IT IS extremely rare to see a goalkeeper scoring a goal – but Bracknell Town fans have now amazingly seen it happen twice in less than a month, writes Dave Wright.

However, while they were ecstatic when Mark Scott hammered home a free-kick in the league game with Westfield, there was despair all-around last Saturday when Luke Glover followed suit for Haywards Heath. For his 88th-minute goal earned his side a 2-1 win and knocked Robins out of the FA Trophy.

Bracknell News:

There was little to choose between these two Isthmian League clubs throughout the first-round tie played in testing conditions at Hanbury Stadium.

With Scott serving the last of his three-match suspension following his sending-off in the previous round against Coggeshall, manager Sam Lock recalled the dual-registered Sonny Wheeler from Windsor to take over between the posts.

Bracknell News:

Wheeler made an early save from Byron Napper, but Glover became the busier of the two goalies, punching away a corner from under his crossbar before getting up well to collect Robb Sheridan's header.

Just after the half-hour mark, Nathan Minhas did manage to beat the keeper following Caden Genovesi’s cross, only to be ruled offside.

Soon afterwards, Minhas set up a chance of Dan Carr, but his effort was cleared off the line and Dan Brown dragged a shot wide before Minhas forced Glover into making a smart save.

Town will have considered themselves a little unfortunate not to be ahead at half-time, and they were left to rue those missed opportunities early in the second half.

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Heath stepped up a gear and fired a warning to Town when Lloyd Cotton headed into the net, only for the 'goal' to be wiped out for offside.

However, there was no escape for Lock's men in the 51st minute when they failed to clear a corner and the ball fell invitingly to Napper, who hammered a half-volley high into the net from nearly 25 yards.

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Two minutes later the South East Division side would have doubled their lead had Brown not been on the line to clear from Trevor McCreadie, with Wheeler beaten.

But Bracknell equalised after 58 minutes with Carr's shot from 18 yards finding its way under the diving Glover's body.

Bracknell News:

Heath did have the ball in the net again, this time from a Josh Spinks header, but his celebration was cut short by the raised flag of an assistant referee.

Robins, switching to a three-man defence, pressed forward in search of the winner and they looked to be heading for at least a replay as the game entered the final five minutes.

However, their hopes were then shattered as Glover, making use of the wind and spotting his opposite number off his line, unleashed a long kick downfield which flew off the surface, over the back-tracking Wheeler and into the net.

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Previously, Carr starred in Bracknell's 2-0 win over Hanwell in their Velocity Trophy tie at Larges Lane last Wednesday.

The pacy wide man opened the scoring after nine minutes and set up the second goal for substitute Minhas in the 89th minute.

Joe Whiter, having come off the bench in the previous two games, was given his full debut and the 17-year-old keeper performed well to keep a clean sheet, making one particularly fine save in stoppage-time.

Robins have now won all three of their Group Five games, but face a crunch tie at Westfield, who are also unbeaten, at Woking Park next Tuesday (7.45pm).

Before then, Town are in league action this Saturday at Chertsey, last season's Combined Counties League champions and FA Vase winners.