They may have had a strong call for a late winner ruled out, but skipper David Head says Ipswich Wanderers did not deserve to progress to the quarter-finals of the FA Vase, against Bowers & Pitsea, on Wednesday night.
The Humber Doucy Lane outfit were beaten by Tom Hine’s extra-time winner, just minutes after Jack Severy’s free-kick – which was fumbled by goalkeeper Martyn Guest – appeared to cross the line.
Matt Mackenzie had opened the scoring for Glenn Read’s Ipswich side in the 24th minute, but the Suffolk outfit only held on for 11 minutes, Aaron Waters equalising in the fifth round tie.
Bowers & Pitsea will now play Oxfordshire-based side Kidlington in the quarter-finals, leaving Head and his team-mates to ponder what might have been.
“I was near to the incident and it looked like the ball had crossed the line by about six inches, but that’s easy for me to say,” said Head, on the ‘goal’ that never was.
“But overall, Bowers & Pitsea were the better team and we did not deserve anything on the night.”
The contest was played at Canvey Island’s Frost Financial Stadium, ground, following Saturday’s second postponement at Bowers’ ground in Basildon, and the surface offered Wanderers the chance to play the passing football they so enjoy executing.
However, things did not go according to plan, according to the experienced defender, who twice reached the Vase final with AFC Sudbury, during the last decade.
“It was a nice playing surface and we are a footballing team, but we did not get the ball down and play and were sucked into playing long ball.
“They played better than us,” added Head, whose side visit second-top Stanway Rovers in the league on Saturday.
Due to Wanderers’ involvement in the Vase and the number of postponements they have faced against Bowers and, earlier in the competition at Bodmin, they have only played six games in 2016 and have up to eight games in hand on some of the teams in the Thurlow Nunn Premier Division.
“You end up getting a bit disjointed, playing a game then having a two-week break,” explained Head.
“But the Vase run has been excellent for the club and committee who I know have really enjoyed it.
“It’s disappointing to go out but it’s not like we were outplayed by Bowers & Pitsea, we just didn’t perform to our capabilities.”
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