Winchester City FC vs Sittingbourne FC – FA Trophy 2nd Round

The cup-tie was a dramatic event, ending in a penalty shootout that will live long in the memory of the almost 500 attendees, with many being traveling Sittingbourne fans.

Both teams had the potential to make history, with Winchester only reaching the third round once before, and Sittingbourne yet to achieve the feat.

Sittingbourne came into the match favourites, winning their prior seven games in a row and sitting comfortably in the top three of the Isthmian League South.

While Winchester were on the road to recovery after an injury-ridden start to the season left them with just one win in 11 in the league. However, their form was picking up in recent games, winning three of their last four.

The first half was all Winchester, with Sittingbourne only able to muster up chances through long throws and corners.

Winchester’s Luka Chalwell took the lead only a minute before the half time whistle with a neat chip over Sittingbourne’s Harley Earle.

But Winchester will be disappointed that their lead at half time was only by one given their dominance.

Sittingbourne turned the game on its head in the second half, getting a number of early chances and putting real pressure on the Winchester backline.

In the 80th minute the frustration got the better of Winchester’s Jamie Barron, who put his arm round the neck of an opposing player during a set piece, resulting in a penalty.

As soon as Mitchell May converted for Sittingbourne it felt like only a matter of time until they completed the comeback, with Winchester continually failing to string simple passes together.

The tension reached a boiling point in the 85th minute, with Winchester’s Dan Bradshaw kicking the ball at a Sittingbourne fan resulting in a fight between the teams.

The fight led to three red cards; a straight red for Dan Bradshaw, a second yellow for Jamie Barron and a straightred for Sittingbourne’s goalscorer Mitchell May.

The pressure only increased after Winchester were reduced to nine men, with Sittingbourne having countless efforts to win it, including a shot from 30 yards which smacked the post.

The FA Trophy lets the clubs decide whether to settle the game with extra time and penalties or just the latter, leading to some confusion in the stands near the 90th minute mark over what comes next.

The clubs both agreed to a shootout, with Winchester winning both coin tosses, going first in front of their home crowd.

Dan Jones missed the first penalty of the shootout for Winchester, and it gave Sittingbourne the platform they needed, as they had a flawless five in five record in the shootout.

The game finished 1-1 with Sittingbourne winning 5-4 on penalties.

Congratulations to Sittingbourne on their historic victory.

Next up for Winchester is a home fixture against Havant and Waterlooville in the league, where they look to drag themselves away from the relegation zone.