RAVENS REACH NEW HEIGHTS!
COALVILLE Town set up a crunch all Step 3 quarter-final with Macclesfield after seeing off ten-man National League North club Bishop’s Stortford on Tuesday night.
The tie, switched to Aveley FC’s Parkside stadium, hinged on the 12th-minute sending off of Stortford’s Riccardo Di Trollo for holding back Ben Hart when played through on goal by Terell Pennant.
And the Southern League Premier Central Ravens took full advantage with second-half goals from Eliot Putman, Luke Shaw and Joe Doyle-Charles sealing a last eight place.
“I’m very pleased to get through the tie,” said new boss Ian King, who recently replaced Adam Stevens at the helm.
“We came down here expecting a tough game against Step 2 opposition but the sending off makes a difference to the game.
“I think it was a sending off, he was the last man, so the referee got it right, but after that we took hold of the game.
“Our message was to be patient, keep probing, keep passing it, and the spaces will open up and that’s what happened in the second half.
“We managed to get three nice goals, three nice finishes, so it was pleasing that what we said to them at half-time came to fruition.”
Coalville took charge almost immediately after Di Trollo’s dismissal without really posing too much of a goal threat.
Half chances from Tom McGlinchey, Pennant and Andi Thanoj were comfortably kept out by Bishop’s keeper Jack Giddens.
But as the game opened up after the break, the Ravens benefitted and it was no surprise when they went in front on 58 minutes following a fine move from a corner. Thanoj played the ball into Tim Berridge along the floor at the front post and he flicked on for Putman, who fired home.
Eleven minutes later, it was 2-0 when Shaw played a fine one-two with McGlinchey, putting him clean through, slotting beyond Giddens.
And the tie was over as a contest seven minutes from time - Shaw again skipping past a Stortford defender before playing the ball across goal to Doyle-Charles, who fired into the roof of the net to book a trip to the NPL Premier Silkmen.