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Saturday 2nd November - FA Trophy 1st Round

Kidsgrove Athletic 1- 1 Frickley Athletic

Nigel Hemstock earned the Blues a deserved second bite of the cherry as he tapped into an empty net in the last minute, following up after Antony Jackson's 20 yard shot had been touched onto the post by the Kidsgrove 'keeper. In truth, the game should have been won in the first 15 minutes when Curtis Bernard twice found himself clean through but on both occasions he failed to find the back of the net.

Phil Sharpe brought Andy Evans back into the line-up although Remo Nesa was missing through illness. Playing up a distinct slope in very wet conditions, the home side went close in the opening minute but the final shot from Wilkes went wide of the left hand post. The Blues responded with Bernard being unlucky in the ninth minute when he seized on a ball over the static Kidsgrove defence but the ball wouldn't come down quickly enough for him which allowed the keeper, Chris Grassie, to block his effort. Three minutes later Bernard should have done better when he found himself clean through but his shot from just inside the box was blocked for a corner by Grassie. On 14 minutes Evans flicked the ball on to Bernard who again found himself clean through and this time he pushed the ball past the advancing Grassie but probably pushed it too far and his angled shot rebounded back off the crossbar. The Blues were rather fortunate on 17 minutes when Kidsgrove's Paul Robertson broke following a Blues' corner. He broke quickly down the left, with Chris Gowen missing his tackle completely, leaving the Kidsgrove player to bear down on goal before squaring to the Ronnie Morgan whose shot was well saved by Mark Samways. On 24 minutes Evans sent Bernard away down the right and he sent over a great cross which picked out lee Morris at the far post but his header rather unluckily struck a covering defender. Samways then watched a 25 yard shot go wide of his right hand post whilst Kidsgrove wasted another chance on 31 minutes when a header from close range went wide of the left hand post. Morris went close on 33 minutes when he volleyed Gowen's cross inches wide of the left hand upright but the Blues had another let-off just before the break. First Kidsgove benefited from a lucky ricochet off Jackson which instigated a break into the Blues' box but Samways blocked the final close range shot from Dave Nolan for a corner. From the corner Richards was forced to clear off the line from from Martin McDonald's 20 yard shot.

The home side took the lead just 5 minutes after the break when the Blues defence failed to cut out on cross from the left which was headed in by Ronnie Morgan. Samways was then forced to pull off a few good saves to keep the Blues in the game before Nigel Hemstock replaced Bernard on 59 minutes. On 65 minutes Gowen put a 25 yarder just wide of the right hand post with the keeper rooted to the spot whilst Evans was unfortunate on 76 minutes when he jumped with the keeper who dropped the ball but Evans was unable to reach to scoop it into the empty net. Two minutes later Hemstock beat his marker down the right to cut into the box and let fly from 12 yards but his shot was turned round the post. The Blues finally started to force some pressure and Jackson moved up front for the final ten minutes. Craig Elkin then forced a great save from the home keeper to claw away his curling 20 yard shot which looked destined for the top right hand corner before the Blues were reduced to ten men on 85 minutes. Kidsgrove's number 5's (Wayne Mountford?) lunging tackle on Hancock on the edge of the box saw Hancock immediately retaliate and once the scuffle had died down the referee quite rightly sent off Hancock but amazingly only booked the Kidsgrove player. Then, as the game entered the 90th minute Jackson received a pass just outside the Kidsgrove box and, as the home defenders stood off him, he looked up and let fly with a powerful 20 yard shot which Grassie could only push onto the post but HEMSTOCK followed up to tap in. 

Frickley Athletic : Samways, Richards, Gowen, Elkin, Jackson, Marquis, Morris, Bernard (Hemstock 59), Evans, Hancock, Williams. Unused subs. Marsh, Sharpe

Attendance : 100

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