Season 2014/15 - Quarter Finals

So the Quarter Finals are now done and dusted with eight teams reduced to four who are now just two semi final legs away from a place at Wembley. Here is what happened in the Quarter Final ties starting with the game I attended at Park View Drive, Welling.

Erith & Belvedere 0 North Shields 2, FA Vase Quarter Final, Saturday 28th February 2015

After a fairly quiet start the hosts had the first chance on 15 minutes as Marsh’s long-range effort bounces off the surface forcing Robinson into an awkward save down to his right.

Chances in the first half hour were pretty scarce as both teams were looking to get the upper hand in this tight affair. On 25 minutes the visitors had their first sight of goal when McKeown’s ball in from the left was left by defender Wilson allowing Luccock to sneak in at the back post but he couldn’t keep his effort down and it sailed over.

Just past the half hour mark a miskick from hosts defender Richmond allowed Bainbridge a chance to shoot but he could only hook high and wide from inside the box and then on 42 minutes good play on the left by Shields Holmes saw him turn full back Matthews before drilling his effort way wide from an acute angle.

Just before the half time whistle Deres defender Richmond ran onto a throw on and struck a decent effort at goal and keeper Robinson almost spilled the shot but managed to holds onto the loose ball eventually meaning this tie remained goal less at the break.

Half Time: Erith & Belvedere 0 North Shields 0

Shields came out in the second half with more purpose and it took them three minutes to grab that all important opening goal as Richardson’s flick played in Holmes and he drove into the box and slotted past Kamurasi to send them and their sizable vocal support wild with delight. It was an important breakthrough.

The goal seemed to give the visitors more confidence as they took control of the contest and on 56 minutes they were asking for a penalty when Richardson went down just inside the box but the referee ignored the protests. However a minute later they would double their lead and have a firm grip on this tie when Foster got into the box on the right and hit a great shot across Kamurasi into the far corner for a decent goal.

Erith tried to respond immediately when Alfie May, their biggest threat all afternoon, struck at goal but it was beaten away by Robinson to safety. On 70 minutes Shields Richardson fired well wide from distance but the visitors were now fairly comfortable with their two goal lead.

With quarter of an hour left Alfie May ran at Shields box and struck from distance but it was well saved by Robinson and from the resulting ball back into the area the ball was poorly headed over the top.

Into the last ten minutes and with the hosts now chasing the game gaps were appearing at the back and on 81 minutes a great crossfield ball to Luccock saw him eventually drill the ball across the face of Kamurasi’s goal and on 86 minutes substitute Morris broke down the right and found Bainbridge at the back post who totally miskicked his effort wide.

In stoppage time the visitors won a free kick on the edge of the box and Bainbridge saw his free kick beaten round the post well by Kamurasi but that was the last action of the match and the visitors had won through to the semi finals in March.

Full Time: Erith & Belvedere 0 North Shields 2

Erith & Belvedere: 1.Kamurasi 2.Matthews 3.Wilson 4.Richmond 5.Craig 6.Johnson 7.Hales 8.L May 9.A May 10.Marsh 11.Walker
Subs: 12.Hussein 14.Minter 15.Springett 16.Hassan 17.Jackson

North Shields: 1.Robinson 2.Donnison 3.Lancaster 4.McKeown 5.Parker 6.Hughes 7.Luccock 8.Forster 9.Bainbridge 10.Richardson 11.Holmes
Subs: 12.Coppen 14.Wrightson 15.Morris 16.Walker 17.Bannon

Attendance: 503

Some photos from the match before/during/after:-

Now here is a round up of the other Quarter Final ties:-
Saturday 28th February

AFC St Austell 3 Ascot United 2 Att: 1,433

The home side started brightly and took a deserved lead in the 8th minute when Liam Eddy teed the ball up for Martin Giles to smash the ball into the net.

The lead only lasted a couple of minutes though with the visitors equalising through Damian Markman. Ascot began to look a dangerous side and took the lead in injury time of the first half thanks to Daryl Mclean. The hosts wern’t downcast however and after Both Liam Eddy and Jared Sims were unlucky not to score, Neil Slateford scored in the 57th minute with a low shot from the edge of the box which gave the visiting keeper no chance.

Two minutes later Liam Eddy got to the ball before the Ascot keeper could pick the ball up on the edge of his area, rounded the keeper, and walked the ball into the empty net to complete the turnaround and send the Step six side through to the semi finals.

Highworth Town 1 Tadcaster Albion 1 (aet) Att: 771

The home section of the bumper 771 crowd at the Elms were almost silenced in the openingstages as Carl Stewart was played in one-on-one but Highworth goalie Garry Stevens pulled off a superb save.

Ryan King’s effort was ruled out for offside and then on the hour mark, Callum Parsons leapt into Albion goalie Tom Morgan before being bundled over, allowing TJ Bohane to fire the Worthians in front from the penalty spot. But an apparent handball in the box as Stewart battled for space saw the visitors awarded a spot-kick of their own, which was confidently dispatched by Callum Ward to make it 1-1.

Dan Drewett, Ash Taylor and Nathan Blackford all came close to snatching a winner whilstTadcaster’s Ward volleyed just over the bar and Liam Ormsby headed onto the crossbar in the dying stages of extra-time. So a replay was required to see who would grab that semi final spot.

Sunday 1st March

Shaw Lane Aquaforce 2 Glossop North End 2 (aet) Att: 334

Glossop and Aquaforce faced a Quarter Final replay after the teams finished level at Worksop. Lee Morris put Shaw Lane ahead after 10 minutes from the penalty spot before Kieran Lugsden equalised lifting the ball over the goalkeeper on 22 minutes. Shaw Lane went ahead again in the 56th minute through another Lee Morris penalty but Glossop levelled on 78 minutes with Kelvin Lugsden heading in from a corner. There were no further goals in extra time, so the teams were to meet again the following Saturday at Glossop’s Surrey Street ground.

Saturday 7th March 
Replays

Glossop North End 3 Shaw Lane Aquaforce 1 (aet) Att: 1,010

Shaw Lane Aquaforce’s magnificent adventure in the FA Vase is over after extra-time heartbreak in the epic quarter-final replay 3-1 defeat at Glossop North End. Joe Thornton put Aquaforce three minutes away from booking a trip to Cornwall to play St Austell in the semi-finals, but a wonder goal from Sam Hind rescued Glossop during a dramatic finish.

The visitors tired in the additional half-an-hour and Jason Carey struck twice to earn Glossop victory andy deny Aquaforce the chance of a fairytale ending to their season.

Tadcaster Albion 0 Highworth Town 1 Att: 1,307

A club record crowd of over 1400 crammed into Tadcaster’s i2i Stadium to watch another tight affair in Yorkshire, and the home side had a great chance to take the lead when they were awarded a penalty on the stroke of half time. But Highworth keeper Gary Stevens saved Callum Ward’s spot-kick to give a lifeline to the outsiders, who have not been training since their unlikely cup run began in October.

The miss was to prove costly for Tadcaster as Callum Parsons then struck the only goal of the game in 73rd minute, running on to a long ball forward to smash it into the top corner of goal and send Highworth through to a two-legged Semi-Final against North Shields.

So the semi final line up is as follows:-
Saturday 21st March, 1st Legs
Highworth Town Vs North Shields
AFC St Austell Vs Glossop North End

Saturday 28th March, 2nd Legs
North Shields Vs Highworth Town
Glossop North End Vs AFC St Austell
I’ll return with a round up of the 1st Leg reviews in two weeks time.