Two minnows of the FA Cup began their annual quest for Wembley without, it is fair to say, any chance of getting there. The reason clubs like Thackley enter is to achieve a level of glory that is within the scope of their capabilities, which in Thackley’s case might be to get to say, the Third Round Qualifying. If we retrace Thackley’s history in this competition the overall conclusion would be that it is not a distinguished one. Was today’s match about to kick start a run that changed that dismal record or was the luck of the draw about to frustrate, once more, our ambitions?

Thackley had suffered the loss of Nicky Matthews last week at Bridlington, but apart from that had a strong squad to choose from. Ben Grech-Brooksbank replaced Matthews and the back line was redesigned with Hargreaves replacing Marsh, Basi for Thompson and White and Hunter retaining their places.

From the outset Thackley began brightly and put the visitors under pressure. They went close to creating chances without a decisive final pass and for the first fifteen minutes Handsworth rarely advanced into the Thackley half. Having weathered this initial storm Handsworth began to grow in confidence which culminated in a goal entirely against the run of play when, from almost their first attack, Howarth picked the ball up on the left-hand side and fired a cross shot past Wilson to put the visitors into the lead. This further boosted Handsworth and they continued to make penetrative advances into the Thackley half and it was from one of these attacks that disaster struck. A ball played down the inside right channel was chased by Handsworth forward Francis. Initially it looked a straightforward clearance for Wilson as he advanced to the edge of his box, but his feet slipped from under him which left Francis favourite to reach the ball. Wilson attempted to make a big target to prevent a shot on goal but in doing so made an obstacle that the forward could not avoid and a foul ensued. The referee acting to the letter of the law saw this as a clear goal-scoring opportunity and dismissed the unfortunate keeper. Harsh, was the view of the Thackley faithful, justified was the opinion of the visitor’s supporters. Hargreaves replaced Wilson and was immediately called into action to efficiently save the free kick. Boote was repositioned at right back and Grech-Brooksbank took a deeper midfield role to replace him. Now down to ten men Thackley had to be more efficient with the use of the ball, it also meant that Handsworth would be expected to have more possession. Just before half time Thackley secured the equaliser their play merited. Jerry White glanced a header from a corner into the net.

Half Time: Thackley 1 Handsworth 1.

As the second half got under way it was clear that the contest was going to be a tightly contested affair. The game was mostly disputed in the midfield which exerted added pressure on the depleted Thackley team. James Rothel was replaced by Matt Hall to add new energy where it was needed. Hall immediately caught the eye of the referee with a foul when he prevented a Handsworth forward from breaking through by pulling him back. Soon after a slip by Hall enabled an attack down the right to develop from which Grant was able to convert a simple chance. Now Thackley had an uphill battle to face. A further change to the midfield saw Sibanda replace Grech-Brooksbanks who had been at the fore making up for the extra player but Thackley were facing a team boosted with the confidence of a lead that they would fight to retain. Disaster number two was soon to follow when Hall, who had already grabbed the referee’s attention, scythed through a Handsworth player, an act worsened by the furore that their players generated. Once again, the referee saw no alternative but to send Hall from the field, leaving Thackley down to nine players and, at this stage, completely dispirited. Muller was replaced by Hines to try and make an impact in front of goal. With such a disparate line-up it was no real surprise that Howarth capitalised by adding two more goals to his tally leaving a distorted final score line.

Thackley: Wilson, Hargreaves, Hunter, Whiteley, Basi, White, Rothel (Hall 55 mins), Boote, Muller (Hines 79 mins) , Grech-Brooksbank (Sibanda 63 mins), Normanton. Subs not used: Murphy, Poole, King.

Handsworth: Townsend, Smith, Thornton, Mitchell, Varley, Kay, Howarth, Austin, Francis, Seth, Grant. Subs: Hobson, Wilson, Shaw, White, Dodsworth.

Referee: Paul Roots.

Attendance 85.

Photo: (by Robert Leal Photography) Paul Whiteley hits the post early in the second half with the score still 1-1.