FA Vase Fifth Round – 9 February 2013

SPENNYMOOR TOWN V BEMERTON HEATH HARLEQUINS

For the fourth round running Spennymoor Town have a home tie and today the visitors are Bemerton Heath Harlequins from the Wessex League. It’s cool but dry with hardly any wind - as good as it gets in February at Brewery Field. The winners go through to the last eight so Wembley is definitely in sight for the victors.

The latest ground improvement is a giant concertina-like contraption deployed to extend the tunnel and afford protection to the players and officials from any unwelcome interaction with the spectators in the main stand. From it emerge Spennymoor in their familiar black and white stripes and Bemerton Heath in a very un-harlequinesque plain orange. Where are the red and yellow diamonds, neck ruff and masks?

Spennymoor elect to play the first half uphill so Harlequins kick off and knock the ball well forward winning a throw. The long throw wins a corner and though the ball is cleared it comes straight back high to the far post. Here it is hooked back goalwards for Young to head in from short range. At two minutes Spennymoor are a goal down not having got out of their own half.

Stung by the indignity, Spennymoor respond and pin down their opponents with neat passing and some telling wing play from Phillips on the left and Ruddy on the right. It’s a searching examination but with plenty back and good centre half play Harlequins survive for about twenty minutes. Then from one of Harlequin’s rare excursions forward Spennymoor regain possession and a fine pass from Graydon puts full back Griffiths clear down the right; his low cross is met firmly by centre forward Davidson for a very good equalising goal.

Spennymoor continue to press, although Slade and Sanger up front for Harlequins are tall, rangy and skilful, posing a threat both in the air and onto through balls. From one free kick into the box Slade nods down to Sanger who wastes the chance by firing over. But most of the action is at the other end. On 25 minutes Spennymoor attack down the left, Cogden jinks his way into the box and crosses to Ruddy. He coolly takes a step back inside the defender before shooting high into the net.

The 2-1 lead does not satisfy Spennymoor who push hard for a killer third. Cogden again works his way into the box and unleashes a fierce shot that keeper Porter beats away. He is exposed again when a slick 1-2 provides Capper with a good chance that he slots just wide of the far post. Porter does need to intervene moments later when Dodds latches on to a cleared corner and volleys accurately towards the corner of the goal. That save is matched by another when Davidson gets on the end of a through ball and lashes it towards goal, only to see the keeper stick out a right hand to parry away.

In the last two minutes of the half Harlequins are able to get down to the Spennymoor end and with a long throw threaten to end the half as they began it. But this time the defence holds firm and preserve the 2-1 lead into half time.

Although the home team have had superiority in possession, territory and chances the one goal lead is fragile as Harlequins look dangerous when they do get a chance to attack. But in the second half they will have an unfamiliar slope to contend with.

Kicking off the second half Spennymoor get straight down to business and press forward, but it is Harlequins who have the first strike on goal from a counter attack. Spennymoor keeper Dean is up to the task and tips the shot over the bar. From the corner there are about ten players in the six yard box as the accurate kick is hung up for all to go at; Dean is just able to brush it away with his finger-tips.

Harlequins are working really hard and a spell of pressure leads to a Spennymoor clearance falling to O’Keefe. He moves forward unchallenged to the corner of the Spennymoor box and smashes a right footed shot past Dean’s left hand and into the net to bring it back to all square at 2-2.

This was not in the Spennymoor script and they lose their patient game for a spell, exchanging long balls with their opponents. As it happens one of these leads to a mistake on the edge of the Harlequin box; Cogden pounces on the error and fires mercilessly past Porter to regain the lead.

There is still about half an hour to go and although Spennymoor have regained their composure as well as the lead, the game is far from over. They do get a chance from a corner when skipper Moore, up from the back, volleys on target but straight at Porter. Harlequins go close when another corner into a crowded six yard box is headed just over the angle.

As time goes on and substitutions are made Harlequins shape up with four across the front but Spennymoor weather the storm and in possession slow the game down effectively. A Capper cross from the left is headed just over by Davidson. As the 90th minute approaches they have a good spell of passing on the right that eventually releases Walton, whose cross is swept into the net by Davidson to finally give Spennymoor a two goal advantage and enable to home fans to relax.

There are four minutes to add and Harlequins, to their credit don’t give up but try for another goal; but they are looking tired and a fifth Spennymoor goal looks more likely.

Neither occurs so a lively and entertaining game finishes 4-2 for Spennymoor who will go into the quarter-final draw fearing no-one. Will it be a fifth home tie or will their luck run out with an away trip to Guernsey?