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Sam Griffiths

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D W L

 

Kidsgrove Athletic (H) 22.8.23

In what is fast becoming a depressing annual tradition at Keys Park, Hednesford are yet again dumped out of the F.A. Cup at the first hurdle by lower league opposition as near-neighbours Darlaston complete a comprehensive and well-deserved win over their higher level opponents to move into the first qualifying round of this season's draw

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Buoyed by Tuesday night's fine performance and first win of the season at Newcastle Town, Hednesford manager Danny Glover made the easy decision to stick with the same XI that had confidently won 1-0 at the Lyme Valley Stadium; he could also call upon Lewis Wright for the first time this term as the experienced right-back was added to the substitutes bench alongside Jacob Gwilt, who was also making his first appearance of the season in the squad

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Midland Football League Premier outfit Darlaston - looking to build on their fine first season at step five last time around - had beaten Racing Club Warwick 3-1 in the previous round to set up today's local derby and a potential money-spinner against the Pitmen and their large travelling support. Manager Dean Gill made three changes to his Darlo side from the one that had drawn 2-2 at the much-fancied Lichfield City in midweek as Ben Priest, Kieron Miller and Aaron Bishop came in for Ryan Winwood, Louis Baker and Liam Wilkinson

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On a sunny August afternoon and with the expected large turnout from the visitors in full effect, the Pitmen made the brighter start to the game of the two sides and created two good openings in quick succession in the opening exchanges; in the fifth minute, Ryan Andrews had the first real sighting at goal as Desean Martin fed the ball to his midfield partner, whose low, driven effort from twenty yards out was easily saved by Will O'Sullivan in the Darlaston goal

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A succession of throw-ins down the left for the Pitmen saw the away side make progress down the flank, with Reinaldo Forbes wasting a good chance to pick out former Darlaston man Rivel Mardenborough on seven minutes as he shanked his cross out of play from a promising position near the corner flag

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On ten minutes, the away side wasted yet another good position as Ryan Andrews played in a free-kick from the left-hand side of the penalty area that was far too deep for anyone in red to reach; Michael Williams did well to rescue the ball by the corner flag and lay it off to Tom Thorley, who in turn played an off-target ball into the box that drifted over everyone's heads and out for a throw-in in the far side of the pitch

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Darlaston skipper Alex Foreshaw avoided the game's first yellow card in the twelfth minute as he sent Mardenboroughsprwaling to the ground with a mis-timed challenge just inside the Darlaston half; referee Mr Strumildo gave the defender a ticking-off but no more, with Andrews seeing his resultant free-kick headed out for a corner kick to the Pitmen once more

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A quick counter-attack from the Pitmen in the fourteenth minute saw Forbes play Andrews into a good position in space just outside the Darlaston penalty area, only for the young midfielder to dither on his shot and allow the home side to clear their lines

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The hosts had struggled to make much of an impact in the opening fifteen minutes as an attacking unit but started to come into the game as their confidence grew against their higher-league opponents. A great chance was handed to Bishop in the seventeenth minute as Thorley was guilty of cheaply conceding possession to Priest in midfield, who in turn sent Bishop away behind the Hednesford defence. With only Crane to beat, Bishop elected to try and chip the ball home but could only clip his shot wide of the far post

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The game turned scrappy midway through the first half, with both defences very much on top against two shot-shy attacks. Dixon and Mardenborough were not on each other's wavelength on twenty-one minutes as Dixon looked to play the striker in on goal with a clever reverse pass that the youngster failed to spot and the ball ran harmlessly out of play

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A free-kick from Lewis Gill on twenty-six minutes caused the Pitmen some problems clearing their lines as Martin finally managed to head the ball clear for a corner kick, picking up a knock in the process after a kick to the head from Bishop that required lengthy treatment before he could continue. Bishop was spoken to by Mr Stumidlo but escaped a yellow card

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Lewis Gill was handed the game's first yellow card of the afternoon shortly after the half-hour mark as he was involved in a melee involving Andrews and several other Hednesford players in midfield, appearing to grab Andrews by the neck as the two exchanged words. Mr Strumidlo was in a good position to observe but only showed the midfielder a yellow card for his piece in the disagreement

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Miller and Bishop linked up well to create a great chance for the hosts on thirty-four minutes as the pair exchanged passes to send Bishop into the Hednesford penalty area, with Crane producing a fine save to push Bishop's shot away from goal before Williams could bring the ball away from danger

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With six minutes of the first half remaining, Martin was the first Hednesford player to be shown a yellow card by the referee as he was booked for a foul on Bishop in midfield to stop the player from breaking into the Hednesford third of the pitch

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From the resultant free-kick, Lewis Gill played the ball into the path of centre-back Ronnie Hendricks, whose first-time shot whistled just past the post as the Pitmen tried to block the shot from eighteen yards out

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Mardenborough created a rare chance for the Pitmen all by himself on forty-one minutes as he brought down a Williams pass and swivelled on the ball before striking a firm low shot straight into the hands of O'Sullivan from the edge of the penalty area

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Crane had to be alert to a ball forward from Miller in the first of six minutes of added time as he raced out of his box to clear the danger ahead of the pacy Mikidam as the winger looked to get in on goal

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It had been a largely uninspiring first half from the Pitmen, whose bright early start had slowly dissipated throughout the first forty-five minutes and will actually have been quite happy to be going in on level terms after the home side had finished the half strongly. The hosts elected to make their first substituion of the afternoon ahead of the second half as Wilkinson came back into the side ahead of Mikidam

