Just three wins from a final at the legendary Wembley Stadium, Sheffield non-league side Hallam FC were knocked out of the FA Vase by Lincoln United on Saturday afternoon.
A season-high 1,287 people made their way to Sandygate, the oldest football stadium in the world, in Crosspool, for the tie.
The first real chance of the game fell to Hallam’s Brandon Bradbury, who spotted the Lincoln goalkeeper off his line and attempted an audacious long-range shot. The keeper was well beaten, but the effort floated just wide.
In the end, it was Lincoln who broke the deadlock after a cagey first half hour, with striker Jake Park stabbing the ball home after a low driven cross into the box.
Hallam grew into the game after going behind, and their pressure paid off shortly after half time. Brandon Bradbury’s shot was spilled by goalkeeper Jack Steggles, and Basile Zottos pounced on the rebound to equalise.
Hallam had several opportunities to take the lead not long afterwards – forward Iren Wilson’s header floated just over the bar, while it took a last-ditch clearance to deny Hallam after a goalmouth scramble.
Despite continued pressure from the home side, they were not level for long, as Lincoln were awarded a penalty less than ten minutes later. Midfielder Tobias Liversidge sent Hallam’s Hugo Warhurst the wrong way, stroking the ball into the net to restore Lincoln’s lead.
The setback did not seem to deter Hallam, however, who continued to put pressure on the Lincoln goal in search of a second leveller. Seven minutes from time, Wilson was brought down in the penalty area, and Lincoln’s Mitch Griffiths was shown a red card for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity.
Danny Buttle stepped up to the spot, smashed the ball into the bottom corner and sent a packed Sandygate into raptures.
Despite being a man down, Lincoln defended well in the final ten minutes, and a tense hush came over the ground when the referee’s whistle signalled that the game would be decided by a penalty shootout.
Both teams scored their first five penalties without much trouble, but a good save from Steggles denied Bradbury and sent Lincoln United into the quarter finals.
This season’s run to the last 16 of the FA Vase, a national knockout tournament for teams in the ninth and tenth tiers of English football, was the longest in Hallam’s history.
