Clinical Greens clip Magpies' Wings
CLINICAL GREENS CLIP MAGPIES’ WINGS
Gorleston became the 22-23 Ashtons Legal Senior Cup Winners on Thursday night after beating Dereham Town 3-0 at Carrow Road.
A goal from Connor Deeks gave the Greens a slender lead at half time before a Craig Parker second gave them breathing room.
After a period of pressure from Dereham which saw the Magpies strike the post, Gorleston got the goal to wrap up the game as Nathan Stewart rounded the keeper and slotted home.
A very scrappy start to the game meant the ball was rarely on the floor as both teams attempted to settle into the occasion. The first real chance of the game fell to Gorleston on the 10-minute mark after Connor Ingram was fouled 35 yards out. Jacek Zielonka stepped up to take, but his looping effort was collected easily by Ross Bilham.
The game remained even with both teams utilising the width of the pitch but failing to test either goalkeeper. Dereham got their first chance of the game after clever work from Kai Thurston on the left-hand side. Thurston burst into the area and found Matt Blake with a cut back but his attempt on goal rolled wide of the post.
Gorleston looked to calm the game down by retaining possession and good build up play led to Dominic Docherty finding some space 25 yards out but Bilham could relax as his shot cleared the bar.
At the other end, Dereham’s Luke Johnson danced past two Gorleston players with some delicate footwork before his drilled cross was cleared for a corner. The following set piece was punched away by Jake Jessup before referee Ben Green awarded a free kick to the defending team for an infringement in the box.
Dereham continued to apply pressure to the Gorleston’s defence and a poor clearance from a cross on the left fell to Ryan Swift who forced a good save from Jessup.
The first yellow of the game belonged to Daniel White in the 40th minute, whose lazy challenge stopped a promising Gorleston attack. The subsequent set piece was no issue for the Dereham defence who cleared their lines easily.
On the stroke of half time, it was Gorleston who broke the deadlock. Zielonka’s corner was whipped in to the back post and proved too much for Bilham who fumbled the ball. A disorganised Dereham defence failed to clear the ball and Connor Deeks was there to smash the ball home.
Half time: Dereham Town 0 – 1 Gorleston
Gorleston started the second half brighter of the two teams with Zielonka picking the ball up on the left and his cross-come-shot brushed across the bar and drifted out of play.
Dereham wasted no time with a retaliation, as a spell of possession from the home side paid off when the ball was worked into the Gorleston area and Lewis Mason found himself unmarked but his first-time attempt was sliced wide.
Dereham continued to apply pressure as they looked for an equaliser but in the 63rd minute, against the run of play, Gorleston doubled their lead. Deeks picked up a loose ball in the middle of the park and found Connor Ingram with a perfectly weighted through ball. Ingram held the play up brilliantly and laid off to Craig Parker on the edge of the box who calmly slotted the ball into the bottom right corner.
Gorleston threatened to score a third only minutes later, and it was Connor Ingram involved again as his powerful attempt was parried away by Bilham.
In the 73rd minute Dereham had their best chance of the night as Luke Johnson was found behind the Gorleston defence with a perfectly weighted pass but his attempt crashed against the post.
Dereham were quickly punished for not taking their chances as Zielonka won the ball in the middle and found Nathan Stewart on the right of the box with a perfectly weighted pass. Stewart rounded the keeper to slot the ball home for Gorleston’s third of the night.
The game lost some momentum as the final 10 approached and Gorleston were keen to run the clock down. Dereham won a corner in the final few minutes of the 90 but failed to capitalise as Jessup got enough on the ball for his defence to clear. The final whistle blew after 4 minutes of added time and a clinical performance sees Gorleston crowned 22-23 champions of The Ashtons Legal Senior Cup.
Final Score: Dereham Town 0 – 3 Gorleston
Line ups:
Dereham Town: Ross Bilham, Chris Greenslade, Daniel White, Oliver Yun, Richard Black©, Kai Thurston, Ryan Swift, Joseph Gascoigne, Matt Blake, Luke Johnson, Lewis Mason.
Subs: Jayden Lott, Charlie Marshall, Oscar Winterbone, Alfie Mattocks, Jacob Skinner.
Gorleston: Jake Jessup©, Angus Mackie, Adam Tann, George Keys, Kyle Ingram, Connor Deeks, Connor Ingram, Nathan Stewart, Dominic Docherty, Jacek Zielonka, Craig Parker.
Subs: Mitchel McKay, Harrison Hall, Robbie-Lee Sweeney, Ross Gilfedder, Luke Goreham.
Referee: Ben Green
Assistants: Harvey Newstead & Ahmed Mohamed
Fourth Official: Ady George
Attendance: 1382
Player of the Match: Dominic Docherty
Photography: Matt Usher
Match report: Anna Larkins