St.Andrews 4-3 Nirankari Sports (after extra time)
The FA Carlsberg Sunday Cup
Third Round
Sunday 25th November
White Lion Ground, Edgware Town FC


St Andrews' hopes of an Anfield date in April are still intact after an extraordinary Third Round tie at Edgware yesterday afternoon. There was no score after an hour - but then there were seven goals, two penalties and two red cards, as the plucky Middlesex side made it into the last 16 of The FA Sunday Cup.

The Saints had been a minute away from the exit door in the last round and found themselves under the cosh in the first half yesterday. Nirankari Sports, from Stevenage in Hertfordshire, included players who had featured in Hitchin Town's FA Trophy tie on Saturday and they made all the early running.

Midfielder Ben L'Honore sent in some hefty left-footers to keep Saints keeper Mark Jessop on his toes and one corner from the right bounced on top of the bar.

Saints' outlet in attack was Aaron McLeish, who had played on the left wing against Moat but was now using his pace and trickery to good effect down the middle. One left-footer on the run had Ed Windsor scampering across to pluck the ball out of the air, but chances were few and far between as the visitors looked the more solid outfit in that first period.

The second half was immediately a closer affair and Saints took a 61st- minute lead with an odd goal. McLeish burst into the box and was left prostrate on the ground after being tackled. The Sports defence dithered, when the obvious course was to hit the ball into touch so that the injured player could receive treatment. Instead the ball was swiftly slipped across for Dan McGonnigle to tap in.

Sports' skipper Ricky Case, who had instigated most of their best moves up to that point, sprinted clear down the left and chipped the 'keeper to level things up on 74 minutes.

Then Craig Tomkins, the hat-trick hero of the last round, put the home side ahead again a minute later. The substitute had only been on the field for eight minutes when he rode Windsor's challenge to calmly slot the ball between two defenders on the line.

Saints were only five minutes away from January's Fourth Round when Sports' Scott Orphandu had his run into the box blocked by a defender and referee Peter Smith indicated a spot-kick. L'Honore shot low into the right-hand corner and at 2-2 the tie went into the extra half-hour. Two minutes from the end of normal time David Iwediuno was red-carded, apparently for a comment directed towards one of the assistant referees.

Most of the drama was reserved for extra-time. Orphandu gave Sports a disputed 3-2 lead after knocking the ball down with his hand on 106 minutes and Paul Killick thumped in a penalty to equalise after Tomkins had been shoved as he stretched for a high ball to the far post three minutes later.

Right at the end, substitute Dean Sylvester netted a Saints winner from close range and team-mate James Lynskey was dismissed for violent conduct.