Tamworth 2 Exeter City 2.

BY PETER COOK

Saturday 14 November 1998.

Referee:

Att: 2485

FA Cup first round.

A GOAL deep into injury time by skipper Jon Richardson rescued Exeter City and broke e the hearts of non- league Tamworth in the first round of the FA Cup.



Although the added time board showed three minutes, referee Tony Leake had already let play continue for more than four minutes when substitute Chris Fry sent in a low cross from the right and there was Richardson to throw himself forward and send a downward header past the despairing dive of rookie home keeper Ricky McNamara to make it 2-2. It signalled scenes of wild celebration among the Grecians and the 400 or so supporters who had made the trip to South Staffordshire. But the home players, officials and fans were furious. They had been screaming for the final whistle as the clock ticked into the fifth minute of overtime. Afterwards, Darwen official Leake admitted there had been a misun- derstanding by his reserve official Andre Marriner of Birmingham: 'I held up four fingers to signal four minutes of added time but he misread it as three. 'With so much hap- pening out there, I did- n't actually see the board held up with three on it otherwise I would have called for a correction.' So that added minute proved to be a cup life-line for City whose pitiful away form looked set to be their undoing against the gallant battlers from the Dr Martens League Premier Division. With a near 2,500 crowd creating a pulsating atmosphere inside the tight Lamb Ground, it turned out to be an all-action tie. Goalmouth incidents came thick and fast as both sides hit the woodwork Tamworth on - three occasions. But despite the tension, there was hardly a bad foul or tackle of note. Although Exeter went into the match without influential midfielder Chris Curran, Tamworth were missing six first choice players, including keeper Tony Rowe whose place was taken by 19-year-old debutante McNamara. It was from a left-wing corner that Exeter broke the deadlock after 15 minutes. Keeper McNamara came for the cross but was left wanting as Jon Gittens got in first to head home. But Tamworth, mak- ing a mockery of the nickname The Lambs, weren't about to be- come a soft touch and the Grecians weren't al- lowed to relax for a moment. Darren Shaw headed against the bar with Bayes beaten but there was no let-off next time when Batchelor was allowed a header from a free kick. The ball came back off a post and left Shaw with a tap in for the equaliser. It was from the best move of the match that Tamworth went in front af- ter 53 minutes. Shaw started it and kept his run going to take a neat back heel from Warren Haughton in his stride. His cut-back found Michael Crawford whose shot was pushed out by Bayes leaving Smith with a side foot into an empty net. Tamworth were growing in stature as they scented an upset and Grecians' manager Peter Fox, realising it was slipping away, made the first of three substitutions when he sent on Barry McConnell for John Wilkinson. Jimmy Gardner and then Chris Fry were sent into the fray but it took a brilliant saving tackle from Power to thwart Haughton. When Flack headed over with 92 minutes on the clock, it looked all over for Grecians but, for the fifth time this season, they conjured a late, late goal.

Exeter City  
Bayes Wilkinson Power Baddeley Richardson Gittens Rowbotham Rees Flack Holloway Breslan. Substitutes: McConnell (for Wilkinson, 64 mins), Gardner (for Holloway, 80), Fry (for Breslan, 84). Not used: Blake, Potter

Tamworth:
McNamara, Wamer. Shaw, Steele, Batchelor, Howard, Crawford, Walker, Smith, Dickson, Haughton. Subs not used: Wilson, Hatton, Mitchell, Price, Wood

Scorers:
Tamworth - Shaw 28 minutes, Smith 53: Exeter - Gittens 15 minutes, Richardson 95.

Bookings:
Tamworth Haughton, Smith;
Exeter - Gittens

Referee: Tony Leake (Darwen)

Attendance: 2.485