CHRISTCHURCH FC are still reeling from a momentous weekend, having overcome the odds to reach the third qualifying round of the FA Cup for the first time in their history.
Ollie Cherrett’s men faced a Gloucester City side, who play three divisions above Christchurch FC in the National League North division.
He said: "The game itself, we were under no illusion that it would be a straightforward match. They are a very very good side, so we had to soak up a lot of pressure.
"Going in at half-time knowing that we had kept a clean sheet in the first half gave us the belief that we could hold into that."
- Christchurch pull off Gloucester City giant-killing to make history in FA Cup
- Christchurch to face Dulwich Hamlet in FA Cup
- Christchurch bid to make club history in FA Cup today
Having taken the lead at the hour mark through Max Wilcock’s finish, the Hurn Bridge outfit were pegged back to 1-1 after a stoppage time equaliser took the game to a penalty shootout.
"We knew that, as long as we stayed in the game, we would get one good opportunity and luckily it fell to Max (Wilcock) who put us in front," said Ollie.
He added: "Having that one nil advantage meant that we had something to hold onto but speaking to the other coaching staff, we were worried that we had scored too early.
"To be fair to Gloucester, they threw everything at us but we managed to soak most of it up thanks to captain Billy Walker who organised our defence superbly.
"As deflating as it was, we knew we were still in the game so we picked ourselves and went again. We also knew if we could push the to penalties, then its anyone's guess."
🏆 | WHAT A SAVE!
— TBTVSport 🎥⚽️ (@TBTVSport) October 3, 2020
Here you go - the winning penalty save by @gunstone98 which saw @ChristchurchFC_ go through 6-5 against @GCAFCofficial
Now, leave me alone - I’ve got a lot of work to do!@OCherrett @wayne_smith1 @MickRyanCFC47 pic.twitter.com/RJhOMAgqVI
Having converted six successful penalties, keeper Lewis Gunstone-Gray made the crucial save to send the home crowd into bedlam.
Manager Ollie Cherrett said: "Credit has to go to all the six penalty takers who kept calm under the pressure and hit the target with all their penalties which is all you can ask.
"Louis made an unbelievable save for their sixth penalty and the pandemonium began.
“We are hoping to use last week’s games as inspiration going forward and hopefully, we can carry on that momentum."
Christchurch FC will now play at home to South London side Dulwich Hamlet FC in the 3rd qualifying round of the Emirates FA Cup, which will played on Tuesday October 13 at 7.45pm.
Ollie added: “We are in heaven right now, it was a history making day for the club.
“The support that we have at Hurn Bridge was unbelievable. The lads stayed behind and drank at the clubhouse until we were thrown out at 10pm.
“We have received a lot of messages from the Wessex League and other local clubs congratulating us which has been great and the excitement for the next round is building.
“We had around 270 people at the game which was only attended by home supported crowd. I want to thank them all for coming along and supporting team and hopefully they got as much enjoyment out of the win as we did.
“We want to thank our sponsors as well because without these local companies, we wouldn’t be able to play.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel