Chapter 263: FA Cup Round Four (II)

Chapter 263: FA Cup Round Four (II)

The second half started at a completely different pace.

Crawley came out of the tunnel with heavy, mud-covered kits but a clear, renewed focus. Niels’s halftime instructions were still fresh in their minds.

They abandoned the short, intricate passing through the middle of the pitch. They weren’t going to play into Notts County’s hands anymore.

The change in tactics caught the visitors off guard almost immediately.

When Darnell Prince received the ball deep in his own half, the Notts County forwards launched their usual aggressive press expecting the center-back to hesitate or attempt a nervous pass to Kieron Marsh.

Instead, Darnell didn’t even look toward midfield. He took one touch to move the ball in front of him, leaned back and sent a long hanging pass diagonally across the pitch.

Up front, Leo Morley became the main target. The big striker was made for conditions like these. He used his size to lean into the Notts County center-backs, holding them off as the ball dropped from the dark January sky.

He won the aerial battle and flicked a clever header into the space behind the defense.

Nate Sutton and Korey Henry were already on the move.

The two wingers sprinted onto the loose balls, forcing the Notts County defenders to turn and race back across the heavy, churned-up turf.

It was exhausting work for a defense that had spent the entire first half comfortably moving forward.

Crawley was completely bypassing the midfield battle.

But Notts County were experienced professionals. They quickly saw the danger and adjusted, dropping their defensive line five yards deeper to take away the space behind them.

As they dropped back, they absorbed the pressure and looked for chances to hit Crawley on the counter.

In the fifty-fifth minute, Notts County nearly punished Crawley for pushing their defensive line so high.

A hopeful clearance from the Notts County penalty area fell perfectly to their right winger. He knocked the ball past Callum Haines and set off down the touchline. Reaching the edge of the box, he whipped a dangerous, curling cross toward the back post, straight into the path of their onrushing striker.

Benji Cook didn’t hesitate.

Having learned from his earlier mistake, the young goalkeeper didn’t stay on his line. He charged through the crowded penalty area, made himself as big as possible, and threw his body directly into the striker’s path.

Benji took the full force of the collision but managed to block the shot with his chest, then smothered the ball in the mud before a defender could clear it.

The home crowd roared in appreciation. The kid had kept his nerve.

On the touchline, Niels checked his watch. The hour mark was approaching, and while the direct approach was stretching Notts County and wearing them down, Crawley were still a goal behind.

It was time to bring on some extra quality.

Niels turned to his bench. "Dev, Max. Get ready."

A minute later, the fourth official raised the electronic board. Dev Patel and Max Simons jogged onto the pitch, replacing an exhausted Korey Henry and an attacking midfielder.

Niels was changing the shape, keeping Leo on the pitch as a battering ram and putting Max alongside him to pin the center-backs while Dev was given the job of terrorizing the flanks.

The impact was immediate.

Dev received his first pass out on the right wing. He was up against a Notts County left-back who had spent the last sixty minutes running through freezing mud. Dev squared up to him and dropped a lightning-fast stepover.

The tired defender fell for the fake.

Dev exploded past him on the outside and reached the byline with ease.

In the sixty-sixth minute, that same mismatch nearly brought Crawley level. Dev flew past the full-back again and drove into the penalty area. He kept his head up and sent a low hard cross across the face of the six-yard box.

Max Simons had slipped away from his marker, showing the sharp instincts of a top striker. He arrived at exactly the right moment, sliding through the mud to redirect the ball toward the near post.

It looked certain to go in, but the Notts County goalkeeper made a remarkable save. He threw out his left boot and managed to deflect the ball over the crossbar.

Max slammed the turf in frustration, but the energy inside Broadfield was reaching fever pitch. Crawley were knocking harder and harder on the door.

In the seventy-second minute, Notts County tried to clear a Crawley corner, but the ball only reached the edge of the center circle.

The pitch was a chaotic mess of bodies, but Kieron Marsh was exactly where Niels needed him.

The teenager read the clearance, stepped in front of his man, and won the second ball with a powerful header that sent it straight to Paul Pogba.

Pogba, positioned slightly deeper, took one sublime touch to bring the ball under control. He glanced up once and calmly sliced open the retreating Notts County defense with a perfectly weighted pass into the left channel.

Nate Sutton collected it in stride.

The young winger drove into the penalty area and sized up his defender. Instead of taking the ball toward the byline, Nate sharply cut inside onto his right foot.

The sudden change of direction gave him a sliver of space and he took it. He fired a hard, driven shot toward the far corner.

The ball clipped the heel of a sliding Notts County defender. The heavy deflection completely changed its path, wrong-footing the goalkeeper, who was already diving the other way.

The ball seemed to roll agonizingly slowly across the line before settling in the back of the net.

1-1.

Goal.

Broadfield Stadium erupted. The roar was deafening, a huge release of all the frustration and tension that had built up in the freezing conditions.

Nate sprinted toward the corner flag and slid on his knees as his teammates piled onto him.

On the touchline, Niels pumped both fists a fierce shout escaping his lips.

They had fought their way back.

With the score level and less than twenty minutes left, the game completely changed. Notts County knew their legs were gone. The direct balls, the heavy pitch, and the constant pressure from Dev and Max had finally broken their resistance.

They dropped into a compact desperate low block, no longer trying to attack but simply fighting to protect the draw and force a replay.

Crawley laid siege to the penalty area.

Dev was causing problems down the right, repeatedly beating his man and sending crosses into the box.

Max Simons and Leo Morley occupied the center-backs, battling for every header and creating huge pockets of space for Pogba and Nate to exploit.

But Notts County refused to give in. They threw themselves in front of shots, hacked clearances into the stands, and broke up Crawley’s rhythm with tactical fouls.

In the eighty-eighth minute, Crawley won a free kick in a dangerous position just outside the right edge of the penalty area.

Callum Berg stepped up to take it. The stadium fell completely silent, thick with anticipation. Berg raised one arm to signal the routine, then whipped a vicious in-swinging delivery into the crowded box.

Leo Morley used his momentum perfectly. The big striker rose above everyone else, hanging in the freezing air for what felt like an eternity before powering a downward header toward the bottom corner.

It was a perfect header, but the Notts County goalkeeper was having the game of his life. He launched himself to the right, stretched as far as he could, and somehow clawed the ball off the goal line with his fingertips.

A collective groan of pure agony swept through the stadium.

As the game moved into four minutes of stoppage time, Notts County launched one final, desperate counter-attack.

A long, hopeful ball was sent into the Crawley penalty area toward their towering striker.

It was exactly the kind of situation that had unsettled Benji Cook in the first half.

But this time, there was no hesitation. Benji shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice cutting through the rain.

He raced off his line leaped cleanly through a crowd of bodies and confidently plucked the wet ball from the air. He landed securely with it held tight against his chest, killing the danger immediately.

Niels nodded in quiet appreciation. The kid had grown up a little today.

Seconds later, the referee brought the whistle to his lips and blew three times.

Full Time: Crawley Town 1-1 Notts County.

The players immediately collapsed onto the muddy pitch. Their heavy legs and burning lungs had finally caught up with them.

The rain kept falling but the Broadfield crowd remained on its feet applauding loudly.

It was a frustrating result after Crawley’s complete dominance over the final thirty minutes, but there was no questioning the effort.

Niels walked onto the pitch, patting his exhausted players on the back and shaking hands with the opposition.

They hadn’t found the winner but they had survived a brutal test of character. The magic of the cup could be ruthless.

The tie wasn’t over.

They would have to travel to Nottingham for a replay.