Reds take the Mickey out of Solihull

Oct 11 2009 by Chris Vaughan, Sunday Mercury

EX-SOLIHULL Borough manager Mickey Moore will be delighted at this shock FA Cup win for Redditch as they totally outplayed a disappointing Solihull side who showed a distinct lack of fight and passion for this FA Cup tie.

Redditch bossed the game from start to finish and it was a full 30 minutes before James McPike fashioned Solihull’s first goal chance but he shot straight at ex-Moor Green goalkeeper Danny Lewis.

Solihull were made to pay four minutes later when Liam Francis headed in a needlessly conceded corner.

The inevitable happened on 54 minutes as Redditch, who had made the better start to the second half, scored a second and again it was an ex-Solihull Borough pre-merger star Jack Byrne who slotted the ball past the keeper.

It should have been three moments later after some comedy defending but Gary Hay spurned the chance.

Redditch goalkeeper Lewis did save well from Darren Stapleton’s free-kick and both Solihull’s centre-back’s Liam Daly and Theo Streete headed wide from corners but it was Redditch who came closest in the final minutes with Danny Crane somehow keeping James Dance’s shot out with his feet.

STOURBRIDGE served up a pulsating display at the War Memorial, but, despite throwing everything at Hucknall, couldn’t get the breakthrough, with the visitors reduced to 10 men in a dramatic finish.

Stour’s Lindon Dovey threatened for the Glassboys as early as the second minute, pulling his low drive just wide of the Hucknall post following good work by Sean Evans.

Nathan Bennett then unleashed a powerful header that shaved the angle of the visitors’ target from Drew Canavan’s 15th minute corner.

Canavan squandered a further chance with just the keeper to beat on 38 minutes and, two minutes later, set up Ryan Row, whose shot brought a point-blank save from the Yellows’ keeper.

Stourbridge once more came close with Row setting up Dovey early in the second period, whose shot was tipped over by the Hucknall keeper.

Hucknall thought they had taken the lead when Lawrie Wilson’s speculative lob beat Stour keeper, Stuart Brock, but the bar came to the Glassboys’ rescue on 63 minutes.

The Northern Premier League visitors found themselves down to 10 men following a second yellow late on and Stourbridge unleashed a late flurry of attacks.

THE dream of a place in the fourth qualifying round for Coventry Sphinx finally came to an end in front of an 800-plus crowd at the tiny Sphinx Drive Stadium.

Right from the offset Southern League side Bedworth United dominated the tie and if it was not for goalkeeper Carl O’Neill the visitors could have been at least three goals up by half-time.

O’Neill made a fine save from Matty Blair early on in the game.

Soon afterwards Sphinx’s star man Jerome Murdoch was stopped by the Greenbacks’ on-loan keeper David Bevan.

United’s Ashley Robinson squandered a great chance to put the visitors ahead midway through the first half by putting the ball wide of his target.

Five minutes from half-time Murdoch had the best chance of the half with only Bevan to beat but put the ball wide.

The goal that broke the hearts of the home side came on 67 minutes.

A perfect Richard Allen cross was headed past O’Neill by Matty Blair.

Whilst the goal celebration was going on a small section of the wall in front of the stand collapsed, hurting two of the Greenbacks supporters.

United held on to their lead and now go into the fourth qualifying round for the first time since the 1996/97 season.

SUTTON held Lowestoft to an entertaining scoreless draw with a superb defensive display. Lowestoft started brightly and in front of a crowd of 1,200 they almost took the lead in the second minute when a header from McGee hit the bar.

Seconds later, Lowestoft spurned another chance with Breedon this time making the save.

Sutton forced a couple of quick corners and two chances fell to Junior Brown but the keeper was never troubled.

In the 49th minute Matt pulled the ball back for Jimmy Quiggan whose shot was deflected for a corner.

Sutton had to defend well from three quick corners with Breedon and his defence clearing their lines well.

Sutton’s best chance of the game fell for Matt on the 69th minute.

He lifted the ball over the keeper but the ball went agonisingly wide.

In the 79th minute Lowestoft’s Nolan hit a drive just wide of the post and man of the match Tony Breedon made a fine save to deny the home side the winner.

In the dying moments Lowestoft had the last chance but it went the wrong side of the post. The replay will be played tomorrow at Coles Lane, kick off 7.30pm.

A 34th-minute Justin Marsden goal gave Nuneaton victory in a one-sided tie.

Gainsborough manager Brian Little admitted: “We were poor,” as he saw his side escape conceding a goal barrage.

“It just did not happen for us. No one played well and defensively we did not turn up,” said the former Villa boss.

Nuneaton created a stack of chances in the second half and visiting keeper Philip Barnes had a stormer, saving no less than five one-on-ones.

The only time Barnes was beaten came when Marsden fastened onto a Mark Noon through ball and shook off a defender before planting a well-struck shot into the bottom corner.

On the stroke of half-time Stuart Pierpoint hit the bar from a Nuneaton corner. Marsden did not come out for the second half because of a suspected broken nose and Lee Moore joined striker Chris Dillon to put Gainsborough under the cosh.

The Lincolnshire side went close in the 75th minute when Darryn Stamp hit the upright but all the action was at the other end.

AFC TELFORD United and Worcester City must do it all over again tomorrow evening after a frustrating stalemate at the New Bucks Head.

Telford dominated possession but the visitors were content to defend deep and hit on the counter-attack.

It was a strategy that so nearly worked as they created the three best chances of the game.

Bucks keeper Ryan Young had to save from Craig Wilding, and Rob Davies should have done better when he fired straight into the goalie’s gloves.

Substitute Marco Adaggio also had a great chance for Worcester just short of the hour when he was through one-on-one, but Telford skipper Stuart Whitehead stopped him in his tracks with a superbly-timed challenge.

Telford didn’t manage a shot on target in the first half, and those they mustered after the break were largely straight at City keeper Ben Hinchliffe.

Phil Trainer did go close for the Bucks with one diving header from a Sean Newton cross, but Hinchliffe proved up to the challenge.

GLOUCESTER staged a dramatic second-half fightback to secure their place in the fourth qualifying round.

Two goals in four minutes midway through the second half steered them through but it could have been different had the home side taken their chances.

The first of these came after just 10 seconds when Jamie Gleeson had a golden opportunity but failed to hit the target.

Dorchester opened the scoring on 16 minutes when Nick Crittenden turned home a deep cross.

The goal seemed to spur on the visitors and Jack Pitcher twice went close before the break while Mike Symons and Marc Richards had headed chances soon after the restart.

But it was the introduction of substitute Jack Harris that kick-started the fightback midway through the second half.

His 70th minute cross picked out Symons and his neat lay-off found Pitcher who fired home.

Four minutes later the Tigers took the lead when a free-kick into the area was headed home by Tom Hamblin.

LETHAL Adam Webster bagged four goals to end Cambridge City’s unbeaten start to the season and send Hinckley through to the next round of this season’s FA Cup competition.

Visiting striker Webster did most of the damage with his goals, which included a first-half hat-trick. Andy Gooding also got on the scoresheet for Hinckley.