NO ROYAL DAY OUT BUT JOY FOR ANCHORS
STOCKTON’S dream run in the FA Vase continues as they reached the semi-final in only their second season in the competition.
First half goals from Fred Winehouse and Jamie Owens ensured the Teessiders saw off their Hellenic League hosts.
Clubs from the Northern League have won eight of the last nine FA Vase competitions and they will be well represented in this year’s semi-finals with Stockton and Marske making up half the quota.
“We’re at the stage now where there’s only four teams left, so of course there’s dreams of Wembley. The lads are relishing it,” beamed Stockton boss Michael Dunwell.
“After the first 20 minutes, I thought we were comfortable. We had three or four chances before we scored, but were a bit nervy. Once we got on the ball we got into it and the second goal killed them off.”
The Anchors had the first chance when Max Craggs put a header wide. Owens was the first to test either keeper when he was played through by Craggs, Hugo Sobte tipping his shot wide.
Windsor, without veteran striker Barry Hayles, could have taken the lead in the 10th minute. Jack Denton played in George Gould whose shot was parried into the path of Paul Coyne. His close-range effort forced Dale Mulligan into a brilliant goal-line clearance. The breakthrough came on 27 minutes. Craggs delivered the ball to Tom Coulthard at the back post who headed across to Winehouse to tap-in on the edge of the six-yard box. The Anchors then crucially doubled their lead three minutes from the break when James Ward found Owens who headed past Sobte. The first half had been endto-end, Stockton edging the chances. In contrast the second period was flat. Windsor looked to fight back and had a lot of possession, but failed to create clear-cut chances – Kieran Knight denied by Nathan Mulligan’s challenge. Manager Michael Woodham groaned: “It was a flat performance at times. “First-half we were second best, second half was better but we didn’t really test their keeper.”