Bognor back from brink to beat South Park in FA Cup shootout

Keaton Wood on the ball at South Park - he scored the goal that took it to penalties / Pictures: Trevor Staff / Lyn Phillips

Great goals from Jordy Mongoy and Keaton Wood drew the scores level after a poor first half against their lower-division rivals. Bradley Lethbridge scored the winning penalty to put the Rocks in the hat for the next round of the draw.

Bognor travelled to South Park side for the first time and their starting XI was unchanged.

The hosts scored after just six minutes. Amadou Tangara's pass out was straight to Lalor Dell, who rounded his defender before shooting low into an empty net to give the hosts the lead.

Bognor had a great opportunity as Sam Dowridge was set through one on one with the goalkeeper following a pass by Ben Mendoza but he was blocked by the keeper.

Joe Cook did well to burst forward and shoot on 34 minutes but it took a deflection and didn't trouble the goalkeeper.

Mongoy was set through by Mendoza but he blasted it high and wide on the turn inside the box on 36 minutes.

Bognor leaked another goal as an error at the back by Harvey Whyte allowed Nasim Dukali in and chipped it into the net on 37 minutes.

Tommy Leigh curled a free kick into the side netting on 43 minutes.

Bognor ended a very lethargic half two goals down and improvements were needed for the restart. Whyte had words with the referee about a strong challenge on Ethan Robb that had gone unchallenged.

HT 2-0

Bognor got a goal back on 59 minutes as Mongoy pulled out a fantastic drive from outside the area - game on.

Calls for a penalty were ignored soon after that as Bognor pressed with that first goal giving them a bit of a lift.

Leigh hit one from long distance and forced a great save from the goalkeeper on 65 minutes.

Lethbridge came on for the Rocks on 72 minutes for Alfie Stanley in Bognor's last change.

Bognor were level with 11 minutes left as a free-kick led to a cross from Lethbridge that was headed in by Keaton Wood.

A corner kick flew in and bounced fortunately to Okai who spun it narrowly over the bar on 83 minutes when he really should have committed Tangara into a save.

Both sides had late chances but it went to a shootout, with no extra time in the early rounds of the Cup this year.

Tommy Leigh stepped up first. He smashed it high in off the bar to score. Then Bas Savage stepped up for South Park and he tucked it low beyond Tangara.

Mongoy sent the goalkeeper the wrong way and scored. Lalor Dell hit his penalty high and Tangara got something to it but didn’t stop it from going in.

Dowridge made the walk to the spot next. He netted with a curling strike. Collins was next but Tangara saved it confidently to give Bognor the advantage.

Flannigan stepped up next but the goalkeeper saved his attempt - then Josh Owen sent Tangara the wrong way but clattered the bar. Lethbridge had the next penalty and he put it beyond the goalkeeper to send Bognor into the next round.

Bognor next visit Haringey Borough in league action on Saturday.

Rocks: Tangara, Whyte, Davies, Robb (A Leigh 55), Cook, Wood, Dowridge, Mendoza (Flannigan 55), Mongoy, T Leigh, Stanley (Lethbridge 79). Sub’s not used: Lis, Rowe, Stone, Baker.