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FA Cup Third Qualifying Round
11 October 2008
Celtic fold under City power
by Ken Milgate
Stalybridge Celtic 1
Williams 4
Durham City 6
Cogdon 11, 27, 56
Richardson 16, 45
Toft 84
City turned a fourth-minute reverse into a six-goal rout at their more illustrious hosts’ Bower Fold to record a famous victory and move one game nearer Round One of this year’s competition.
Paul Phillips was quickly off his line on 3minutes to deny Gavin Cogdon as he chased Steven Richardson’s flick-on, but a minute later City went behind: Andy Smart’s left-foot shot came back off the crossbar, but Chris Williams made no mistake from the rebound, beating Craig Turns high in the top corner although the keeper came close to saving the effort.
A Tommy English left-foot shot from outside the box was high and wide three minutes later, but City drew level on 11minutes when Michael Laws played a ball from defence which caught out Paul Sykes , allowing Cogdon to race goalwards and score with an excellent low drive into the far bottom corner.
Five minutes later another right-wing move put City ahead when Calvin Smith picked out Richardson in the box with a well measured cross for the striker to hit home from some ten yards.
Lee Ellington all but made City pay for a defensive lapse on 22minutes, but his shot hit the post before Keith Briggs headed straight into the arms of Turns.
An English in-swinging corner gave Cogdon his second goal when he lost his marker and flicked the ball with his head into the opposite top corner.
The dangerous Williams looped his shot over the bar on 38minutes, and five minutes later Tom Sharpe headed against the crossbar.
For all their territorial advantage the hosts were paying dearly for slack finishing while City were reaping the rewards for their slickness on the counter and in front of goal.
With half time approaching Cogdon had Phillips on his knees to collect a low drive before Richardson tapped in number four after Cogdon had left Sharpe for dead as he cut inside from the left.
By rights, City should have expected an all-out blitz from the hosts at the start of the second half, but smart keeping denied Cogdon and a Richardson lob was only marginally too high as City nearly capitalized on a ponderous defence.
On 50minutes Lewis Dodds and Ashley Woolliscroft tangled in a 50-50 challenge but the referee deemed the Stalybridge defender the guilty party and dismissed him.
Six minutes later Cogdon completed a memorable hat-trick when he smashed the ball into the net from a Stephen Capper feed at the near post to crown a classic move initiated by English on the left.
Richardson was warmly applauded by the travelling Citizens as he was replaced by John Toft before virtual spectator Turns was obliged to make a routine save from a Rhys Meynell free-kick.
Shortly afterwards Smart hit a drive through a crowd of players wide of the post as the home side were running out of options and steam, a Steve Torpey shot from way out summing up the hosts’ shortage of ammunition and direction.
With ten minutes remaining a richly-feted Cogdon gave way to Adam Johnston, but it was Toft who completed the scoring when he held off defenders to convert a Dodds pass, the goal being confirmed by the assistant referee.
Substitute Matty Barlow forced Turns to concede a corner in stoppage time, but the Celtic cause had long since been a forlorn hope.
City were simply outstanding this afternoon: they worked for each other and played their natural game to their innate strengths. Lee and his backroom boys have nurtured a squad of players who believe in their own ability and strut their stuff consistently, and what is more, passionately.
This was a mighty team performance by any standards. On paper, the clubs may be two leagues apart, but in play today, City were in a class of their own.
Stalybridge Celtic – Phillips, Woolliscroft, Meynell, Sharpe, Barwick, Sykes (Keeling 46), Torpey (Barlow 75), Briggs, Ellington, Smart, Williams (Joynes 46)
Red Card – Wolliscroft
Yellow Card – Meynell
Durham City – Turns, Harrison, Capper, Dodds (Richard Smith 87), Dixon, Laws, Calvin Smith,Bell, Richardson (Toft 61), Cogdon (Johnston 80), English
Subs not used – Fisher, Morris, Jake Richardson
Yellow Cards – Harrison, Richardson, Bell
Man of the match – Gavin Cogdon
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