Extra Time...Without Andy Davies!

WHERE do you start in trying to write about a game which was as incident packed as any game you're likely to see at any standard this season?
The stage was set for a fantastic game and it didn't disappoint. There were great goals, frantic scrambles, woodwork struck, penalty claims and even a red card for myself (more on that later).
At the time it was hard to digest it all with everything that went on at Bala on Saturday but looking back now I think it was an excellent performance by ourselves and once more showed the huge amount of character we possess as a squad.
2-0 down inside ten minutes was a nightmare start but amazingly I don't think alarm bells started ringing. We didn't panic and instead played our way back into the game keeping the ball and working them all over the pitch.
Looking back I don't think the sending off of their player helped us. Had he not handballed Houlty's fine effort we would have pulled a goal back and we were already beginning to get on top. Instead we missed the penalty and from then on there was a fear that it wasn't the last time the referee would reach for his back pocket.
I've waited to see the highlights of the game before writing so and even after watching them I'm still unsure about the tackle where Fisher-Cooke was sent off. At the time I looked at it and thought "he's in trouble here". I think it was a poor tackle and was certainly late but it was a cup tie that had plenty of similar challenges.
I thought it was a maybe a booking and you'd think it would have been considering the action the referee took against our goalkeeper for his 'challenge'.
Ten against ten, still keeping the ball well, creating chances, we get the equaliser and its just now a case of keeping our cool and we'll win it in extra time.
Oh dear....
I've apologised to the manager and the team for my actions in getting sent off, I reacted when I shouldn't have in raising my hands and for that I had to go. No excuses, it was stupid.
The amount of contact I made or what went on before I reacted is irrelevant, as soon as I raised my hands I gave the referee the opportunity to send me off.
Nine against ten we played with so much effort and desire to win I felt it was only right that we should win the shoot-out. The chances we created during the game should maybe have seen us win in normal time and we certainly paid the price for a terrible start.

We now go to Gresford in the next round which is a decent draw for us although as we've seen, teams who were playing against us in the league last year now see us as a giant killing opportunity.
Its our job to show the same amount of ability, character and desire to show why we're in the top league in Welsh football, mixing it with the giants.