FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round Framlingham Town 0 Wadham Lodge 0 Framlingham survived playing the last half hour with 10 men as they secured a replay on Wednesday night against their opponents from the Essex Senior League, writes David Meeson.
The Castlemen have had to wait 130 years since their formation for a crack at the FA Cup and certainly gave it their all against a well-drilled Wadham side who were also making their debuts in the prestigious competition, and who it must be said had the better of the chances on the day.
The main stand at Badingham Road was full to capacity as the teams came on to the field in the driving rain to the sound of Fram’s favourite son Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud on the tannoy.
The London visitors soon showed their threat early on with Stefan Neilson curling an effort narrowly over.
Long-serving Fram skipper James Mayhew replied by getting his head to an Alex Ling corner but the ball flew wide. After a quiet period the visitors had a great chance to open the scoring as Leroy Asare found space to hit a left foot effort which Fram ‘keeper Louis Johnson saved with his legs.
The game’s first moment of controversy arrived five minutes before the break when Wadham midfielder Glody Nsamu was lucky to escape after attempting to slap Fram midfielder Simon Poacher.
Asare then went through again only to miss the target. Danny Smith, last season’s top scorer for Fram, gave a reminder of his threat right on the half-time whistle but he could only blaze over after a Johnny Kerridge knock down.
The game followed much the same pattern at the start of the second period as Neilson and Nsamu went close again with powerful drives from distance.
Then came Kerridge’s contentious red card as he was dismissed after a minor skirmish with Wadham keeper Harley Russell.
Fram tried to defy their numerical disadvantage forcing a series of corners and from one such Danny Smith delivery Cyrus Thorpe had his header cleared off the line by Nsamu.
In a grandstand finish Wadham pushed for the winner and Johnson made a brilliant point blank stop from Alex Parasheva before Neilson’s effort was scrambled away at the far post but the deadlock remained as Fram hung on for another day.
FRAMLINGHAM: Louis Johnson, Matt Aldis, Alex Bevans (sub: Chris Boardley 76), Cyrus Thorpe, Anthony Johnson, James Mayhew ©, Simon Poacher, Charlie Smith (sub: Will Seccombe 80), Danny Smith, Johnny Kerridge, Alex Ling (sub: Jake Taylor 60)
Referee: Tyler Clayton (Drayton, Norwich)
Attendance: 236
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