The Accies booked a place in the semi-finals after putting in a great performance against a strong outfit that were flattered by the eventual scoreline.
The home side roared out of the blocks and put the visitors under consistent pressure from the off. Si was snapping into tackles in the centre and Ben was picking off passes into the space behind the back 3. The rarely troubled home defence were playing crisp passes into the feet of Jamie and Swift up front who were showing for the ball and holding it well. The first half chance fell to Swifty after some neat football from left to right and his shot was well struck but just wide. Moments later Dan found Tommy in space and his solid effort curled agonisingly away from the left hand post. Elsecar tried to get the ball down to play but they had no time to do so and were guilty of being pressured into giving the ball away too often. Stan and Dan forced a corner on the left after some desperate defending.
Dan put the corner in and it looked like Si would just have to side-foot it home but their defender did well to get a toe on it for another corner. Tommy drilled it in and Stan met it on the volley with his right foot and it flew into the roof of the net. Great goal and no less than the Accies deserved after concerted pressure. Elsecar had a half chance as Godwin saved a cross-shot which fell kindly to their midfielder who blasted it against Stan’s chest on the line. A let-off that stirred the Accies into more pressing. Ben found Dan on the left hand side but he sliced the cross at the keeper, a great one-two with Jamie saw Dan through again but his firm cut-back took a bobble as Jamie tried to side-foot it home after a great dummy run from Swift created the space. Jamie played a great blind pass to Ben in the box and his firm shot hit the side netting as the away team had no answer for wave after wave of attacking football. Stan was winning everything on the left and put in a couple of decent crosses as he worked the line with Jamie and Dan. The half time whistle couldn’t come soon enough for Elsecar.
HalftimeAccies 1 – 0 Elsecar
The game picked up where it left off in the second half with all the pressing come from the Accies and the away team showing little of attacking intent. Stan played Dan into the left channel and he beat his man and found Ben on the edge of the box in space but his shot was smothered. Jamie raced for a forward ball against the keeper and was flattened after cutting it back but no penalty given. Tommy put in a superb deep cross which just eluded Swifty at the back post. The goal was coming and it arrived courtesy of a great team effort. Ryan played in Tommy who had a one-two with Si who then knocked it round the corner into Jamie whose perfectly weighted return flat footed the defence and Si ran on, dummied his man and stroked a left footed finish across the keeper and into the far corner. Terrific goal that knocked the stuffing out of Dynamoes.
The defence continued to mop everything up and were intercepting and playing the ball calmly out from the back; never looking in any danger of conceding. Dan made way for Hodder and within seconds Stan had charged through two fouls and played in a great daisy cutter that found Jamie at the back post who turned in the ball with a firm side-foot back across the keeper. The game was dead and buried and a bit of tiredness crept in and allowed Elsecar to get back into it. A scramble in the box ended with a the ball bouncing off the post and onto Stan who couldn’t prevent it from crossing the line. At the other end Swifty hit the wrong side of the stanchion as the Accies continued to press. But the home team were caught again as a break down the left allowed their striker to cut inside and float a great finish over Godders and into the corner to give the away team hope. There followed a succession of saves from Godwin to keep the Accies in front, notably a full length dive to his right after a well struck volley.
The Accies saw the game out though and were rewarded for out-classing the opposition for 75 minutes with a semi-final tie.
Full time Accies 3 -2 Elsecar
