Andover 2

Taunton Town 4

CFL sponsored Andover's dream of winning the Carlsberg FA Vase this season ended before it really started at The Portway last Saturday as they crashed out to trophy holders Taunton Town in a cracking second round tie that would have proved to be a worthy final with six goals, a missed penalty, one player sent off and two others carried off.

Unlucky to be trailing 2-0 at the break, it was the stuff of dreams as a depleted Lions made a remarkable recovery in the second half of a memorable game that will long live in the memory for all the wrong reasons as the town side managed to shoot themselves in the foot not just once but on three occasions.

Billed as 'the tie of the round', Ken Cunningham Brown's JWL champions were down to 10 men within half an hour after Vince Rusher's indiscipline resulted in the striker being sent off for two silly bookings; Shaun Dyke then ballooned a first-half penalty so high over the crossbar that one wondered whether he was playing the 15-a-side game instead of 11-a-side and finally 'keeper Keiron Drake gifted Taunton their fourth goal with another of his kamikaze clearances.

Rusher's dismissal ultimately cost the Lions the game but they have won with 10 men on three other occasions this season and were confident of doing so again. They almost pulled it off with a gutsy second-half half fight back that was full of character, hauling themselves back into the game with two glorious goals from Andy Forbes and Lloyd Webber, but they were level for only two minutes as Taunton swept orward to regain the lead and then wrapped up the tie with the calamitous fourth goal.

Taunton won the trophy for the first time last season after an incredible sequence that saw them losing 18 successive cup finals - including two in the FA Vase - but if the Screwfix Direct Western League premier pace setters go on to repeat that triumph at Villa Park they are unlikely to have a tougher ride.

They lost midfielder Derek Fields and defender Paul West in the first half hour with bad ankle injures but Rusher's sending off on his return to the side after missing the previous two games through injury was probably the key moment, yet his fiery nature is part of his make up and without it he would probably not be half the player he is at the moment.

His first yellow card came after 20 minutes when he went looking of a bit of 'afters' after conceding a free kick and he got a verbal warning from the referee before he got his marching orders from Abingdon official Mr S Phipps after a second yellow card for throwing the ball 'in the direction of an opponent' during a lengthy stoppage.

Rusher will claim that there was no malicious intent in either incident but at times it seems that he is his own worst enemy and his dismissal certainly upset his manager.

"Vinnie lost the plot by getting sent off and he not only let himself down but whole team down," said a disappointed KCB. "We fought back brilliantly despite being a player down and if we had11 players on the pitch for the whole game I think we would have won. It's very disappointing not only for the players but also the fans."

The Lions were already a goal down when Rusher was shown the red card with a combative and well-organised Taunton side having gone ahead after just five minutes through Leon Hapgood following a rare mistake by Andover defender Glen Damen when he failed to clear a low ball into the area from the right from former Torquay striker Ellis Laight. Taunton's wide men were given great service throughout and the visitors added a fine second goal after 35 minutes from one of midfielder Tom Kelly's stunning cross field passes with substitute Andy Sargeant the quicker to re-act when Laight's 25-yard thunderbolt had cannoned off the underside of the crossbar.

Andover however could claim they were unlucky to be behind as their 10-men often played the better football and should have halved the deficit shortly after Taunton scored their second goal when the outstanding Webber was sent tumbling in the box after another excellent attack on the right.

Perhaps, he should have taken the resulting spot kick himself but with Rusher the regular penalty taker it was left to Dyke but the winger must have thought he was playing at Twickenham as he sent his shot yards high over the crossbar - a miss that the Lions would come to rue in the second half.

Andover however deserve much credit for the way they came back to level the scores with two goals in five minutes shortly after KCB made his first substitution by bringing on Dave Asker for Alan Kennedy.

Damen made amends for his early error with a perfect through ball for Forbes to score his 10th goal from his last six games with the coolest of lobs, despite the close attentions of his marker and the tightest of angles, after 63 minutes.

Four minutes later the Lions were level through the Herculean Webber who played the most delightful of wall passes off Asker before running on strongly and producing a thunderous finish for the equaliser.

It's said that a side is most vunerable immediately after scoring and Taunton proved the point as they took only two minutes to regain the lead with their strikers outnumbering the home defenders when Paul Edwards crossed low from the right for Ian Bastow to sweep the ball home from close range.

Admittedly Drake had kept the Lions in the game with an outstanding reflex save moments before Webber's equaliser but it was a pity that they could not remain on level terms for another five minutes as they clearly had Taunton rocking.

It might have resulted in another memorable Andover victory at Fortress Portway but it was game over after Sargeant slotted his second and Taunton's fourth goal of the game into an empty net with seven minutes left after Drake made a hash of his clearance kick deep in the left-hand corner.

Andover (4-4-2): Drake; Freeman, Barker, Damen, Bicknell; Kennedy, Webber, Walsh, Dyke; Forbes, Rusher. Subs: Asker (for Kennedy 60 mins), Crossley (for Freeman 75 mins), Mattingley (for Bicknell 75 mins).