Click here to listen to Glenn’s post-match reaction.

 

Kenny Clark’s sizzling 92nd-minute volley put City into Sunday’s First Round Proper draw alongside their Gloucester City opponents as the two sides battled out a stalemate at Melbourne, with the visitors on the brink of winning through courtesy of Will Morford’s strike right on half time.

 

The central defender, who acted as a makeshift striker with the Clarets searching desperately for a late leveller, classily diverted Cliff Akurang’s cross beyond helpless visiting goalkeeper Lewis Carey and powerfully into the top corner in injury time. It ensured his side earned a Tuesday replay and a place in the draw with the Football League One and Two teams in the live FA Cup draw at 1:30pm on ITV1.

 

His Manager, Glenn Pennyfather, felt Chelmsford warranted something from a game which was difficult to watch at times, but was always highly competitive. He said: “All in all I think Gloucester came here to defend well and, in fairness, they did that and laid their bodies on the line, which you’d expect. They’re a tough side and their position in their league belies what they’re about. They made it ugly for us.”

 

“It was a niggly game with no real passages of play and it seemed to be broken up a lot so there was no real tempo to the game. It was littered with free kicks and throw-ins and corners and there was a wind swirling around. But we threw Kenny up for the last five minutes. I told him to go forward because we needed to get the ball forward early and he adds his strength and height to things, and it paid rewards.”

 

The unchanged Clarets are benefiting from a settled side - this was their eleventh game unbeaten - and they could hardly have dreamt of a better start when they won a penalty on 4 minutes. Kezie Ibe and Mike Green stretched for a ball and the defender’s follow-through knocked Ibe to the ground but, from the resulting spot kick, goalkeeper Lewis Carey brilliantly pushed Sam Corcoran’s effort onto the post and away.

 

This knocked the hosts off their early stride temporarily, with skipper Tom Webb half-volleying well over and custodian Stuart Searle having to make a decent stop at the other end too, but Pennyfather’s side were still a threat. Akurang outmuscled and turned a defender to shoot low at Carey and a bouncing ball in the Gloucester area was also headed narrowly over the crossbar by Greg Morgan.

 

Yet Chelmsford were let off the hook on 14 minutes when Morford was sent through on goal only to carve frustratingly low and wide of the advancing Searle’s goal from a few yards. Max Cornhill fired well over for the Clarets, as did former player Matthew Lock for his new employers, with the match warming towards a first-half crescendo.

 

Neat work from Ricky Modeste on the right was helped towards goal by Ibe nearby, then Akurang further along the line but, when Carey spilled into Morgan’s path, the midfielder couldn’t quite reach the 34th-minute loose ball in time to convert. Shortly afterwards, Darren Mullings was allowed to keep the ball in play on the goal line and cross into the box where Chelmsford’s Adam Tann had to make a vital headed clearance.

 

Aiden Palmer dropped a free kick just wide of a Gloucester upright with four minutes left, as did Lock in injury time. Though the visitors headed into the interval with an advantage after Morford put them in front in-between. A hopeful, high ball into the area was headed out only as far as the Tigers’ striker, who stuck out a toe from ten yards and watched as the ball hit one post then rolled across and inside the other.

 

Around the hour mark the Clarets made a double substitution - one enforced as Ben Nunn replaced the injured Justin Miller while Joe Benjamin also came on for Morgan, and there were few efforts of note until just beyond that point. Morford pulled the ball back from the right for Gloucester and Darren Edwards just missed out with a diving header. Benjamin and Akurang also went close for the home team.

 

With less than 20 minutes left, Chelmsford’s position became more urgent as Corcoran saw his long-range strike deflected a yard wide. A Palmer free kick landed on the roof of the net and his corner later on was pushed onto the post by Carey, Tann proving unable to force the rebound home with his back to goal. Those chances were either side of a Lock flag kick where Mullings flicked a Tigers header inches over.

 

Another Palmer dead ball was high of the target as time ticked away but Pennyfather had a trick left up his sleeve by switching Clark to striker in a last-ditch attempt to salvage the game. It paid off. Akurang progressed down the left flank and managed to pull the ball back to the young defender, who adjusted his body to fire emphatically past Carey into the roof of the net, sparking joyous celebrations around the ground.

 

Akurang was later dismissed for raising his arms, but Glenn preferred to reflect on the equaliser, adding: “Any striker would have been proud of that finish! It was a great punch volley and nothing more than we deserved. It’s no surprise that we’ve scored goals late. We’ve done it for the last few games, purely from the fact that we keep going and there’s this will, drive and enthusiasm for the boys to make sure we don’t lose.”

 

City:

 

1 Stuart Searle

2 Justin Miller

3 Aiden Palmer

4 Adam Tann (C)

5 Kenny Clark

6 Greg Morgan

7 Ricky Modeste

8 Sam Corcoran

9 Kezie Ibe

10 Max Cornhill

11 Cliff Akurang

 

12 Joe Benjamin (On for Morgan, 62)

14 Jermaine Brown

15 Mark Haines

16 Ben Nunn (On for Miller, 62)

17 Tyrone Scarlett

18 Warren Whitely

19 Ashley Harrison (GK)

 

Gloucester City: Lewis Carey, Mike Green, Tyler Weir, Matt Coupe, Tom Hamblin, Tom Webb (C), Matthew Lock, Darren Mullings, Darren Edwards, Will Morford, Adam Mann. Unused Substitutes: Sam Rawlings, Charlie Reece, Matt Rose, Ben Hunt, Jack Harris, Steve Davis, Neil Mustoe.

 

Bookings: Chelmsford: Modeste (27, dangerous play), Morgan (39, foul), Akurang (59, foul), Benjamin (74, foul), Corcoran (89, deliberate handball). Gloucester: Green (4, foul), Coupe (41, foul), Hamblin (61, foul), Edwards (76, foul).

 

Sent Off: Chelmsford: Akurang (90+6, violent conduct).

 

Referee: Benjamin Knight (Waterlooville).

 

Assistant Referees: Steven Rea (Uxbridge) and Stephen Woodison (Ashford).

 

Fourth Official: Steven Conway (Edgware).

 

Attendance: 928.

 

City Man of the Match: Kenny Clark.