Saturday 30th August 2014
FA Cup Preliminary Round
Coleshill Town 2 v 2 Bromsgrove Sporting
Scorers:
Town: Shane Benjamin, Dean Rathbone.
Sporting: Gary Hay, Danny Ludlow.
Attendance: 175.
Replay Tuesday 2nd September 2014, 7.45 Kick Off at Bromsgrove.
Teams:
Town: Chris Jay, Dean Cowley (Simeon Cobourne), Oliver Casey, Jack Hullin, Luke Edwards, Barry Fitzharris, Chris Lloyd (Ryan Nash), Tom Weale, Shane Benjamin, Jonathan Jones, Dean Rathbone. Subs not used Dean Withers, David Stewart, Ashly Bradshaw, Leon Weller.
Sporting: Jake Bedford, Chris Duggin, Chris Socket, Simon Fitter, Craig Jones, Aaron Williams, Luke Shearer, Ryan Mahon, Gary Hay, Reece Hewitt, Danny Ludlow. Subs Dan Morris, Dave Almond, Peter Christmas, Jozsef Jakab.
Dean Rathbone and Luke Shearer awarded opposition Man Of The Match.
SUNDAY MERCURY WROTE
MFL One side Bromsgrove Sporting look set for an upset win against Coleshill Town, before having to settle for a 2-2 draw at the MFL Premier hosts. Shane Benjamin gave Coleshill a 10th minute lead but strikes by Gary hay and Danny Ludlow either side of the break put Sporting in command. Benjamin then hit the post for the home side before Dean Rathbone headed home the equaliser with 14 minutes to go.
MATCH REPORT
Coleshill were missing Danny Douglas, one game suspension, and captain Danny Tymon, stag week-end, for this visit of Bromsgove Sporting in the FA Cup, and how they missed them! Sporting were the better team for most of the game and will consider themselves unfortunate not to go through at the first attempt. Town looked down and out with 15 minutes to play but Dean Rathbone popped up with an equaliser and the home side could have gone on to win the tie which would have been harsh on an impressive visiting side.
Neither Rovers nor Sporting had ever visited Packmeadow before and 175 spectators enjoyed this FA Cup tie with Barwell awaiting the victors. Bromsgrove started the brighter of the two sides with centre forward Gary Hay in the thick of things. He could have given his side the lead as early as the first minute with a header and Chris Jay was off his line quick to take the ball of the No9's toe just as he looked likely to score. Chris Lloyd was Coleshill's best outlet as he gave the left full back a torrid time setting up Shane Benjamin who hit a shot inches wide but the in-form striker was back to give Town the lead on 10 minutes as the ball sat up nicely and Benjamin hit a crisp shot into the net giving the visiting keeper no chance. The goal should have settled the home side down but it was still Sporting who were making all the running and they finally got their reward on 26 minutes when a deep cross from Chris Duggin was met by the head of Hay. There looked a suspicion of a slight push but take nothing away from the striker as he placed his header well away from Jay to level the scores. Jonathan Jones and Tom Weale combined for the former to shoot goalward only to see the keeper save with his feet. Weale himself had a shot saved as Coleshill tried to finish the half on top. Lloyd fed Benjamin again but the captain for the day, uncharacteristically, hit an air-shot from a great position. A Dean Rathbone corner came back to him but at the second attempt his cross found Weale in front of goal but his weak header was easily cleared off the line.
Coleshill were not firing on all cylinders and the second half was only four minutes old when there task was made even harder. Danny Ludlow seemed to have an eternity inside the box to pick his spot and put Sporting in the driving seat. Benjamin dragged a shot wide from another great position, not a great day for the striker, Jay saved from Hay and Craig Jones headed over from the resulting corner. Simon Fitter hit a screaming free kick from fully 45 yards that had Jay scrambling along his line to tip over the bar and Reece Hewitt should have scored from the corner but his effort went over the bar. Coleshill were losing the battle but they dug deep and so nearly levelled the score when Jonathan Jones won the ball well in midfield, fed Simeon Cobourne whose fine run and cross was met by Benjamin only to see his header tipped onto the post by keeper Jake Bedford. With just 14 minutes to play Town were back again and this time success! Ryan Nash fed Benjamin who then slid in Cobourne who shot powerfully. Bedford did well to parry the ball but Rathbone reacted the quickest to head home, 2-2 game on! Coleshill piled on the pressure looking for an unlikely winner! Cobourne had another shot saved but the best chance in the dying minutes was Sporting's. Substitute Jozsef Jakab flicked the ball over his marker and sent a left foot volley just over the bar, what a match winner that would have been! |