FA Vase Second Qualifying Round
22 September 2007
City find their voice and each other
by Ken Milgate

Crook Town 2                     
Castledene 71
Kokes 82 
Durham City 6
Clarke 27
Appleby 33
Dodds 45+
English 46
Capper 63
Richardson 73

After twenty minutes of play City had mustered only two noteworthy efforts on goal, an ambitious toe poke from distance by Jamie Clarke and a skied five-yarder from the unmarked Johnny Butler at the back post after Stephen Capper and Tommy English had exchanged passes on the edge of the box before the former’s defence-splitting pass.  Then the rout began, but very sotto voce.

After being fouled on the half-way line English floated over a routine cross to which Clarke rose almost nonchalantly, but the ball was soon nestling in the bottom corner of Matthew East’s goal.

John Mohan tipped over Lee Peachey’s free-kick on 33minutes before East lost the ball in a challenge with Clarke leaving Andy Appleby an open goal in which to stroke City’s second.

With his back to goal Darren Kokes swivelled and was unlucky to see his left-foot strike hit the crossbar with Mohan beaten.

It was then his counterpart’s turn to thwart Appleby, but City scored a third in first-half stoppage time, Lewis Dodds robbing his marker in a high Crook backline and coolly slotting past the keeper.

The first half was almost surreal in that neither side had imposed any authority on the game despite City’s undoubted three goal advantage.

Three became four in the first minute of the second half when English curled a free-kick round the Crook wall for an exquisite piece of craftsmanship.

Still, Crook contrived to pose a threat on the counter and Andrew Bonila could well curse Mohan’s feet for denying him on 47minutes before Butler replicated his first-half miss, again from a Capper left-wing cross.

Clarke and Appleby went close with a header at full stretch and a soft placement header respectively before sub Calvin Smith, on for Shaun Bell, spotted Capper’s run and delivered the perfect pass for the latter to register City’s fifth.

Crook were now only playing for pride and deserved their consolation goal on 71minutes when Paul Castledene’s bullet header was the sole reaction to sub Stephen Houlahan’s corner.

Another sub, City’s Steven Richardson, had English to thank for a weighted cross from which he scored with his head before Cokes doubled his side’s goal tally when he beat the offside trap and Mohan, both with ease.

Whilst not the stiffest of opponents, Crook never gave the game up as a lost cause; City remembered the merit of the simple ball and possession, not to mention vocal support and encouragement of colleagues.

Stephen Harrison and Butler are a dream duo in tandem, but on this occasion Harra gets my nomination for City’s man-of-the-match.

Crook Town – East, Bellen (McPartland 63), Morgan, Beckett, Castledene, Peachey, Bonila, Geoguis (Sammon 49), Coad, Dinsley (Houlahan 59), Kokes

Durham City – Mohan, Harrison, Capper, Dodds (Morris 76), Bowes, Smith (R), Butler, Bell (Smith (C) 55), Clarke (Richardson 67), Appleby, English

Subs not used – Connell, Pitt