneaton's aggressive approach paid off four minutes from time. Chesham lost the ball midway inside the Nuneaton half and the home team broke away, Chesham defenders had chances to clear but their challenges were not strong enough and the ball came to Justin Marsden who stroked the ball into the corner of the net from just inside the area.  Shortly afterwards Patching came out of his area to head clear but missed the ball and Ollie Adedeji cleared, then Chesham made a double substitution bringing on two extra strikers.  However their last chance came and went in the last minute of normal time when Danny Burnell crossed from wide on the left and
the ball came to John Kyriacou at the far post who sliced the ball wide.