Linby & Blidworth Reach Final
Central Midlands Alliance Premier duo, ten-man Linby Colliery Welfare, and Blidworth Welfare, will battle it out for this season’s Nottinghamshire FA Senior Trophy, both overcoming Notts Senior League Premier opposition, Cotgrave, and Keyworth United, on penalties, to progress to the final.
With both CMA sides playing at home, advantage should have been in their favour, that’s how it goes, right; anyway, at Linby CW, fourth in Premier South, they took on the NSL title hopefuls, Cotgrave, at Church Lane.
It would be the hosts that opened the scoring, just after the half hour mark, Ethan Fells firing a cross into the visiting box which was, in turn, laid off by Greg Conn, for Liam Cartledge who, at the second attempt, his first was blocked, slotted home.
An end-to-end encounter would quickly see the equaliser arrive, a counter-attack from the visitors resulting in Franco Paz charging at the home defence and, although his effort was saved by Jack Walker in the home goal, Patrick Ferguson was on-hand to put home the follow-up.
The hosts also had an appeal for a penalty waved away on the stroke of half-time, the two sides going in level pegging at the break.
The second period continued with the constant battle between the two sides, and, with a little over twenty minutes remaining, the hosts were reduced to ten when Ewan Gibson was dismissed for a second yellow card.
Cotgrave then had a penalty appeal of their own dismissed by the referee, Paz however being booked for diving instead; it would not be until the closing the minutes that any lidn of goal=mouth breakthrough was witnessed.
At the death, Josh Wass thought he’d won it for the hosts when, following a free-kick from Cartledge, he headed home strongly for a 2-1 lead; that lasted a matter of minutes and, in the fifth minute of added time, the visitors equalised after a Luke Burrell cross was volleyed home by Paz, thus taking the tie to penalties.
With both sides missing their respective, first spot-kicks, in front of a near 200-strong crowd, Walker and Want both pulling off stops, it would be the hosts who’d take advantage via Fells and Cartledge conversions.
The visitors also netted twice, but the misses proved costly and Linby substitute, Zach Hamilton, would be the one to send the hosts through, 3-2 on penalties, following an exciting, 2-2 draw.
Linby CW – Jack Walker, Joe Turner, Josh Wass, George Skevington, Ethan Fells, Patrick Stefaniak (Corey Wood, 80), Spencer Pollitt, Ewan Gibson, Greg Conn (Rory Smith, 85), Ashdon Bernard (Zach Hamilton, 70), Liam Cartledge
Cotgrave – Jake Want, Henry Burdett, Thomas Lawson, Jack Reid, Lawrence Cooke, Dan Fletcher, Lee Potts, Ben Upton, Patrick Ferguson, Jamie Kirkby, Franco Paz
In the other semi-final, Blidworth, sitting sixth in Premier North, had to come from behind before edging their NSL visitors, the Welfare Ground deflated at the break after Keyworth United had taken a two-goal lead through Ajay Bentham, he netting at the start and finish of the half.
The visitors added a third early in the second as well, leaving the CMA side with a mountain climb, Ryan Tinsley netting ten minutes after the restart; deflated they may have been, but defeated they weren’t however, that third from the visitors seemingly awakening the shell-shocked hosts.
Just after the hour mark Triston Burrell fired the ball across goal and Archie Ward was on-hand to give the hosts a glimmer; that glimmer became a beacon when Kyle Bacon glanced home a header, and, as the game headed towards the final ten, the light burst through when Benjamin Copestake fired home perhaps the unlikeliest of equalisers.
And so, like the other semi-final, it was to penalties, the hosts netting all five of theirs via Kyle Bacon, Liam Carver, Ben Copestake, Triston Burrell, and Harry Topliss, whilst home shot-stopper, Harry Chapman, was on-hand with a save for a 5-3 shoot-out win, following an entertaining, 3-3 draw.
Away from the Trophy, there were also a handful of league games played out in the CMA, in the South, Worksop Town Reserves edged visiting Harworth Colliery 2-1, whilst Ollerton Town slipped to a 3-1 loss when home to Hatfield Town, victory for the Tigers’ second string seeing them up to joint-eighth, level with Kiveton Miners Welfare.
Meanwhile, in the South, it was action at the bottom end of the table for the Notts clubs, Mansfield Hosiery Mills leapfrogging their opponents, and hosts, Mickleover RBL, after a 2-1 win, Jake Johnson and Matt Dickinson netting, whilst the battle to avoid relegation continues for Teversal, they going down 1-0 when home to Mickleover Reserves.
Division One North would see the leaders, SJR Worksop Development, fall to a 4-2 loss at home to mid-table Kinsley Boys, Callum Wright and Taylor Thackery netting, whilst there was plenty of action in Division One East, three of the four games involving Notts clubs witnessing five goals apiece.
Shirebrook Soldiers, with games in hand, continue to the lead the way following their 3-2 success at fourth bottom Southwell City Development, whilst Ashland Rovers are second after they won by the same score, overturning an interval deficit, when home to Linby Reserves.
RHP Sports & Social won the mid-table, 2-1, at home to visiting Kirton Brickworks, whilst Long Bennington, just a point above Linby at the wrong end of the table, fell to a 3-2 loss when hosting Pilsley Community, for whom Jack Lewin bagged a brace.
*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).
*Main image @FCLinby the Linby CW players celebrate during their win against Cotgrave.
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