Friar Lane Reaction
The Mikes hopes of a return visit to Bescot Stadium were left in tatters by their Leicestershire visitors, who eventually strolled into the second round of the Polymac Services League Cup.
This didn’t tell the full story, as the Mikes battled back from conceding an early goal to level through Sam Simmonds, before squandering some great chances. They were made to pay emphatically as Friar Lane capitalised on the Mikes generosity. They even had the luxury of a woeful penalty miss when Sean Butler’s nightmare evening was completed by being sent off for a professional foul.
Matt Hawker donned the gloves for the last half-hour, performing admirably until two late goals completed the scoring.
Manager Rob Mallaband was philosophical: “The general performance wasn’t that bad, but the difference came at both ends. We gifted them three goals and missed clear chances, but in the circumstances I was pleased with the way the lads stayed together and kept going right until the end, especially with 10 men”.
The Mikes will be hoping to put this firmly behind them when they visit Stratford Town on Saturday.
