AFC Wulfrunians vs Gresley FC
AFC Wulfrunians 4 - 1 Gresley Youth
This was a match that began badly for Gresley with several players being held up by heavy traffic and having trouble locating the ground, resulting in the match being delayed by fifteen minutes and the subsequent lack of preparation being compounded by having to play against a near gale-force wind in the first half.
The Wolverhampton outfit took full advantage of the conditions and exerted early pressure which resulted in the visitors being caught cold, Mike Brooks getting behind the defence to open the scoring inside the first two minutes.
Gresley were struggling to clear the ball from their own area and were getting pinned down, resulting in a penalty being awarded to the hosts five minutes later.
Luke Hemingway pulled off a marvellous save to thwart Tom Piggott, only for an over-zealous linesman to rule that the keeper had moved off his line and the same player duly blasted the ball into the net at the second attempt.
The Gresley stopper was the busiest player on the pitch at this stage and keeping his side in the game, highlighted by another, legitimate, penalty save after an opposing striker had been felled in the area.
The hosts were virtually having things all their own way and dictating play with Gresley rarely able to mount any sort of attack and get out of their own half, Wulfrunians' Jack Marsh further adding to the score seven minutes before the interval as he broke through the defence and applied a good finish.
An opportunity to inflict further damage was spurned when a home player skied the ball over an open goal.
H/T 3 - 0
With the wind now at their backs, Gresley were confidently expected to mount a second-half comeback, but the expected pressure never materialised, with the hosts showing how it should be done with good passing movements and retention of the ball.
Gresley's Callum McBride shot high wide and handsome, closely followed by Rikki Birch firing in at the keeper to register his team's first effort on target with two thirds of the match gone.
Hemingway punched clear from an opposition cross, the follow-up strike hitting the base of post before a spell of Gresley pressure saw Jake Sharpe putting a shot high over the bar and then having a header saved on the line.
Wulfrunians were confidently well in control, keeping their visitors on the back foot and subsequently knocked in goal number four on 81 minutes as Tom Dwyer went through and slipped the ball past the keeper.
Birch collected Gresley's consolation goal in added-on time when he let fly with a wind-assisted 30 yarder that sailed over the home custodian's head.
Scorers: Brooks 2, Piggott (pen) 7, Marsh 38, Dwyer 81 (Wulfrunians); Birch 90+1 (Gresley).
Gresley: Hemingway, Guest, Metcalfe, M.Gee, Hickman, Curtis, Kirk (Hammerton 76), Simpson(Francis 65), McBride (S.Gee 77), Birch, Sharp.
