FA YOUTH CUP – MATCH REPORT

Harborough Town 1–1 Grantham Town

Grantham Town win 8–7 on penalties

MAN OF THE MATCH: HARRI

For the second round running, Grantham Town’s FA Youth Cup journey went all the way to penalties – and once again, the young Gingerbreads held their nerve.

But this one had everything.

End-to-end football. Huge saves. Goal-line defending. A disallowed goal. A 91st-minute equaliser with potentially the final kick of the game. And finally, goalkeeper Harri stepping up to score the penalty that sent Grantham through.

FIRST HALF

Both sides flew out of the blocks, with attacking football from the very first whistle.

Grantham earned the first corner of the evening in the fourth minute, but Harborough cleared and immediately countered, racing to the other end before getting a shot away. Harri was there with a cracking save to keep the scores level.

Four minutes later, Harborough broke again and tested the Grantham keeper, but once more Harri produced a superb stop.

The game quickly settled into a pattern of relentless, end-to-end football.

Harborough were awarded a free kick within shooting distance in the 10th minute, but Grantham’s defence stood firm and cleared the danger.

Just two minutes later, Grantham had a corner of their own. The set piece was delivered brilliantly and the final touch sent the ball agonisingly wide.

0–0 – but there was absolutely no let-up.

From the resulting goal kick, Harborough launched another attack and forced yet another excellent save from Harri.

After the incredibly tight encounter away at Carlton Town in the previous round, Grantham once again found themselves in a battle where neither side was prepared to give an inch.

Both teams continued to push forward, with offsides and free kicks breaking up an otherwise frantic passage of football.

Some fantastic combination play from Orlando and Brian then created another Grantham opportunity. The shot was on target, but the Harborough keeper was equal to it.

Maks collected the second ball from another attack and tried his luck, but his effort went wide.

At the opposite end, Harborough broke once again. Harri saved the initial attempt before Grantham dealt with the resulting corner.

The stalemate continued.

That was until the 27th minute.

After another strong Harborough attack, a powerful shot was met by another great save from Harri. Unfortunately, the sheer power behind the effort created a rebound which the Grantham defence couldn't quite clear.

Harborough capitalised.

Harborough Town 1–0 Grantham Town.

There was no drop in the Grantham heads.

Orlando produced another quality run down the wing, carrying Grantham almost the entire length of the pitch before the resulting attack was halted by an offside flag.

The end-to-end nature of the contest continued, with both teams attacking at every opportunity and Grantham's defence having to work tirelessly.

At the other end, Grantham continued linking up superbly but simply couldn't find the finishing touch.

Orlando then went into the referee's book following a foul, giving Harborough another dangerous free kick.

They unleashed an absolute screamer towards goal...

ANOTHER huge save from Harri.

Grantham responded immediately, fighting their way back up the pitch and creating another goalscoring opportunity, only for the Harborough keeper to make the save.

The half-time whistle eventually arrived after a breathless opening 45 minutes.

HT: Harborough Town 1–0 Grantham Town

SECOND HALF

An injury meant Orlando was unable to continue, but Grantham refused to allow the setback to affect them.

They came out fighting.

Within the opening minutes of the second half, Grantham had already created a shooting opportunity.

Then, in the 49th minute, another huge chance arrived – one-on-one with the goalkeeper – but the effort went over the crossbar.

Two excellent opportunities inside the opening four minutes demonstrated exactly what Grantham intended to do.

They weren't going away.

Then came a heart-stopping moment.

Harborough broke through the Grantham defence and found the net.

2–0...

Or so everyone thought.

The linesman's flag was raised for offside and the goal was ruled out.

Still 1–0. Still alive.

From there, both teams continued to attack fire with fire while defending as though their lives depended on it.

Harborough won a corner, Grantham regained possession and immediately broke, earning a free kick around halfway.

A Harborough yellow card then handed Grantham another free kick in a dangerous area. The resulting attempt was saved by the goalkeeper.

Charlie then produced a great ball to find Olly, whose ambitious effort flew spectacularly wide.

Still Grantham pushed.

Still Harborough threatened.

And then came one of the defensive moments of the night.

Harborough broke through the Grantham defence and suddenly had the goal at their mercy.

Charlie wasn't having it.

The centre-back sprinted almost the entire length of the pitch to recover, cover the open goal and produce a crucial intervention that kept Grantham in the tie.

It was enormous.

Harborough came again from the restart and fired wide.

As the game entered its closing stages, it became increasingly frantic. Both teams were throwing everything into every challenge, every attack and every defensive action.

Harborough were shown another yellow for pulling back a Grantham player, handing the Gingerbreads another free kick.

Then another Grantham free kick.

Then another for holding.

Time was disappearing.

Harborough were doing everything they could to see the game out.

Grantham simply refused to accept that it was over.

And then came the moment.

91 MINUTES...

The referee indicated that the next time the ball went out of play, the game was over.

One final attack.

One final chance.

Olly received the ball.

Nothing to lose. Everything to gain.

He struck it...

GOOOOOOAAAAALLLLLL!!!

91ST MINUTE.

With what could quite literally have been the final kick of the game, Grantham had done it.

HARBOROUGH TOWN 1–1 GRANTHAM TOWN.

Cue absolute scenes as the Grantham players celebrated the last-gasp equaliser – with Olly picking up a yellow card for taking his shirt off during the celebrations!

Given the timing and what that goal meant, it's probably one yellow he won't mind too much!

The young Gingerbreads had dragged themselves back from the brink.

For the second FA Youth Cup round in succession...

WE WERE GOING TO PENALTIES.

PENALTY SHOOTOUT

After a minute to regroup, the players took their positions.

What followed was almost as dramatic as the 90 minutes before it.

The two sides went shot for shot.

Goals.

Saves.

Even matching efforts against the crossbar.

Neither side could shake the other.

The shootout continued all the way to penalty number ten.

Harborough stepped up.

HARRI SAVES!

Grantham thought they had their moment – but the referee ordered the penalty to be retaken after ruling that Harri had come off his line.

Harborough stepped forward again.

Another strike...

CROSSBAR!

Earlier in the shootout, an effort off the bar had found its way into the net.

This one wasn't so lucky.

The ball rebounded out.

Now there was one more twist.

After spending the night producing save after save to keep Grantham in the competition, Harri himself stepped forward to take Grantham's next penalty.

The goalkeeper placed the ball down.

Stepped back.

Ran up...

AND SCORED!!!

From saving them at one end to finishing the job at the other.

HARRI'S PENALTY SEALED IT.

FULL TIME

Harborough Town 1–1 Grantham Town

PENALTIES

Harborough Town 7–8 Grantham Town

For the second consecutive round, the young Gingerbreads showed incredible character to come through a fiercely contested FA Youth Cup tie on penalties.

A goal down.

Seconds from elimination.

A 91st-minute equaliser.

Ten rounds of penalties.

And a goalkeeper who produced huge saves throughout the night before stepping up and scoring the penalty that sealed it.

GRANTHAM TOWN ARE THROUGH TO THE THIRD QUALIFYING ROUND OF THE FA YOUTH CUP!

MAN OF THE MATCH: HARRI

WHAT. A. NIGHT.

#TheGingerbreads