Not a game of two halves, more two different matches!
After getting a 0-0 draw away from home you would think that the Crows, with home advantage, should be the favourites to go through and face Sittingbourne away in the next round.
May be the crowd thought that, may be some of the home players felt that as well, you can never tell, however, no one told Dorking Wanderers that was the case and they duly won the game in emphatic style, 7-0.
The first half mirrored much of Saturday's game in that there were few chances, too many free kicks, a lot of huff and puff and no real quality. However, where a goal did not materialise at Westhumble, the away side took the lead on 7 minutes when a corner was only partially cleared to the edge of the area and Lloyd Jermy duly dispatched the ball in to the top corner of the net from 20 yards out.
The rest of the half turned in to a midfield stalemate and the shot which had given the Wanderers the lead was the only shot on target throughout the first half from either side. Thus going in to the break there was still all to play for but little did we know what the second half held in store for the watching spectators.
After 49 minutes the away side doubled their lead as an out swinging corner by Tolfrey was gleefully headed in to the net by Hackett who stole a lead on his marker and the power in the header gave Czanner in the Crows goal no chance. Therefore, the Crows are 2-0 down and will have to start chasing the game down.
The home side made some substitutions in an effort to get a foothold on the game, on 57 minutes Waterman came on for Ridley and on 60 minutes Treleaven came on for Butler and whilst this did give the home side a brief lift it did have the effect of dis-jointing the balance of the Crows side and the Wanderers were waiting to pounce on any mistake.
Unfortunately, mistakes did happen, largely due to the fact that the away side sensed blood and chased and harried the home players at every opportunity, never giving them space or time on the ball and therefore, quite often getting the ball back in dangerous areas of the pitch.
The next 18 minutes turned in to the Tom Tolfrey show as he scored four goals within those minutes, the first of them in the 69th minute, then further goals arrived in the 80, 83 and 87 minutes. All his goals were well taken and of varying degrees of difficulty but clinical he was, and even substitute Tuck, on for Coleman, managed to get in on the scoring act by putting a header away in the 84th minute.
Therefore, the Crows went from 2-0 down to 7-0 down within 18 minutes and after Saturday when we all waited in vain for a goal, they were now arriving like the proverbial London bus, one after the other. Referee Stacchini eventually but the Crows out of their misery and the final result is what it is, a 7-0 hammering and you just have to take these things on the chin some times.
You have to give credit to Dorking Wanderers on the night and say they were superb, especially the second half, with Beckles and Coleman exceptional in midfield and Hackett and Hill masterful in defence. Yes, the Crows did have rather an off night but that was largely due to the effort and desire of the Wanderers side.