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LIONS FAIL TO MAKE IMPACT ON LEAGUE CUP

LIONS FAIL TO MAKE IMPACT ON LEAGUE CUP

Tony Squires2 Nov 2016 - 22:35
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ROCESTER FC IN TO THE NEXT ROUND

Tuesday 1st Novemberr 2016 Polymac Packagine Midland League Cup (2)
ROCESTER (0)2 HEANOR TOWN (1)1
ROCESTER: Noon, Hudson (Frost 69), Allen, Brockley, Yeomans, Simpson, Roome, Martin, Shaw, Martin Smith (Mansfield 68), Riddell (Szondi 82). Substitutes not used – Ritchie-Smith, Fraggatt.
HEANOR TOWN: McCormack, Marriott, Conway, Chris Smith, Hall, Whitmore, Wilkinson (Brown 73), Joe Naylor (Havron 45), Cooper, Brian, Reeves. Substitutes not used – Oliver Naylor, Coyle, Powell
REFEREE: Daniel Parkes (Stoke-on-Trent)
Heanor Town were knocked out of their second cup competition in ten days as Rocester repeated what they did to the Lions in the league encounter at Hillsfield last season, coming back from a goal behind to win at the death.
Depleted Heanor had a number of new faces but were also without their experienced strike partnership of Debrouwer and Benger.
The Lions made a strong start under the poor and badly focussed floodlights, with Matt Brian heading behind from a first minute corner. Within three minutes the ball was changed under protest from both sides. So much for the referee checking it before kick off!
Elliott Reeves had a header cleared off the line from another corner, and as Heanor continued to press Gary Conway burst forward onto another chance and shot a foot wide with home custodian Callum Noon groping thin air.
The Romans hit back and finding himself with a surprising amount of time and room Callum Riddell wasted a good opening by heading wide of the target.
Both sides enjoyed spells of good pressure without turning it into goal attempts, but Heanor spurned a 26th minute chance of the lead after former Lion Jordan Simpson brought down Elliott Reeves on a run to goal and skipper Chris Smith’s very poorly struck penalty was easily saved by Noon.
By this time frost was beginning to form on the pitch as the sky cleared to show twinkling stars and the temperature, as predicted by the weathermen, began to dip somewhat alarmingly.
Heanor enjoyed the better of the pressure and took a deserved 40th minute lead when ELLIOTT REEVES forced the ball home from close range in a goalmouth scramble after a number of other efforts had been blocked. And it might easily have been two by the break, Noon pulling off a tremendous one-handed save from another Reeves shot following a free kick.
Rocester put on pressure at the start of the second half but the Heanor defence stood stout, and when they broke forward again Jay Cooper had two shots blocked by the massed home defence in quick succession.
Rocester thought they had levelled on 51 minutes when Chris Martin’s free kick beat the wall, and Joe McCormack, and came back down off the underside of the bar. Liam Shaw poked the loose ball over the line but was adjudged to be off-side.
Cooper shot wide from distance for the Lions as the referee continued to amaze with some appallingly poor decisions.
The equaliser did come on 66 minutes with a fluke goal. CALLUM RIDDELL, out on the left touchline, overhit his cross and the ball sailed over McCormack into the top corner, the goalkeeper indicating to his fellow defenders that he lost the ball in the glare of the low floodlights.
Heanor returned to the attack and substitute Alex Brown shot high over the bar from a good position after Noon failed to get distance on his punch out from a cross.
At the other end Martin Smyth missed the chance of a tap in to what appeared to be an empty net and allowed McCormack to recover and smother his late shot.
Cooper missed the opportunity of sending Reeves clear when he under hit his pass and it allowed a defender to clear, and then a blistering shot from Reeves flew a foot over the bar as Heanor pressed to avoid extra time.
It was the Romans who managed the winner with two minutes of normal time remaining. Oliver Roome’s cross from the right in a move started way back in their own half by Simpson, found LIAM SHAW totally unmarked in front of goal go head into an empty net.
The game was gritty rather than spectacular but entertaining. As far as many of the spectators were concerned, the only warmth about the winning goal was that it saved having to stand through another thirty minutes on the coldest night of the winter so far.
YELLOW CARDS: Rocester – Martin Smyth (44), Chris Martin (57), James Frost (85).
Heanor – Jay Cooper (16), Matt Brian (52)
STAR PERFORMER: Jordan Simpson (Rocester)
STAR LION: Elliott Reeves
OFFICIAL ATTENDANCE: 82
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