Horndean create FA Youth Cup history – despite playing with 10 men and no strikers for 80 minutes

The Deans handed Chippenham a 4-0 third qualifying round defeat at Five Heads Park on Tuesday.

It was the under-18s’ fourth win in the tournament this season, and the first time they had failed to score five goals after previous drubbings of Dorchester Town, Moneyfields and Portland United.

Lone striker Liam Brewer, whose goals helped Baffins Milton Rovers win the Hampshire Development U18 East title last term, fired the Deans into a third minute lead against Chippenham, but seven minutes later he was shown a straight red following a tackle.

Deans boss Dean Blamire called the dismissal a ‘dubious’ decision, adding: ‘Nine times out of 10 it would have been a yellow card.

‘It was frustrating, because it could have completely ruined and destroyed the evening.

‘But the boys dug deep and pulled it out of the bag. All the boys defended and marked for their lives - they were immense. That was the comment made by everyone there watching.

‘We played with four at the back and five in midfield (after the dismissal) - we had no strikers.

‘We just looked to get set-pieces and catch them on the counter attack. At set-pieces we flooded the box and they couldn’t cope with our power.’

Despite their numeral disadvantage, Horndean doubled their lead approaching half-time when centre half Tom Blamire, up for a corner, fired home.

After soaking up some second half pressure, it was 3-0 when Kai Powell, another centre half, headed home from a corner.

Isaac Bello added the fourth following a swift counter attack.

‘At 3-0 they wind had been taken out of their sails,’ Blamire said of Chippenham. ‘They didn’t offer a lot after that. Maybe they ran out of puff, but to win 4-0 playing with 10 men for 80 minutes was unbelievable. You don’t see games like that very often.’

Horndean will find out their first round opponents later today. This is the stage at which Portsmouth and the other 47 League One and League Two clubs enter the competition.