Emirates FA Cup
Penistone Church 3-2 Whitby Town
Penistone Church striker Andy Ring has scored countless historic goals during his career
Andy Ring, it had to be him. The evergreen striker grabbed the headlines again by scoring the sensational injury-time winner as ten man Penistone Church pulled off the impossible by beating Evo Stik giants Whitby Town.
In all of Church’s ‘biggest game in their history’ during 2017, Ring has made a leading role – most notably in the play-off final victory at Grimsby Borough.
The latest heroics saw him come off the bench to secure Church’s latest historic victory which places them in the second qualifying round and secures more vital prize money.
Ring’s header sparked scenes of jubilation which included Church’s mascot – a penguin – waddling down the touchline punching the air.
The remarkable factor in Church’s victory, which must rank as the shock of the round in the entire country, is that they played with ten men for the majority of the game as captain Danny Howes was sent off following a rash challenge when Whitby had just taken the lead through Luke Bytheway.
Whitby must have thought the job was done. They were mistaken as the returning Tom Brennan equalised with a close range header from a Church corner.
Brennan would then score an own goal, but his brilliant centre-half partner Brett Lovell bailed him out by leaping like a salmon to equalise on the stroke of half-time.
It could have gone either way in the second half, but it was left to Ring to pounce after the Whitby goalkeeper had spilled a corner.
The man who has scored countless historic goals – including the one that sent a Stocksbridge team, which included Jamie Vardy, up in 2009 – was never going to miss from close range.