Rusthall progressed to the second round of the FA Vase- the furthest they have gone in the competition to date- with a shootout victory over an excellent Fleet Town side who may have felt their second half comeback deserved more than it got. Fleet Town are romping away in the Combined Counties Premier Division South, and it was immediately clear why- Fleet are a strong, physical side who are well-organised with quality players throughout. This was a stern test of Rusthall’s character- the second half onslaught and the number of superbly-delivered corners was a challenge Robbie Bissett faced with typical endeavour and his performance would surely have won him the Man-of-the-Match award were it not for an incredible display from goalkeeper Claudio Boakye who pulled off some superb saves to keep Fleet at bay.

The six goals that were shared told their own story of two quality teams who perhaps approach things slightly differently- Fleet’s three set-piece strikes contrasted with Rusthall’s goals which were well-taken and involved craft and guile in the build-up which Fleet were unable to deal with in a first half which went one way then the other. A strong start from Fleet was managed by the Rustics and it was the away side who took the lead through Josh Reid. Yassin Fares released him down the right, a glancing header from the defender made the ball even better for Reid, who shot across the goalkeeper into the bottom corner. The lead did not last long and the equaliser came in fairly unusual fashion- a corner swung in from the right evaded everyone and nestled in the far corner. There were questions asked about a potential foul on Boakye but these were ignored and Fleet were level.

Despite attacking up the significant slope at the Easy as HGV Stadium, Fleet were in the ascendency and Robbie Bissett, Louis Anderson and Claudio Boakye were kept very busy indeed. Rusthall retook the lead, however, as Yassin Fares was given far too much time to turn and he had one thought in his mind- drive to goal and get a shot away. Perhaps unfamiliar with the work of Fares, Fleet gave him the freedom of Hampshire to glide through, take his time, and unleash a dipping shot from distance which the keeper could only get a weak hand to as it crashed into the net behind him.

Clearly unused to being behind, Fleet were rocked, the crowd silent, the Rustics buoyed. Rahman Kareem linked up brilliantly with Josh Reid down the right and Kareem delivered a fantastic cross which found Thompson Adeyemi, back from injury, who swivelled and finished well to make it 3-1 shortly before the half hour. At half time, it felt this was a game which was far from over and with Fleet Town kicking downhill second half, and having shown their undoubted quality despite trailing by two goals, no one in green and white will have felt particularly comfortable as they trooped off to find refreshments.

And so it proved- the second half was rather one way traffic with Rusthall unable to make much progress up the slope and with Fleet Town pinning them back. Robbie Bissett was outstanding- he won every header, marshalled and cajoled his fellow defenders, and led by example as he always does. Behind him, Claudio Boakye repelled everything that came his way, including an incredible triple save when it seemed certain Fleet would find the net. This eye-catching performance backed up a solid debut last week where he saved a freekick- this week however, the freekick which made it 2-3 was so perfectly-struck, it left even the excellent Boakye with no chance. This time it was Fleet whose tails were up and they were in search of an equaliser which not many could argue they didn’t deserve. It came via the penalty spot in controversial fashion- Claudio Boakye made perhaps his only error of the day in coming out to deal with a ball that didn’t really need dealing with- in doing so, he collided with the onrushing attacker and despite the referee initially signalling for a freekick, a chat with his assistant resulted in the spot-kick being awarded. The ball was rolled home from 12 yards and the game was level with three minutes left to play. It felt like Rusthall had defended nearly 20 corners, each one delivered more accurately and dangerously than the last. Rusthall were hanging on for much of the second half but to their immense credit, hang on they did and a shootout was to come.

Ronnie McClean bravely stepped up to take the first and got the Rustics off to the perfect start. Claudio Boakye got close to saving one effort from Fleet but other than that, it was a showcase of excellent penalties from both sides. Robbie Bissett, Christian Lawal, Yassin Fares and Josh Reid were all successful before sudden death loomed. Lekan Osideko crashed his kick in off the bar and Jeffrey Njuguna slotted home before Louis Anderson scored perhaps the pick of the bunch with a strike which arrowed into the top corner. After 15 successes, it felt like something had to give, and it was Claudio Boakye who made the crucial stop- the final penalty blocked to give Rusthall the win. Celebrations were plentiful among the travelling Rusthall fans while the now-silenced uncouth youth of Fleet slunk off from behind the goal having given Boakye the sort of treatment such a top-drawer performance draws from those who recognise excellence but can’t quite find a way to express it politely.

A second-round tie is now in store, to be played on Saturday 31st October- a game which will be Jimmy Anderson’s 300th in charge of Rusthall. There won’t have been many of the previous 296 before this one which provided so much drama, excitement, and ultimately, success.