Gloucester City manager Daf Williams expressed pride in his team despite their narrow penalty shoot-out loss to Marine in the Isuzu FA Trophy on Saturday.
Marine started strong, applying early pressure on Gloucester’s defense. However, the Southern Premier League side stood firm. The breakthrough came in the 27th minute when Sion Spence capitalized on a set-piece move to score for the visitors, giving them the lead.
The first half ended with that single goal, and after the break, Gloucester continued to threaten despite Marine’s persistent attacks. Marine leveled the score in the 59th minute through a well-executed first-time finish by James Potter.
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The match took a challenging turn for Gloucester just minutes later when Ben Morgan received a red card for a late challenge, leaving them to play with ten men for over half an hour.
Displaying remarkable resilience, Gloucester pushed the match into penalties for the fourth time in the competition this season. During the shoot-out, both sides exchanged successful kicks until Ed Williams' miss gave Marine an advantage. Gloucester’s Jared Thompson saved a penalty, keeping their hopes alive until Marcus Day missed the decisive penalty, securing Marine’s progression.
Williams praised his team’s efforts, saying, “The lads were magnificent. It’s disappointing as I felt we deserved more given how we played, both with 11 men and then 10. Moving forward, we will focus on the league and aim to show the same qualities we displayed today.”
He added, “Marine are a tough side, playing well in the north, and the lads matched their toughness throughout. We had chances to extend our lead but didn’t convert, and after the red card, it became a real test. The team battled hard and were outstanding.”
Marine lineup: Barnsley, Brown, Anson, Wardle, Samuels-Smith, Whelan, Marsden, Fielding (McDonald 76), Sinclair-Smith, Thomas (Bell 61), Potter.
Gloucester City lineup: Thompson, Jones (Wildig 76), Morgan, O’Regan, Williams, Phillips (Baidoo 72), Spence, Hanks, Richards-Everton, Day, Emmett.