Brocton twice came back from being a goal behind to give their supporters hope but on a day when a soft top surface belied a hard pitch, this was a day made for attacking play and Pilkington’s simply took their chances.

The first goal came after a bit of a lucky break when Ross Casey’s quickly taken free kick sailed harmlessly over the bar only to be retaken at the referee’s insistence. The second effort was much better and looked inviting for any one of three powerful forwards to head goal wards. In the end they were kept at bay only for the ball to drift into the net in any case.

That was on 6 minutes and moments later Brocton were back on the attack and Mick Fox had to be brought down to prevent him taking the ball into the box. The free kick was cleared and Tom Tonks’ throw was flicked on in the box, but the resulting goal was disallowed for offside from that flick on. Lee Scott soon made amends though with a fine run down the left flank and deep cross which Tonks met at the far post and slotted home.

Throws, corners and high crosses into the Pilkington box continued to cause problems and it seemed only a matter of time before one fell kindly as Brocton applied the pressure, but it was the visitors who grabbed the lead just before the break. First they fashioned a one on one which Mike Shelper did well to beat out and then Danny Deehan met a good cross to beat Shelper at the back post after excellent right wing work.

Brocton’s second equalizer came after heavy pressure on their own goal with a break down the left. Mick fox found Gary Fife, who hit it wide right to Sam Bell. Bell enticed his full back in and jinked past him, producing a perfect low cross from the bye line which Lee Scott pounced on to score.

The move was almost repeated moments later as Tonks found Fox on the line this time and Fox’s deep cross beat the keeper and was met beyond the far post this time by Fife. Fife judged his shooting angle to be too narrow and chose to slip the ball back from the bye line, where this time Scott was beaten to the ball and it was cleared.

Pilkington were able to raise their tempo as the game reached its final quarter and as the game became stretched it was the visitors who found their range with long passes and decisive headers. They took back the lead on 75 minutes with a goal worthy of winning any game when Lawrence Martin volleyed in a deep cross giving Shelper no chance. The hard working Adam Ainge then wrapped it up five minutes from time with a lob over Shelper after he had only managed to punch away a heavily contested high ball above the penalty spot.

Brocton 1 Stone Dominoes 3

Both teams started in tentative fashion which was understandable since the bad weather had resulted in this being the first game for each in a month. The visitors had the better of the first 15 minutes without making a clear cut opportunity to score. Shelper in the Brocton goal was already looking unhappy with his fitness but was not greatly tested. Then Brocton’s passing game began to forge openings and for the rest of the half they were dominant.

The result was a series of chances as the home side penetrated Dominoes on both flanks and down the middle. A neat interchange led to Fife having a one on one with the Dominoes` keeper. Fife rounded the keeper but was forced too wide to get in a shot on goal. After sustained pressure the breakthrough came for Brocton. Tonks threw the ball into the visitors` box. The ball was cleared to the edge of the box where Fife drove the ball into the net from 20 metres.

Another long throw by Tonks caused havoc in the Dominoes` defence. Again the half clearance fell to Skinner whose drive went narrowly wide with the `keeper beaten.

Then Fox deceived Dominoes with a deft back heel into the path of Hulme leaving him with just the `keeper to beat. Hulme chose to chip the ball but the visiting custodian managed to beat the ball away.

Following good pressure in midfield Tonks stole the ball and advanced on goal. He unleashed a powerful shot which skimmed the bar and which had it been a few inches lower would undoubtedly have beaten the keeper.

In the second half spectators had barely retaken their seats before parity was restored. Stone attacked down the right flank and put in a cross. Crawley the home centre half shaped to hook the ball away in routine fashion only to mistime and slice the ball over his shoulder into his own net.

Buoyed by this Stone now pressed forward. Now under pressure Shelper`s immobility due to injury became evident. Notwithstanding this the home keeper managed to beat a goal bound effort away into the path of a Stone forward who headed over from close range.  With Brocton’s confidence rattled Dominoes pushed forward and the home defence now seemed less assured.

Stone took the lead when a cross field pass was intercepted allowing a shot on goal. Shelper parried but could not hold the ball which fell loose to  Simon Eldershaw who clipped the ball into the net in clinical fashion. Chandler’s protestations that he had been illegally prevented from clearing the ball met with no sympathy from the match officials.

