Ice-cool Kelly books Common's final place

SATURDAY's semi-final showdown at Main Road had just about everything - four goals, two penalties, eleven bookings and two sendings off.

After 90 minutes of high-octane football Common, who won the trophy in 2004, booked their place in this year's final; their opponents, though, are far from being decided.

A large, passionate crowd roared Common on from the start, but VT wasted no time in ripping up the script. They took the lead on 4 minutes when Gary Biddle muscled Andy Piller off the ball and unselfishly squared for James Thompson to slot into an empty net.

The pace and skill of Thompson and the guile and aerial power of Biddle gave the Common defence an uncomfortable time, and the visitors should really have gone two up on 32 minutes when Lewis Wyeth fired wide with a gaping goal at his mercy.

That proved the turning point. Five minutes later the referee was ideally placed to judge that Stuart Brown's trip on Dean Higgins was just inside the box, and Lee Kelly tucked away the resulting penalty.

Five minutes before half-time Common went ahead. Richard Lang seized onto a poor back-pass and although keeper Sam Webb parried his first shot, the delighted Lang gobbled up the rebound.

In the second half the tension ratcheted up another notch. With players from both sides tackling wildly and disputing decisions, the referee's notebook started to fill up.

Common sealed VT's fate on 59 minutes. Higgins pounced on another weak back-pass and waltzed round Webb, only for the despairing keeper to bring him down. The referee's response was a red card for Webb, and centre-back Stuart Brown took over in goal. His first job was to pick the ball out of the net, Kelly again keeping his cool to score from the spot.

That gave Common a huge advantage, but VT refused to capitulate and valiantly protected their makeshift keeper, who as a result hardly had a save to make.

The last eleven minutes were ten-a-side; Common's Gary Fulker was shown a second yellow card after a minor halfway-line flare-up.

But Common held out without undue alarms, with James Atterbury in commanding form in the centre of the defence. The better footballing side won, but they had to fight hard to earn the right to play their passing game.

After the game Common manager Nigel Light and VT boss Mick Marsh were both critical of referee Mr Thorne, who will have been up long into the night with his paperwork. But the players must shoulder much of the responsibility - too often they gave the man in black no choice but to resort to his notebook.

Common's opponents in the final will be one of Bentley Athletic, West Wight, Solent WTL and Yateley - whose appeal against their expulsion after February 4's fifth-round tie was due to be heard this week.