Lightning rarely strikes twice in football, but when, on Saturday Will Hoskins scored an injury time goal to give Bristol Rovers a late, late, 1-0 victory at Huddersfield....the odds on him doing exactly the same thing, just three days later, would have been huge...but that's exactly what Will did!
In truth, this was a thrilling, end to end cup tie....
It could easily have gone either way! That a much changed, almost reserve looking Shots side, with a completely untried defence, were able to match higher division opponents -playing their strongest side - for more than an hour of this cup-tie, was testimony to the depth of the squad that manager Kevin Dillon has assembled this season.
The cynics will point to another scoreless game - but the 133 Shots fans who were there will testify that our young braves played with guts, passion, honesty and even some style and but for the rub of the green could well have - and probably should have been taking their place in the 3rd Round of the Johnstones Paint Trophy!
Highlights for Shots, were a breathtaking array of saves in the second half by the outstanding Jamie Young, a encouraging display by "Fortress" Fortune, a prowling performance from Panther, a lively showing by Wade Small and an exciting full debut for Jermaine McGlashan on the right wing. Raw, but fiesty and as Dillon said in his post match interview, "every time he got on the ball something happened", a free-kick, a corner, a cross, or a penalty!
And the penalty it was, that turned out to be the pivotal moment of this match! McGlashan, marauding, jinking one way, then the other, was finally felled inside the box. With MMM confined to the subs bench, Shots fans wondered who would have the "guts" to step up.....and Gutts it was, only to be denied by the outstretched arms of Mikkel Anderson, who finally exacted revenge for failing to stop THAT Scott Davies' 95th minute winner down in Torquay!!
Rovers - buoyed by the save and buoyed by their fans, who finally came alive, began to knock on the door! Young was magnificent and surely - were a player of the season vote to be taken in October - would win it hands down! But hands up, it was, tipping them over one way, then the other, blocking, smothering - whatever it took to keep Akinde, Reece and Hoskins at bay.
However, Hoskins would have the final say! Whilst most in The Memorial Stadium were beginning to wonder which five of their team would line up to take the impending spot-kick of a penalty shoot-out, Hoskins had other ideas, launching himself at Reece's cross to somehow bundle the ball over the line! A knee, perhaps, maybe a shin....but oh, how Shots would take any kind of goal right now!
So, on to Oxford and back to League Two action it is! Be brave Shots fans, dare to believe that this squad has ability and depth and this team WILL come good....and soon! Jump on the train, book the Coach, fill up your cars (with people as well as fuel!), warm up your vocal chords and let's roar the lads on again at The Kassam on Saturday!