ACCORDING to Wisbech Town goalkeeper Lea Jordan, both Stuart Cobb and Dan Newman forced the ball over the line - yet neither ‘goal’ counted, when St Ives Town bowed out of the FA Vase on a cold, wet and windy night in the Fens.

Saints joint manager Jez Hall told The Hunts Post he had talked to the officials and the Wisbech goalkeeper after the game, and that Jordan had admitted: “There were two balls at least over the line.”

St Ives were 2-1 down when the 63rd-minute incident occurred. Pressure on the Wisbech goal had been growing and Stuart Cobb and Newman both thought they had scored with headers during a 30-second goalmouth scramble. But, while St Ives players’ and fans’ celebrations turned into appeals - it became obvious that the officials weren’t impressed - and the game continued.

“It was in by a long way,” said Hall. “We were just talking to the officials and the goalkeeper said there were two balls at least over the line ... if not three.

“He actually said the ball went over the line twice. The first one went over and he dragged it back - and the other one has gone in and it was like a yard over.”

This was a replay of course. Wisbech had been the better team at Westwood Road on Saturday when the first attempt at the second round game had lasted 120 minutes and finished 2-2.

It was Wisbech again who were on top for the first half at the Fenland Stadium with Deakan Napier and Dubi Ogbonna scoring an excellent goal each before the classy David Cobb struck a Lee Ellison chest-back with his left foot in the 45th minute and the ball flew in like an arrow for 2-1.

As in the first leg, Niall Conroy made several brilliant saves, while St Ives kept the pressure on the Wisbech goal with David Cobb and Karl Gibbs working hard up front.

In the first half Jordan had touched a Will Fordham free kick around his post, and David Coob and Gibbs hit the Wisbech woodwork inside a minute, while Gibbs should have gone closer in the second half with a header that looped over and wide after ‘the goals that weren’t’.

“Conroy even came up for an 11-man assault on the Wisbech goal for a last-minute free kick - but it wasn’t to be.

“Our performance for the last hour at least deserved to get us through,” said Hall. “All that talk about them being the better team on a good pitch, I think they know now that is a lot of nonsense.

“It’s disappointing because our performance deserved more than that.

“As I said before, this game should have been in the latter rounds of the competition.

“I think we did enough to deserve extra time or to have gone through tonight - but then again maybe we were lucky to come to a replay.

“I am really proud of how we played and if we play like that all season we will probably walk away with the UCL title.”

St Ives: Niall Conroy, Jordan Lambert, Jamie Alsop, Dan Newman, Will Fordham, Jimmy Dean, David Cobb, Lee Ellison, Stuart Cobb (Junior McDougald), Karl Gibbs, Jon Stead.