Gedling Miners Welfare bowed out of Nottinghamshire Senior Cup at the quarter-final stage on Tuesday night following a crushing 6-1 defeat to Kimberley Miners Welfare at Plains Road.

A brace each from Johnathan Jebbison and Lee Williamson with goals from Jermaine Palmer and Jordan Alls emphatically secured Kimberley’s place in the final four for the first time in the club’s history.

Looking to put Saturday’s defeat behind them and with the Senior Cup now the only chance of silverware this season, Gedling started well and in the opening 5 minutes had two excellent chances to take an early lead.

Firstly, Jack Jepson latched onto a cute Jimmy Spiers through ball but the striker could not quite get a telling touch on the ball before ‘keeper Simon Dye gratefully collected. A minute later and whilst Jepson found room between Mason Frizelle and Ellis Evans, his touch deserted him and Dye managed to smother before the danger was fully averted.

At the other end and Grant Tobin’s chipped cross to the back post was met powerfully by Jordan Alls but his header into the ground was shinned away by Danny Brown before Martin Holt relieved the pressure.

The game carried a different feel to it and was comparably different from both team’s performances at the weekend which lacked any real poise or cutting edge in a very drab affair.

Chances were aplenty in contrast and Charlie Roberts’ speculative effort from all of 45 yards on the volley that Dye watched all the way summed up a very open quarter of an hour.

As indicated in the previous fixture, the visitors showed some real promise and intent going forward and can boast professional experience in their attacking armoury and with 24 minutes played, they took the lead.

Tobin’s splitting pass between the lines found Johnathan Jebbison, and the delicate cross from the Ilkeston loanee found Jermaine Palmer at the back post and the towering centre forward rose above all to nod home past Danny Brown.

The two frontmen for Kimberley were causing a host of problems through their robustness and off-the-ball movement and teamed with Jebbison’s trickery down the right, really gave Gedling, whose attacking threat had subdued, cause for concern all evening.

Courtney Hasting’s looping header just after the half hour from a deep Holt cross was about as good as it got for the hosts and 6 minutes later they faced an uphill struggle as Kimberley doubled their lead.

Rather innocuously, as Sacha Markelic delivered a wicked cross from the left that evaded all, referee Kenwyn Hughes had ruled Roberts’ attempt to block the cross was too forceful and as the winger was felled, Hughes unexpectedly pointed to the spot under little appeal.

Nonetheless, Jebbison stepped up sent Danny Brown the wrong way to put his team into a commanding lead.

As the half wore on Gedling failed to worry an otherwise undisturbed visiting defensive unit and their any chances that did fall their way were scrappy at best. Advancing forward, Dwayne Brown’s shot from range skewed well wide of its target in an effort that summed up their opening 45 minutes in front of goal.

Things got better for the travellers when 2 minutes before the interval and their passage into the semi-final was all but sealed when they added a third.

Typically direct down the right, Jebbison found half a yard beyond Luke Smith and fired his cross-cum-shot across goal before, via a small deflection en-route, nestling into the bottom corner.

In the last action of the half and things may have worsened for the home side when Alls found space down the left in behind Roberts following an arrowed pass from Tobin but the striker, usually composed in these situations, fluffed his lines and the effort bounced wide.

Such is the common occurrence so far this campaign, Gedling came out the second half the brighter of the two sides and Jepson’s chance to reduce the arrears 2 minutes after the break, following a slip from Frizelle, was excellently tipped around by Dye but missed by the officials on the near side who awarded in favour of the visitors.

The chance came and went for Gedling endured a frustrating night all round as very little paid off against an extremely stubborn Kimberley side who were unbeaten in their last eight in all competitions prior and with 58 minutes played, they ensured they were to extend that record further.

Deep in his own half, Dwayne Brown was dispossessed by Markelic whom, with great awareness, found the onrushing Lee Williamson and the Jamaican international made no mistake in drilling the ball past Danny Brown to confirm Kimberley’s spot in the next round.

If Kimberley ever thought their leading position wasn’t unassailable by this stage then there was no question their cup hopes were well and truly alive 2 minutes later when Alls managed to bag his customary goal and his team’s fifth.

Driving with pace toward the byline, Jebbison’s run was too strong for the Gedling defence to handle and with more than enough time to consider his options, he flashed the ball across the box and Alls made no mistake in tapping home his 8th of the season.

To their credit, and exemplary toward their mentality this season through an up and down season, Gedling continued to push forward hoping for albeit a minor consolation to take from the game.

They battled hard and their efforts were rewarded with 69 minutes played. Smith’s delightfully floated corner on the far side was met by the committed Holt who overpowered his marker to head home into the bottom corner to notch a deserved goal for the home side.

Their joy was short-lived, however, as Kimberley sought to regain their 5-goal cushion. Jebbison, now looking for his hat trick, nearly accomplished the personal feat 13 minutes from time; however, Danny Brown was equal to effort with a fine low save. Williamson’s effort from the rebound crashed back off the crossbar and away to safety when it was arguably easier to score.

3 minutes later, though, and the two combined once again to round off the scoring for a free-flowing Kimberley who await Carlton Town, Basford United or the winners of Hucknall Town and Selston in the last 4.

Breaking the offside trap down the right, Jebbison raced clear and, instead of going it alone on this occasion, he pulled back to Williamson, who can boast 71 league appearances for Watford to his name, to slot home his second of the evening.

A disappointing night for Gedling on the whole as they exit a competition they had an outside chance of winning given their ability and talent. However, Kimberley deservedly progress through to the semi-finals of the competition for the first time in their 93-year history with an excellent performance marred only by Jebbison’s second yellow card for dissent 5 minutes from time.

Gedling are on the road on Saturday (2nd March) as they travel to the SR Timber Arena to face Teversal in the East Midlands Counties League, kick off 3pm.

Gedling Miners Welfare Man of the Match – Raheem Suban

Match Attendance – 115