Lancaster City heading for FA Cup replay after draw with Stalybridge Celtic

Lancaster City’s latest draw means that they will have to add another fixture to their already busy September schedule

Their Emirates FA Cup First Qualifying Round match at Stalybridge Celtic finished 0-0, so they will now have to play them again at the Giant Axe on Tuesday night to decide the winner.

City had a really strong first 45 minutes, in which they had several opportunities to take the lead, with the likes of Dom Lawson looking dangerous again and forcing saves from Celtic ‘keeper Greg Hall.

However, as has been the case so many times this season, they were unable to find the back of the net.

Jamie Mellen, Lancaster City’s player of the month for August, suffered a worrying injury just before half time when he dislocated his shoulder after heading the ball.

He was taken to a hospital in Manchester straight after he was substituted off at the break, but was discharged a few hours later.

Charlie Bailey was also forced off through injury with only about 30 minutes on the clock. 

Stalybridge came into the game a little bit more after the break, but the Dollies still had plenty of opportunities, most of which were from set pieces, to make a breakthrough.

One of Celtic’s best chances of the match fell to Kyle Harrison who saw his header go just past the post with around ten minutes left to play.

Dale Whitham was Lancaster City’s man of the match, helping to create many chances for the side with lots of good passes and movement.

Once again, it was another frustrating match for Mark Fell and his players, all the more so given that its outcome means they will have to play an additional game, the replay this coming Tuesday, on top of a hectic run of league fixtures in the coming weeks.

The replay will mean that City’s Northern Premier League Premier Division game against Marske United, originally scheduled for Tuesday, is off.

Mark Fell, speaking to the club website after the draw with the Celts, said he couldn’t believe that the game finished 0-0.

“We had really good chances in the first half, we were a little bit wasteful in front of goal but we’re creating (chances)," he said.

"How we haven’t come in (at half time) 2-0 or 3-0 up, I’ve no idea.”

Fell says he is “heartbroken” for Jamie Mellen – his and Charlie Bailey’s injuries meant that he had to “put people in places we didn’t want to put them and play players who probably shouldn’t have played” for the rest of the game.

The gaffer praised the away support, saying it was “the best (they’ve had) all season” and hopes the fans will get behind them again at the Giant Axe on Tuesday night.

Looking ahead to that game, Fell predicts the game could become stretched and scrappy, so the Dolly Blues must take their chances in order to progress to the second qualifying round.