Bell of Brocton who had returned from injury broke down and was replaced by Harrison. Fox and Winstanley were replaced by Scott and Hewitt. Brocton now pushed forward and began to make inroads down the flanks but the crosses generally were seen off by the visitors` uncompromising defence. One, from Hulme was pulled back into the path of Skinner who steered the ball narrowly wide. Then Hulme made good progress down the left before cutting in shooting but off target. Twice the visitors` keeper spilled the ball. Once on to the post, and once when the ball was scrambled away to safety.

Stone were to play for the last quarter with ten men after substitute Lee Talbot made his mark by scything Scott down in full flight and then kicking the ball away to waste time. But not before the visitors scored the goal of the night when Anthony Marshall arrowed the ball into the top corner from 25 yards.

After that Brocton huffed and puffed but did not look as they would blow the visitors` house down. Brocton will reflect that they gifted two goals to Stone who proved the more clinical finishers on the night in a game of contrasting halves.

If Nuneaton Griff came with any intention of keeping the game tight at the start then all thoughts of that were blown away inside a reported 12 seconds of the kick off. The ball was quickly fed to Lee Scott, who darted through the centre of the visitors defence and was only held by weight of numbers within striking distance of the goal. He managed to occupy three defenders whilst slipping the ball to the onrushing Tom Tonks, who passed the ball calmly into the net.

But for a sharp save moments later things could have been worse for Griff as Scott flicked a header on to Mick Fox in the box and his left foot shot was well saved.

At the other end, it was smart work from Brocton’s keeper Mike Shelper which kept the home side in front as he showed great awareness of possibilities to smother a Griff chance before the forward even knew he had one.

A bout of midfield head tennis followed and finished with Scott heading on to Fox, who found Gary Fife. Only a superbly timed tackle as Fife drew a bead on the goal, prevented a further score. Still Griff continued to press and Brocton’s rearguard were worked to their limit to keep out wave after wave of well constructed, but direct, attacks.

With the visitors attracted to the possibility of an equaliser and a free kick to help their cause, it was a smart drop on the ball and quick release from Shelper which had them at sea. Fife collected the clearance, put the ball invitingly into the box and Matt Skinner arrived to head firmly on goal. Keeper Andy Needham blocked the shot, but Dean Crowley was on hand to prod it into the net.

That was on 19 minutes and three minutes later Brocton mad it 3  -  0. A Shelper kick was flicked on by Scott and Fife collected. With Brocton pouring forward he had almost too many options and was tackled before finding his intended target, but the half clearance only found Fox and with a shrug of his shoulders he made space for a perfect shot across the keeper to score.

Looking sharp and decisive in attack, but outnumbered in defence, Griff could still have kept the game within reach but for continued good work at the back by Shelper and  Richard Reeves in particular and the very next break from Brocton added insult to injury with a further goal. This time an innocuous throw left Fife with time and space to pick a pass to Scott inside the box and whilst Needham saved his attempted lob, Scott put away the rebound as it fell to his feet.

Brocton made several changes in the second period with newcomer Craig Hulme on from the start for Rob Winstanley and marking his debut with a fine 25 yard shot against the underside of the bar with Needham beaten. Richard Hewitt soon followed him, replacing Scott and youngster Aaron Gough replaced Dean Crowley. Griff simply refused to be beaten and after pounding Brocton’s last third for most of the second period, a point blank save by Shelper was quickly followed up by a two man block on the line of the returned loose ball.

Any spectator could easily deduce that this was simply Brocton’s day, but a corner was then converted by Blythe to give the visitors a lift, the ball was lazily given away and a second goal conceded to Peake and then a high foot in the box led to a heated debate over the indirectness of the resulting free kick. It led to nothing and the end of the game was seen out.

Despite Lee Scott being at his scintillating best, strike partner Mick Fox being not far behind and the pair combining after a sweet surge on the right from Tom Tonks, Brocton could not quite hold on to this battle between two very attack minded sides.

It was just 8 minutes in when Tonks made that run down the right and his ball in to Fox’s feet was slipped skilfully into the path of Scott, who dinked it over an advancing keeper to put the visitors ahead.

