MATTY BROWN admits he would be lying if he said he wasn’t excited by a possible trip to Wembley after scoring the decisive penalty to send FC Halifax through to the FA Trophy semi-finals.
The Shaymen’s quarter-final replay at Gateshead ended 3-3 after extra time before defender Brown struck the decisive penalty to give his side a 5-4 shootout victory.
Halifax’s Kingsley James had equalised Josh Gillies’ early opener for Gateshead before Ryan Bowman looked to have sent the Heed through.
Connor Hughes, however, popped up with a last minute leveller and Shaquille McDonald put them 3-2 up early into the added 30 minutes before Gillies’ second sent it to penalties.
It means Jim Harvey’s side will now face Evo-Stik NPL Premier outfit Nantwich Town in the two-legged semi-final with a place at Wembley against either Bognor Regis Town or Grimsby Town at stake.
Match winner Brown told the club’s website: “It was a frantic start, we’ve conceded early but we’ve come back. We got ourselves in front but they’ve equalised so you’d think the momentum was with them.
“You’ve just got to man up in penalty shootouts and be brave and fortunately tonight it’s gone in for me and we’re now one step closer to Wembley.
“You’re lying if you’re saying you’re not (excited by Wembley). We’ve got a tough task ahead of us against Nantwich but what bigger incentive do we need?”
Boss Harvey added: “It was an incredible night the way it panned out. The attitude and commitment of the boys was magnificent.
“It all came down to Matty who had sent a few into the car park when we were practicing on Tuesday night! He was brave enough and it was a top penalty to send us through.
“There was a lot at stake and both clubs but a real stern effort in. A few of the boys were feeling a wee bit of tension and that’s something we’ll talk about and look to overcome.
“We’ll have to suss Nantwich out. They are a couple of leagues below but they’ve had a good season and some really good results.”
