Leyton Pennant1

Mildenhall Town 2 (aet)

(FA Vase Third Round)THE LILYWHITES bowed out of the Vase on Saturday thanks to a combination of injuries, suspensions and bad luck.

With Matt Waldron and Jay Notley suspended and Jermain Hughes injured, Manager Colin Richards was down to the bare bones of his squad.

And his depleted side started in the worst possible way, when virtually from the kick off David Bastian gave the ball away on the halfway line. Adrian Salmon latched on to the free ball and raced for the gap in the defence. On reaching the penalty area, he swung the ball over to find Rob Allis on the penalty spot with the easiest of chances to slot home under Russell Ling.

Pennant slowly began to take the match to the visitors, with their play around the area beginning to give the Mildenhall defence some problems, but despite efforts from Paul Tresadern and Scott DeGaris the home side could not find a way through.

And injuries to Tresadern and Carl Brown just before the break forced Richards into two early changes and it was substitute Cyril Baffour who went the closest before the interval with a rasping shot from just inside the area, which cannoned off the bar.

Pennants luck didn't change in the second half, as within five minutes of the restart keeper Ling had to go off after his head clashed with a Mildenhall players boot.

Realising that the best form of defence is attack, the home side went on to dominate the whole of the second half.

But it took until the 87th minute for the home side to find an equaliser, when DeGaris picked up another poor Mildenhall clearance and slammed the ball into the back of the net from 30 yards, forcing the tie into extra time.

But it was soon evident that it wasn't going to be Pennants night when another shot from Baffour came back off the crossbar in the early stages of extra time.

And confirmation eventually arrived in the second period when Vinnie Long capitalised on a play which involved three of his team appearing to be in an offside position, to score from close range.

f=Helvetica f=b s=6PENNANT: Ling, Timms, Bastian, Milton, Tickner, Campbell, DeGaris, Tilley, Cove, Tresadern, Brown. Subs: Baffour, Barnes, Hughes, Richards and Davis.Leyton, Orient Ladies and Debden