Even before that moment a heavily reshuffled rear guard for Brocton had shown signs of nerves as Massey Ferguson threw everything into attack on a slick pitch under heavy rain. With Matt Skinner suspended, Sam Bell injured and Dean Crowley lost on route to the ground, it was hardly surprising that the back line needed a little time to adjust to each other’s play.

Massey played some good approach play, but looked at their most threatening from corners, particularly those swung to or beyond the far post, but the back line held firm and clearly gained in confidence as the game wore on.

Meanwhile, at every opportunity the dynamic Scott and the wily Fox repeatedly made dangerous inroads into the Massey defences. On the half hour it was Steve Bennett who won the ball near the centre spot and who quickly gave to to Rob Winstanley who found Scott on one of his darts across goal. Scott was eventually crowded out by a combination of keeper and defender.

Then a throw deep in Massey territory was won after Richard Jones had found Fox helping out wide left. The throw to Winstanley was followed by a superbly weighted pass inside the full back for Tonks to run on to. His shot was well fielded at the near post.

With the referee trying to make allowances for both sides because of the slippery nature of the pitch, it was a rare free kick on the edge of Brocton’s box which brought the home side their next chance. The kick was dealt with but, as it ran loose, hesitancy between Mick Hathaway and his keeper Mike Shelper almost let in the home side. It was a rare blip in what was becoming a steady performance.

Brocton began the second period benefiting from the wind now at their backs, but were unable to extend their lead. Massey put Shelper under pressure from a corner, but he punched out well and Scott darted through from just inside his own half to get beyond the high line of Massey’s defence. It took a foul to stop him.

Then it was Brocton’s turn to lose the ball in the middle of the pitch and the final ball played into the area and deflected on its way had to be stabbed out to safety by Andy Chandler’s fully stretched left leg.

Just into the last fifteen minutes of this entertaining match the home side finally found their way to the net as Marvin Robinson headed down in the area from a free kick for his strike partner Manoochehri to slide the ball wide of Shelper and inside the far post.

Brocton looked as though they would hold on for a draw, but in the final moments of additional time another free kick was floated into the area and the nippy Gunter took advantage of hesitancy from Brocton’s defence and glanced his header past Shelper.

Staffs FA Vase Round 2

Mercifully the threatened torrential rain and gale force winds stayed away and only began to affect the match later in the second half. The players of both sides, however  made the most of a slippery surface due to earlier rain and turned this into a game for attacking play. A spectator summed it up perfectly at half time by saying that the score could easily be 6—4. In the first period though, Brocton were irresistible. Their  finishing was the difference in the end between the two teams, but their approach play was a pleasure to watch.

As early as the second minute Richard Jones found himself with a clear run along the right flank and he put in a dangerous cross to the far post that Lee Scott was inches away from turning in. The fact that it took almost another quarter hour for the first goal to come via a Gary Fife left foot drive at the far post and an unfortunate, but unavoidable deflection from a defender into the net, was difficult to believe. In those first fifteen minutes either side could have scored twice each at least.

Casuals immediately broke down the left and won a throw close to the Brocton bye line. The throw and subsequent cross should have brought better than the header wide of the post. Tom Tonks then repeated the action for the home side and forced a  desperate defender to twice head almost vertically in an attempt to clear his lines. It was Gary Fife who eventually got his foot to the ball with a volley which was cleared off the line.

Hand ball gave Fife his next chance and his free kick was beaten out and Tonks was narrowly beaten to the rebound. Fife was involved again moments later as his attempt to pass was shinned and Casuals swept into attack. The dangerous Tony Onokah nipped in and strode towards goal, only to fluff his final shot. Then a sublime pass into Mick Fox just inside the box gave him the chance to get the ball out of his feet and beat the keeper.

It was a left footed cross from Fox which found fife in the box and a clinical shot to the keeper’s left gave the keeper no chance despite a fine dive and hand on the ball.

Scott rounded off Brocton’s scoring in the half with a simple touch in after an excellent run and a pin point cross to the far post from Jones.

With the increasing wind at their backs and an urge to get back some pride from the match, it was Casuals who dominated most of the second period and on 70 minutes they finally got the goal which their play had deserved, but this was Brocton’s day and that was the end of the scoring.