Bristol Manor Farm 2 Paulton Rovers 2 (6–7 on penalties)

Paulton beat Bristol Manor Farm after equalising in the 93 minute before winning a thrilling penalty shoot out 7–6.

Rovers made eight changes from Saturday’s 2–0 win at Bideford bringing in youth team players, 16-year-old Harley Prior at centre forward, 17-year-old Joe Paradise at centre half and 18-year-old Will Harvey on the left wing.

Harvey saw his fifth minute shot tipped onto the cross bar by former Paulton keeper, Ben John. 19-year-old Nathan Brown tried a curling shot a minute later, which also hit the cross bar.

Rovers could have had four goals in the first twenty minutes but for some resolute defending by the home side, with Leighton Thomas back for the visitors after missing the last four goals through injury.

Paulton went ahead after 33 minutes as Dave O’Hare played the ball to Thomas, whose shot was parried by John and Harvey was alert to quickly put the ball in the net.

Manor Farm came out more determined in the second half and the league’s leading scorer, Owen Howe, shot wide but on 55 minutes he was put through by Dean Stamp and he fired a fierce low shot past Rovers’ keeper, Aaron Sainsbury, to level.

Substitute Lee Ibrahim made a quick burst down the left and his low cross eluded Thomas.

That was costly, as Howe put his side ahead after 75 minutes as Mason Winter’s free-kick was punched out by Sainsbury under pressure and the striker struck the ball into the net.

With time running out, Paulton won a corner on the right taken by substitute Jake Sloggett, Sainsbury ran into the penalty area, rose with a clean header on target turned for a corner by John. Sloggett again angled a superb corner and as the ball was cleared, another sub, 19-year-old George Fowler caressed a low shot past John into the bottom corner of the goal.

So, to penalties, with the home side missing the first two through Howe and Stamp and Rovers converted through O’Hare and Thomas, then, with the hosts scoring the next two and Harvey and Fowler missing theirs, Ibrahim calmly tucked his shot home.

Paulton scored the next tour through Sloggett, Kyle Anderson, Adam Kelly and Captain Nuno Felix.

Manor Farm substitute Sam Boulton blasted over the bar and Rovers won the penalty lottery 7–6 to go into the second Round of the Southern League

Challenge Cup.

Tony Walsh