City 3(Brunt 45m, Mann 51m, Smith 71m) v Lewes 0 Att 628 full time

Efete and Artus start. Rigg out.
15k to add to the 9k from the previous round.

Sean Rigg and Andy Watkins missing, both injured...

Only another £113K and we wipe out last year's loss.

I thought it was a close game for 44 minutes and we could well have been one down but for an outstanding save from Ryan Clarke.
The goal on half time changed things and second half it was virtually all one way. Two very good goals and could have been more.
Lewes stuck at it but well beaten in the end. Thought Jack Batten was outstanding and a little puzzled to Matt Cundy get man of match, although I think he has improved a lot since the start of the season.

Apologies to Robbie Cundy for calling him Matt.

Batten was my MOM too but others thought Cundy so can't disagree with it. Overall we were hardly troubled defensively except for a couple of times in the first half of our own making. But until we scored we were huffing and puffing and getting nowhere. 
Their manager thought the first goal changed the game and you can't disagree with that. There is simply no better time to score.
I thought overall there was a lack of urgency and hence penetration but Mann made a concerted effort to liven things up second half.
We still lack incisiveness in the final third and I would like to see more crosses coming in for a Brunt to work with. But we have goals all over the park which is standing us in good stead.

Good team performance so I thought hard to pick mom. Frankie really up for it. Some great ball winning by him and Smith.

What a second half Effete had! Mann my find of the season so far.

I think Frankie showed what we missed last week, and Tom Smith was so much more the player we had last season.

The first two goals both came at the right time and once it went to 2-0 there was only going to be one result.

MoM was a bit of a surprise but there were plenty of candidates. Have to agree with Steve Whites Missus about Mann who really deserved his goal.

Let’s hope for a kind draw in the next round.

Good game in the end. Really tight in the first half(Agreed, great save from Clark) But as stated, what a time to score; and the second half performance was fantastic. Batten was great, Mann is becoming a cult hero, and Tom Smith looked a lot more like his old self. Fair play to Lewes, their heads didn't go down, but there wasn't a lot more they could have done. I really want Mills to score though! Shame the linesman nicked that one off him at the death.

tovid wrote:Batten was my MOM too but others thought Cundy so can't disagree with it. Overall we were hardly troubled defensively except for a couple of times in the first half of our own making. But until we scored we were huffing and puffing and getting nowhere. 
Their manager thought the first goal changed the game and you can't disagree with that. There is simply no better time to score.
I thought overall there was a lack of urgency and hence penetration but Mann made a concerted effort to liven things up second half.
We still lack incisiveness in the final third and I would like to see more crosses coming in for a Brunt to work with. But we have goals all over the park which is standing us in good stead.

I have to agree - others wondered why a defender was given MOM.

Have to agree with all of this. Made really hard work of it first half and could have been 2-0 down but for Clarke's save and blocking of a shot after a stray back pass. We are suffering from injuries, players getting used to new positions, players not being match-fit and a few not quite being at their best. A better team than Lewes would have punished us as Welling did.

On the plus side, the new-look midfield is starting to gel, the defence were excellent and we are in the next round. Next Saturday is going to be a test though.

Marc Monitor wrote:A better team than Lewes would have punished us as Welling did.

Lewes had three players missing through suspension. The FA in their infinite wisdom have made booking in the FA cup apply only in the cup. Two bookings and you miss a game. Lewes players had accumulated bookings over earlier rounds.
If Mann had been booked he would have missed the next round.

I didn't know that. So is it like the World Cup with the slate wiped clean after a few rounds? We will need Mann at Anfield in January...

I believe it is wiped clean in the first round.

My MOTM was Batten, which is what I sent to the NLP. They changed it to Brunt. He must have some inside contacts.

tovid wrote:I believe it is wiped clean in the first round.

Seems very unfair if that was a player who had been booked four rounds earlier while a National League player would have just played through one.

I also don't get how Luke Purnell, sent off against Salisbury, was then banned for Weston's league match against Dartford rather than yesterday...when they had another player sent off.

Lewes had played six cup ties to face us so they were bound to pick up a ban or two, but it seems an odd ruling. Even more so when there has been enough confusion for years over ineligible player playing in the FA Cup.