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Goalscorer James Bessey-Saldanha will look back at Sheppey United’s televised FA Cup First-Round tie against Walsall on Friday night forever.
The Ites - who had been the lowest-ranked side left in the competition - went ahead in front of a record crowd of 1,450 at Holm Park when winger Bessey-Saldanha, 27, blasted home in spectacular style midway through the first half.
Despite goals from Douglas James-Taylor, Tom Knowles, Ross Tierney and Isaac Hutchinson which ensured it finished 4-1 to the League 2 Saddlers as they avoided being on the end of a massive upset, the history-makers’ best FA Cup run will still live long in the memory of those involved at Sheppey United.
“I do feel like one of the reasons we were the lowest side left in the competition is because we had only played six league games by the time this game came,” said Bessey-Saldanha, with Ernie Batten’s Ites having collected just eight points this term.
“We played something like 11 cup games in a row because we had done well in the cups. We have got to get back to the league now and focus on that.
“But I’m going to look back on this day forever.”
Bessey-Saldanha blasted past away goalkeeper Owen Evans from distance as he had used left-back Frankie Morgan’s overlapping run as a decoy.
Boss Batten’s pride as historic FA Cup run ends
On his special strike, he said: “Honestly, I don’t know what to say!
“The ball came to me, the goal was there, I had to shoot - I couldn’t pass in that position - and it flew into the top of the net.
“It was the best feeling.”
It was a first competitive goal this campaign for Bessey-Saldanha too - and the perfect occasion to get it with the game shown live on ITV4.
He said: “You can tell from all the celebrations, it meant so much.
“I have played in this competition since I was 18, played in the Preliminary Rounds and never got to the First Round, and never been able to play against the professional clubs.
“Scoring the first time I’ve done that, it’s the best feeling in the world.”
Even once Walsall had levelled, Sheppey had chances to retake the lead, which were squandered by substitute Alex Willis and defender Connor Wilkins.
Asked if he felt they could have forced a result if they had either held on longer or got back in front, Bessey-Saldanha, who felt the Saddlers’ fourth goal should have been disallowed for a foul on inspired keeper Aiden Prall, said: “I do.
“We had a couple of chances, as well, at the start of the second half. If they had gone in, it’s a different game.
“I do think their fourth goal was definitely a foul on our keeper. But it’s hard. They’re a Football League side, aren’t they? They’re professionals, they train every day and we train twice a week.
“It’s very different.”
But Prall - despite conceding four times - produced a mammoth 12 saves amid a player-of-the-match performance.
Bessey-Saldanha revealed: “The boys were having a bit of a laugh with him, saying he was only doing that because the cameras were here!
“He was phenomenal. They could have scored a lot more goals if it wasn’t him in goal.
“Everyone knows he is one of the best keepers in the league.”
Bessey-Saldanha, who played with a broken hand, an injury sustained in last Tuesday’s 3-0 Isthmian South East success over Lancing, admitted it was a struggle to keep the ball against their visitors – more than 90 places higher than them in the football pyramid.
He said: “They’re quick, so quick. The amount of time we got on the ball in that game, compared to a normal Saturday for us, that’s a big difference.
“First touch of the ball, there’s three of them on you within less than a second. You notice it.
“We’re a team that likes to play football, we pass it out quite a lot and, even with them pressing us like they did, we tried to play football. Teams in our league don’t press us like that!
“It was hard.
“But we still played our game.”
As for his goal, Bessey-Saldanha, formerly of Margate and Bearsted, may find his day job comes in handy if he wants his goal to go even more viral than it already has.
“I’m a digital marketer,” he explained.
“I will be lapping the goal up!”
