Emirates FA Cup
Bridlington Town 1-1 Harrogate Town
Joel Sutton’s goal helped Bridlington nearly cause a major FA Cup upset
Underdogs Bridlington Town were just minutes away from an unbelievable victory until Joe Leeson spared Harrogate’s blushes.
Joel Sutton’s first half strike was sending Bridlington through to the third qualifying round until Leeson booked a replay back at the CNG Stadium for Tuesday,
Sutton’s calm finish in the 19th minute set up the grandstand finish of Town desperately trying to avoid a cup upset of epic proportion.
Harrogate had tested Brid goalkeeper James Hitchcock in quick succession prior to the equaliser, including a Simon Ainge header that seemed destined for the bottom corner.
Eventually the pressure told when Leesley rammed the ball home through a sea of bodies.
Even then the drama wasn’t over. Bridlington’s talismanic captain Tom Fleming thought he had won it for the underdogs until Lewis Turner raced back to clear the effort off-the-line.
Brid also had Will Wauby sent off during injury-time for an alleged elbow on Harrogate’s Wayne Brooksby.
The Teams
Harrogate Town: Crook, Turner, Colbeck, Burrell, Ainge, Shiels (Ellis 36), Platt, Thanoj (Brooksby 45), Robertson (Emmett 70), Pittman, Leesley.
Bridlington Town: Hitchcock, Lewis, Waudby, Taylor, Nicholls, Jenkinson, Kirk, Flaming, Chambers (Agnew 66), Sutton, Adams (Thompson 90). Subs unused: Allanson, Norfolk, Bedford, Whittingham, Harman.