AFC Liverpool went down 3-1 at home to AFC Darwen in extra time in their Carlsberg FA Vase Second Qualifying Round replay after being reduced to nine men.

AFC Liverpool were down to ten men after thirty five minutes when Joshua Molloy was shown a straight red for impeding Bobby Langford as he pounced on a fumble by the Reds’ keeper. With no substitute goalkeeper named, midfielder Stephen Groves donned the number one jersey but couldn’t prevent Gary Brown from converting the spot kick.

Until that point the game hadn’t really sprung into life but the home side, though not dominant, could, with a step up in gear, have taken control of the match. Steven Williams had fired in a long range free kick that didn’t trouble Adam Chester but the Darwen keeper did have to stand firm to take a fierce drive from Steve Corris. The visitors had had only one chance themselves when Kier Lonsdale broke through a Mark Brown challenge but with a narrowing angle he fired tamely at Molloy.

Early in the second half a long kick down field by Groves wasn’t dealt with by the Darwen defence, allowing Shaun Chart an opportunity to get a strike in on goal but under pressure from Anthony Harkness, he could only fire straight at Chester. With a man advantage, the visitors seemed content to sit back and this tactic worked fine until the hour mark when Stephen Edwards was replaced by Shaun Gardner, who from then on proved a thorn in the side of the Darwen back four, chasing down the ball and forcing them into mistakes.

On seventy minutes it was once such piece of pressure that allowed Steven Williams to win back possession for the home side and after a little patience, played in Gardner who’s sliding shot went in under Chester to restore parity.

From then on it seemed as though their would only be one winner as the Reds harried the visitors at every opportunity to win back possession and press forward once more. Gardner’s back header from a looping Sean Richards cross dropped a couple of yards wide of the upright but the Reds’ striker will be ruing the opportunity presented when a measured ball over the top from Chart played him in. With only Chester to beat, he placed his shot too close to the keeper allowing him to make the save and when the reboound came back to Gardner, his follow up was too tame and went straight into the arms of a grateful keeper.

Sean Harris then fired in from distance before some neat skill from Craig Williams saw him burst into the box but his shot to the far corner wasn’t quite accurate enough.

With extra time fast approaching another hammer blow was self inflicted by the Reds as Sean Harris became the second player to be dismissed as he went in for a challenge with his foot high.

From then on it was going to be a monumental task to find the victory but it could have been different had Corris kept his header down as he got on the end of Steven Williams’ cross but two goals in five minutes in the first period of extra time sealed the result for the visitors.

A high cross swung in from the right saw Groves come for but not claim it and the ball rebounded of Sean Richards to fall perfectly for John Leeming who snapped up the chance from four yards. Then Richards, probably through exhaustion, wasn’t strong enough in battling Lorrie Costello as they challenged for Ryan Steele’s low cross and this allowed the Darwen man to poke the ball into the net.

AFC Liverpool though showed commendable fighting spirit and refused to give up and had Gardner, when clean through after Anthony Brown’s flick on, kept his shot down, then it would have been a very interesting final five minutes.

AFC Liverpool 1-3 AFC Darwen (AET)

Gardner 70′                Brown 35′(p), Leeming 101′, Costello 105′

Attendance: 117