Shootout blow for Daisy Hill as they lose Trophy clash

Liam Sheppard’s 32nd-minute equaliser cancelled out Liam Atkinson’s 12th-minute strike and neither side could find a winner during the 90 minutes.

Oscar White scored the decisive penalty, which despite being consigned to defeat, left manager Nicky Hunt positive with the performance.

“We had four key players missing today, so it was a chance for people to step up, and they did,” said Hunt.

“It was also pleasing to just get the cobwebs after three weeks of not playing, which was incredibly frustrating for us.

“Longridge are in the league above us for a reason, and before we played them, they were on an unbeaten run for seven games and you can see why.

“They were good on the ball, and they were good technically and well-drilled. They knew what they were doing, they’ve got some good individual players, and play a lot of attractive football.

“But we knew they had weaknesses, and I thought we did really well in getting our lads in behind them, they listened to the game plan well.

“Defensively, we were okay. We were hanging on a bit sometimes, but then at times it was like a basketball game, we attacked, they attacked, and it could have actually ended up 10-10 rather than 1-1.

“In previous games we haven’t started well at all, so before the game, I said to the lads, you’ve got to enjoy your football first and foremost. When you enjoy your football, you’re on the front foot, you’re pressing, you’re going to win that ball back and you attack like lightning because we’ve got pace in our front line.

“We did that in the first 10 or 15 minutes, we created a few chances and we caught them offside three or four times in the first few minutes and that’s what I wanted them to do.

“A bit of tiredness kicked in later in the second half, and Longridge took the game over for five or 10 minutes, but then we came back at it as well, and got a bit of energy back into our play.

“Ultimately, pens are pens, one team has to win, and unfortunately today it wasn’t us.

“Now we’ve got to focus on the league to go and try and salvage something from this season, and we need to crack on and up the ante now.

“We’ve just got to be on it now, and we need eights and nines out of 10s from players for the next games coming up, against Holker Old Boys and Droylsden this week.”

Longridge gained the lead 12 minutes into the tie as Luke Smith’s overhead effort was tipped onto the bar by Jude Smith only for the ball to fall to Atkinson who smashed the rebound home under Smith.

They nearly went two up when Leighton Hewitt fired a strike wide of Smith’s far post at the end of a well-worked counter-attack.

Only five minutes later, Sheppard equalised for the Cutters after he latched on to Declan Baldwin’s pass in behind and drove into the box to slot underneath Charlie Brier.

Sheppard had a chance to score his second of the match after he raced through on goal, but his shot was saved by Brier’s legs which kept the scores level at the break.

Nine minutes into the second half, Wright placed his header wide of the goal after a deflected cross found him free in the six-yard box.

With 78 minutes on the clock, Baldwin whipped in a corner and Dean Singleton rose highest, but his header flashed wide of the near post, setting up a penalty shootout.

Daisy took the first penalty as Sheppard stepped up, but saw his effort saved by Brier.

Atkinson stepped up for Longridge to put them ahead, but Smith guessed correctly and saved to keep the shootout level.

Jake O’Brien then scored the first penalty of the shootout as he dispatched his penalty into the bottom right corner, and this set off a sequence of the next 11 penalties of the shootout all being scored.

Daisy then had their eighth penalty saved as Brier dived down to his left which presented Longridge with a chance to win the tie.

They duly took this opportunity as Wright stepped up and sent Smith the wrong way, putting Longridge Town into the next round.