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Whatever Glover's half-time talk had included went straight out of the window within sixty seconds of the restart as Darlaston made a flying start to the second half with the game's opening goal; Griffiths fouled Miller to the right-hand side of the Hednesford penalty area, allowing Lewis Gill to lift the ball into the box where the ball was headed back across goal by Foreshaw and into the feet of Priest, with the full-back turning his low shot beyond the reach of Crane from eight yards out

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The Pitmen were shocked into action as the men in red looked for an immediate response; Kelly's long throw a minute later from the left was headed towards goal by Forbes but his tame effort dropped wide of the post

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Patient build-up play from the Pitmen on fifty minutes saw Kelly, Martin and Thorley all involved as they created an opening for Forbes in the inside-left position as he broke into the box, stumbling as he strode onto the ball and resulting in a scuffed cross-cum-shot that drifted well wide of the far post

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Darlaston had been boosted by taking the lead early in the second period and continued to grow in confidence against a dreadfully poor Hednesford side that was struggling to keep possession and create any chances of note. This was summed up on fifty-five minutes as Andrews and Thorley both lost possession cheaply in midfield in a matter of seconds under no real pressure from the men in blue and white

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Thorley looked to make a forward movement through midfield on fifty-eight minutes drifting past James Rowland who subsequently brought the experienced player down and was shown a yellow card for the foul

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Martin was left in a heap once more in midfield after a clash with Priest a minute later, with the Pitmen gesticulating to the referee that Priest should probably have been booked for the challenge on Martin after he had come off worst off from the coming-together

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On the hour mark, the home side made their second change of the afternoon as former Nuneaton Borough youngster Baker came on in midfield ahead of Bishop

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A brief sight at goal for Mardenborough on sixty-two minutes saw the striker nip in behind the Darlaston back line as he looked to get on the end of a Martin through ball, only for Ben Podmore to see the ball out for a Hednesford corner kick ahead of the striker

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Midway through the second half, the Pitmen made a double attacking change as Glover looked to his bench for inspiration as Wembanvuanda Star Mayemba came on in place of Dixon and Wright made his second debut for the Pitmen as he replaced Forbes

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However, Darlaston but clear daylight between themselves and their visitors a minute later as they were awarded a penalty kick by Mr Strumidlo after a cross from Rowland to the far post found Miller whose attempted cross was handled in the penalty area by Williams, who was booked for the indiscretion. Lewis Gill stepped up and sent Crane the wrong way from twelve yards out to make it 2-0 and leave the Pitmen with a mountain to climb in the final quarter of the game

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Darlaston's second goal had knocked the stuffing out of the visitors, who had no real answer to this as they continued to meander through proceedings at a plodding pace. Mayemba was afforded no space by Podmore after coming on, with the giant Darlaston centre-back putting his head on everything that came his way as the away side aimlessly pumped long balls in the general direction of the home penalty area

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On seventy-six minutes, Darlaston made their final change of the afternoon as Miller was afforded generous applause by the home crowd as he went off in favour of Charlie Manners

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Worse was to come for the visitors as their terrible afternoon in the West Midlands continued when they were reduced to ten men with eleven minutes remaining; Crane's indifferent kicking was to be his undoing as he sliced an attempted clearance straight up in the air and looked to remedy the situation by racing out of his goal to palm the ball away just outside his penalty area, prompting Mr Strumidlo to show the veteran a straight red card. Williams was sacrificed by the Pitmen to allow teenage stopper Jack Richards to come on and make his Hednesford debut between the sticks for the final ten or so minutes of the game

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Mayemba was brought down by Foreshaw midway inside the Darlaston half on eighty-three minutes, earning the Pitmen a free-kick twenty-five yards from goal. Kelly lined up the ball and struck the outside of O'Sullivan's left-hand post with a well-hit low shot at goal through the Darlaston wall

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Darlaston wrapped up a fine victory with a late third goal on eighty-eight minutes to put a gloss finish on their win and send many Hednesford supporters flocking to the car park; a throw-in from Hendricks found Rowland, whose ball into the box was turned home by youngster Baker as he was given time and space by the Pitmen to slot the ball past Richards

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It had, very simply put, been an appalling display from the Pitmen, who had deserved nothing from today's game after a limp and characterless display that had seen Darlaston ease them out of the contest with an aggressive and well-organised game plan. Hednesford have now been knocked out of the World's oldest cup competition by lower-league opposition in six of the last eight seasons, a depressing record of under-achievement that runs almost parallel to the club's ever-diminishing fortunes on the pitch in recent years. A return to league action on Tuesday night sees the Pitmen play host to free-scoring Kidsgrove Athletic, who have grabbed twelve goals in their first three games of this season and disposed of Sutton Coldfield Town 2-0 in their F.A. Cup tie today

 

Darlaston 1874: O'Sullivan, Harrison, Hendricks, Priest, Podmore, Foreshaw ©, Lewis Gill ▆, Rowland ▆, Bishop (Baker 60), Miller (Manners 76), Mikidam (Wilkinson 45)       Subs Unused: Clarkson, Leo Gill, Mason, Lee

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Hednesford Town: Crane ▆ (79), Mendez-Jones, Kelly, Martin ▆, Williams ▆ (Richards 81), Griffiths ©, Andrews, Thorley, Mardenborough, Dixon (Mayemba 66), Forbes (Wright 66)     Sub Unused: Sang, Paddock, Bower, Gwilt

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