Mixed week for Scholars

Oct 16 2008

EVESHAM UNITED 2 CHASETOWN 0, FA CUP 3RD QUALIFYING ROUND, SATURDAY 11TH OCTOBER

CHASETOWN’S FA Cup dreams were extinguished on Saturday in a 2-0 defeat at Evesham United, as the side conceded two goals in the closing minutes, writes Dave Goddard.

The home side had the first chance on four minutes when a Mark Hands cross was fired in by Danny Scheppel, but Harry Harris cleared the shot off the line.

Chasetown struck back a minute later when Dean Perrow sent a Gary Birch cross just wide of the near post, before the striker’s attempt to lob the keeper went over the bar.

On 11 minutes the Robins were awarded a penalty after the linesman spotted Harris’s push on Mark Owen who stepped up to take the kick, but Scholars keeper Ryan Price produced a fantastic save to dive low to his right and push the ball around the post for a corner.

Danny Hodnett then produced a two-footed challenge on Perrow and although ticked off by referee Hobbis was not booked, with keeper Vaughan hacking Mark Branch’s free kick clear off the line.

Perrow was then booked after tangling with Hodnett, with Evesham’s Simon Fitter also seeing yellow after the melee. Branch then sent a free kick into the wall but gathered the loose ball to cross to Vaughan Thomas who headed over the bar.

Half time: Evesham United 0 Chasetown 0.

Perrow twice shot wide early in the second half, while Birch and Craig Holland also went close before the sides exchanged corners and blocked shots. The Scholars turned up the pressure later in the half, and had a strong appeal for handball turned down by the referee.

The game’s turning point came on 78 minutes when Danny Lennon replaced Gary Hay in the Evesham attack, and two minutes later the visitors lost Richard Teesdale with a leg injury. Lennon caused havoc on the Chasetown right, and with two minutes remaining sent in a right-footed cross which substitute Joe Williams attempted to clear, but the ball sliced away off his foot and fell back into the six-yard box for Mark Owen to head home.

Three minutes into added time Lennon picked up a long clearance, and with the Chasetown defence in his wake sent a right-footed shot across Price’s goal which went in off the far post to end the Scholars’ hopes of another long FA Cup run.

CHASETOWN 4 MALVERN TOWN 0, BGB SOUTHERN LEAGUE DIVISION 1 MIDLANDS, TUESDAY 14TH OCTOBER

CHASETOWN put the disappointment of Saturday’s FA Cup exit behind them with a 4-0 beating of Malvern Town in the BGB Southern League Division 1 Midlands on Tuesday.

Town took the lead on 25 minutes. Some neat play between Gary Birch and Mark Branch took the ball into the area, and Perrow met the cross and slotted past the keeper from three yards out.

The Scholars eventually doubled their lead shortly before the break. Harry Harris threaded the ball through to Birch, who cleverly turned and shimmied to his left before placing a left-footed shot past Humphries.

Danny Smith crossed left-footed into the area allowing Birch to drive the ball past Humphries right-footed for his second and the Scholars’ third.

On 81 minutes a Branch corner saw Thomas pop up unchallenged to head Chasetown’s fourth into the net, ending his long goal drought for the Scholars.