Notts FA Senior Trophy (7 October 2023)
An earlier kick-off was seen at Church Lane this past Saturday afternoon as Linby CW (Central Midlands Alliance Premier South) and Meden Vale Colts (Notts Senior League Division One) battled it out in the opening round of the Nottinghamshire FA Senior Trophy.
Linby boss, Matt Peberday, made a couple of changes to his starting eleven ahead of kick-off, Connor Gillan replacing the ill Josh Wass, whilst new signing, Jack Smith, recently joining from Hucknall, also started.
Both sides had chances in the opening quarter of the contest, each looking to get a foothold in the tie with Dylan Walker heading wide of Wigglesworth upright in the opening minutes before J Smith volleyed an effort at Jack Walker in the home goal; Walker would push the effort onto his crossbar before catching the rebound.
Smith came close to opening his account for Linby minutes later, Wigglesworth though equal to it, before calls for a penalty for the hosts are waved away by the referee after Walker was seemingly brought down in the penalty area.
With 25 minutes on the clock, the deadlock was finally broken as Patrick Stefaniak and Ashdon Bernard combined well on the left flank, the visitors failed to deal with the resulting cross and Mason Moore fired home his first of the afternoon from ten yards out.
Minutes later and Moore was at it again, doubling both his, and Linby’s tally when he knicked the ball off the toes of the Meden Vale defence, saw his first effort saved by Wigglesworth, but followed up quickest to net the rebound.
A third was added ten minutes before the interval, Linby threatening to run away with the game in the first half; a miskick from ‘keeper Wigglesworth was fired back into the net from debutant Smith, the hosts finding themselves three goals to the good.
Shortly before the interval and the visitors pulled a goal back, an initial shot from L Jepson was saved by Walker in the home goal, however, the Meden Vale man was first to the rebound to afford the NSL side a glimmer of hope.
Moore’s afternoon was wrapped up just after hour mark when Peberday replaced him with Mitchell Slawson to freshen the attack up a little, and that move paid instant dividends for the CMA outfit; Slawson, within minutes of taking to the field, played the ball through to Ashdon Bernard, and he proceeded to lob the hosts’ fourth of the afternoon over the advancing Wigglesworth.
It would be a killer goal, putting an end to any hopes the visiting Meden Vale had, as Linby CW took their place in the next round of the Senior Trophy on the back of a comfortable, 4-1 home win.
Linby Colliery Welfare – Jack Walker, Rory Smith, Corey Wood (Ethan Fells, 75), Alex Paterson (Sanousi Ibrahim, 66), Billy Brooks, Connor Gillan, Dylan Walker, Mason Moore (Mitchell Slawson, 62), Jack Smith, Patrick Stefaniak (Ewan Gibson, 45), Ashdon Bernard (subs – Mitchell Slawson, Ewan Gibson, Sanousi Ibrahim, Ethan Fells)
Meden Vale Colts – Ryan Wigglesworth, Robbie-Jay Dickenson, Joe French, Brandon Davis, Daniel Taylor, Josh Taylor, Jake Smith, Stuart Grainger, Mason Broadhead, Alfie Gaughan, Liam Jepson (subs – Alfie Smith, James Marriott, Alistair Jones, Ellis Wigglesworth, Lasana Suso)
Linby MOM – Mason Moore
Att – 88
Official – Daniel Seward
Next up for Matt Peberday’s CMA South side, the return fixture with Teversal in the league, at Tomlin Personnel Park on Tuesday (10 October) night, before welcoming Nottingham FC to Church Lane this coming Saturday (14 October) afternoon.
