Gedling and Forest U21’s are no strangers to each other after the sides met last year at the quarter final stage with the Premier League academy side running out 7-0 winners.
This year Gedling are having a much better time in the league sitting just
outside the play-offs but knew the standard of opposition they were facing which included Harry Arter who has racked up over 70 premier league appearances.
In front of a strong crowd of 440 the game stared quite evenly but on the 5th minute the visitors took the lead. Steven Brett attempted back pass was weak and allowed the Forest forward to go 1v1 with Josh Mitchell and the ball found the bottom right hand corner.
Gedling reacted strongly and grew more and more into the game and on the 25th minute they were rewarded with a goal of real class. Gian Ciaurro, who scored his first goal for the club on Saturday found space in the Forest half and he hit a great right footed strike from 25 yards that found the bottom left corner leaving the visitors keeper no chance for his second in as many games and to make the score 1-1.
The game continued on the same pattern with neither keeper really being tested until the 40th minute where Mitchell was called into action after a ball down the right saw Joe Gardner get in but Gedling’s keeper did well to tip his effort onto the post and the teams went into half time level.
The visitors came out the second half bright and on 54 minutes they retook the lead after a good cutback was smashed in off the crossbar leaving Mitchell no chance.
Gedling continued to stay in the game and again restricted the visitors for most of the half but on 70 minutes Forest had a two goal advantage, Mitchell saved a 1v1 but the ball cannoned off Adrain Hawes and it trickled over the line and on 75 minutes the game was put to bed as a ball round the corner was slotted just past Mitchell despite him getting a hand to it.
But on the 86th minute Gedling were awarded a penalty after Buba Ceesay drove past three players before being bundled over in the area. However, Muta Eisa saw his effort from the spot saved to keep the score at 4-1.
This was how the game finished as Gedling exit the cup but the lads can take many positives from the performance in what all in all was a brilliant day for the club and we are back at Plains Road this Saturday as local rivals Radford are the visitors.
Gedling Team : Josh Mitchell, Daniel Momah, Buba Ceesay, Ross McCaughey, Steven Brett
(Exauce Nsiala 79’), Adrain Hawes, Josh Thornton (Charlie Roberts 83’), Kieran
Harrison (Victor Somoye 79’), Gian Ciaurro (Muta Eisa 65’), Jack Vipond (Jack
Jepson 65’), Cedric Nguedon.
