Redditch United 4 Evesham United 5 (aet; 90 mins 4-4)
SHAME on the fans who stayed away in their droves again last night - they missed a cracker.
This match had it all - five goals, two substitutions, comedy defending and Rod Brown on the pitch to remonstrate with the ref - and this all before half time!
A madcap match started in suitably farcical fashion with Reds boss Brown discovering the reserves he had earmarked for the bench were not registered for the first team.
His options were further limited with misfiring striker Lee Booth ('rested' last night) having announcd his retirement to play at a lower level.
But Redditch refused to die, fighting back from 4-2 down to take the match to extra time with Richard Field and young Chris Hill scoring spectacular efforts.
Darren Bullock had put the visitors ahead from the spot before Evesham loan star Matthew Lewis (who recently turned down a spell at the Valley) took over with an impressive hat-trick.
Strikes from Arshad and a 30 yard Field screamer kept the hosts in touch before Hill curled one into the top far corner and Bullock, the target of merciless abuse from the director's box, lightened proceedings with a beautiful header past his own keeper in the 62nd minute to draw level with Booth in the Reds goalscoring charts.
But despite the valiant efforts of injured shot-stopper Richard Anstiss, and defender Andy Dodds, the Reds were unable to clear their area four minutes from the end of added time and Steve Lutz scored a cruel winner from a yard out.
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