Hartley heartache (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Hartley heartache

9:00am Monday 30th August 2010 in

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HARTLEY Wintney suffered heartbreak on Saturday afternoon as visiting Whitehawk scored five minutes into injured to claim a FA Cup replay tomorrow night.

The home side from the Combined Counties League division one had looked set for another gaintkilling against their Ryman League South visitors, before Paul Armstrong’s late late strike made it 2-2.

In the last round, Hartley won at Moseley 2-0 and led by the same scoreline on Saturday at half-time thanks to great strikes from Mario Nurse and Simeon Howell.

Just two minutes after the break and Whitehawk had pulled a goal back from Jerahl Hughes, but from then on Hartley battled away, before suffering finale misery.

A near speechless Hartley boss Neville Roach said: “I don’t know what to say. I am devastated for the boys. I could not have asked for more from them. I just don’t know where the referee has got an extra five minutes from as there were no injuries in the whole of the game.”

Hartley now face a trip to Sussex tomorrow night and Roach added: “They feel like they have won today, so we know it is going to be tough game down there.”

The reward for the victors is a home tie with Maidstone United in the next round.

See Monday's Gazette for a full report