GALLANT CHORLEY GO DOWN FIGHTING
Wolves given a scare after Vitinha’s wonder strike
They were attempting to make the most of their night around Victory Park, regardless of the circumstances. There was a little campfire fashioned in one front garden opposite the ground, tunes blaring, fans chatting at a distance with bubbling excitement. The flat screens were set to watchh Chorley’s heroes playing 50 yards away.
if that seemed close, Jamie Vermiglio must have felt his gallant squad were no distance at all from making FA Cup history. This was not 1986, against a browbeaten Wolverhampton Wanderers, down on their luck and plunging new depths in Division Four. it was Wolves, the europa League quarter-finalists of last season.
Chorley were magnificent. They will look back on Connor hall’s header moments after half-time, his volley over the bar soon after, and wonder what might have transpired. They refused to chase the game when a goal down, a fabulous strike by Vitor Vitinha, and continued to play.
While the Wolves lead remained slender, the non-league side had more than a glimmer, waiting for that crescendo akin to the fireworks screeching from behind the main stand.
There was a 15-minute passage when the Magpies looked set to fly, an equaliser almost appearing inevitable at one point. respect came when Wolves sent on Pedro neto, ruben neves and Adama Traore to see progression out. Traore was immediately embroiled in a row with Chorley’s gregarious goalkeeping coach, Craig Dootson. The illustrious visitors were briefly rattled.
Corner after corner. Cross after cross. each Wolves clearance came back with interest. This was very uncomfortable for them.
Chorley’s training drills 24 hours’ out from this tie were centred on quickly hitting the channels. Although the pitch was kept in brilliant condition by the groundstaff — noticeably so, given the impact of storm Christoph this week — the wide areas looked more unpredictable, more likely to offer a dodgy bounce or two.
But Vermiglio’s side were a little more methodical than that. harry Cardwell relished the aerial duals with the Wolves back three, winning more than his fair share, and runners off him fancied the scraps. elliot newby and Willem Tomlinson both broke readily from midfield, forcing John ruddy into decent saves. newby’s brother, Alex, was here last year before earning a move to League one rochdale over the summer and he did his own chances no harm on the big stage.
Bodies were thrown on the line, the shape admirably held in response to the strong team nuno espirito santo fielded. Chorley turned over a good amount of ball by harassing in the middle third.
They had arrived here unsure whether this fourth-round tie, the first in the club’s history, would be their final game of this season. The national League north is now suspended for a fortnight as the board contemplate next steps surrounding funding, grants and loans. it is entirely conceivable that the campaign is curtailed.
so in a way, Chorley were playing for their short-term futures as much as anything else. A pay cheque beyond this weekend.
What they found, though, was that on nights such as these, quality can tell from nowhere. Vitinha, on loan from Porto, picked up possession just inside the home half. not a great deal was on. he sauntered and for once, no challenge was forthcoming. Matt urwin fidgeted on his line, realising that a shot was to be unleashed and in one hurtled, from 35 yards. it swerved, wobbled and whistled past the goalkeeper. A stunner, Vitinha’s first senior goal. That was 12 minutes in but Chorley were unruffled.
hall had his two big moments, unfortunate on both occasions, but particularly from the first, the chance a product of oliver shenton’s wicked delivery.
Momentum was building for the hosts and Andy halls saw a header tipped over by ruddy.
Lower-league teams really need to take advantage of their superiority in these matches and Chorley so nearly did. They deserved to, Wolves only registering one shot on target. sadly that one was ferocious.