After coming away empty-handed on three previous occasions, Sporting finally managed to overcome a resilient Feckenham side on their home turf at Eldorado Close in Studley on the fourth attempt.
For the visitors this was a must-win match if they were to keep up their bid get promoted out of the Midland Combination Division One but the home side were not going to be in a charitable mood.
Much of the initial action took place in midfield on a cool evening with an overcast sky. The pitch was quite hard and dry but surprisingly the Bromsgrove outfit moved to ball round well with neat passing and quick movement up field.
It was Feckenham though who had the best early chance to get their noses in front on the 15th minute. Steven Roche was fouled just outside the penalty area and although Tom Savage in the Sporting goal stopped the free-kick, he pushed it into the path of James Burke who really should have done better than slicing his shot wide of the left-hand post.
Ten minutes later Jon Rogers got the ball in the net but was adjudged to have fouled Feckenham 'keeper Mick Hewitt. The pacy striker though finally got his reward for hard work when Karl Fellows hit a great ball up the right touch line, Rogers picked this up well and ran at the Feckenham defence before unleashing a hard low shot past Mick Hewitt's outstretched left arm from 15 yards out.
Chrisi Conway doubled Sporting's lead on 40 minutes again with a hard-low shot similar to that scored earlier by Rogers.
So Sporting went in for half-time two up though there had not been that much between the two sides except for the well-taken goals by the visitors.
Just five minutes after the interval Sporting made it three. Jordan Street made two rather basic fouls in succession with the second on the edge of the box. Step forward Bromsgrove's own free-kick specialist, Kevin Banner who hit a perfectly flighted free-kick round the Feckenham wall into the top left-hand corner of Mick Hewitt's net. Beckham could not have done it any better.
From then on Sporting lost a bit of their rhythm moving forward and created few further chances. Feckenham though, keen to reduce the deficit pressed forward forcing a couple of good tip-overs out of Sporting keeper' Tom Savage.
With just ten minutes to go a Feckenham attack did provide a dividend. Kelvin White was fouled just inside the box and Mr Warren signalled a penalty that former Rousler Stuart Hall duly despatched sending Tom Savage the wrong way.
The home side clearly though they could close the gap and pressed forward but the Sporting back four well-marshalled by captain Nick Martin held firm and in the end it was a comfortable win for the visitors.
After the whistle, manager Keith Draper admitted that they had taken this match very seriously with a lot of planning and preparation and he was delighted that it had paid off against some tough opponents.
Next Saturday Sporting return to cup action when they entertain Boldmere St Michael Reserves at the Victoria Ground in the semi-final of the Smedley-Crooke Trophy. Then on Easter Monday with a 3 p.m. kick-off it is back to league action with a local derby against Northfield Town.
Feckenham: Mick Hewitt, Ashley Bunn, Danny Janes, Nigel Adams, Jordan Street, Dave Edwards (Brendan Hicks 58 mins), James Burke (capt, Daniel Byford 73 mins), Adam Hill (Kelvin White 46 mins), Steven Roche, Stuart Hall, Robbie Bunn.
Substitutes not used: James Pyatt, Sam Lakin.
Sporting: Tom Savage, Karl Fellows, Aaron Roberts (Keelan McNally 65 mins), Nicky Martin (capt), Mike Thurbon, Peter Jenvey (John Evans 78 mins), Keith J Draper, James Turk, Chrisi Conway (Robbie Hendry 81 mins), Jon Rogers, Kevin Banner. Substitutes not used: Ryan Molesworth, Dan Wilkes. |