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FINAL COUNTDOWN FOR ADDERS

FINAL COUNTDOWN FOR ADDERS

DAVID TURNER21 Feb 2018 - 08:19
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Adders secure a place in the BCFA Midweek Floodlit Cup Final with an emphatic win at The Beehive.....

A Luke Shorthouse brace in the first-half and further goals by Mitch Thomson and Alex Naughton secured Adders a place in the BCFA Midweek Floodlit Cup Final in a largely one-sided game at The Beehive.
The result was never really in doubt after Shorthouse got his first of the game in the 27th minute, as Adders out worked and outplayed their MFL Division 1 rivals from start to finish.

Adders welcomed back four of Saturday's five absentees, with just Alan Miller missing out with his long term knee injury.
Ivor Green made two changes to the team that beat Lichfield City on Saturday, with Scott Goodby and Nathan Haines replacing Danny Harris and Ky Green.

The teams spent the first fifteen minutes feeling each other out and trying to cope with the uneven bounce of the pitch with defenders having to be extra careful when clearing even the easiest of balls.

Adders created half chances through Thomson in the 2nd minute and Naughton in the 11th, who both shot over when well placed, but it was the home side that created the best two openings.
In the 7th minute Garvey got in behind Gray on the right, he squared the ball inside to King who with a two on one situation over-hit his pass to Cowley and the chance had gone.
Five minutes later they had an even better chance when Cowley crossed from the left, King cushioned a header to an unmarked Nicol 8 yards out, but his finish went high and wide of the mark.

The game swayed in Adders favour in the 27th minute as Alex Naughton lifted a ball in behind Clarke and Dineen at the heart of the home defence and Luke Shorthouse finished with aplomb from just inside the area.
Less than a minute later Naughton nearly made the home sides' problem twice as bad as he saw Young stray from his goal line and from fully 40 yards he beat the home custodian but his effort went narrowly wide.

The pitch was proving troublesome for defenders and Garvey bundled his way through a couple of uncertain tackles on the half hour but could only bobble a shot wide of Woodwards' far post.

In the 39th minute Studley's missed opportunities came back to haunt them as Adders doubled their lead.
A Kyle Baxter corner from the left found Naughton at the near post, he in turn found Ryan Quinn who burst past the full-back and crossed to an unmarked Shorthouse who finished from six yards.

Adders now visibly grew in confidence with Thomson, Gould and Quinn getting themselves on the ball higher up the pitch and Baxter and Goodby controlling things centrally.
However the final chance of the half fell to the home side when Haines misjudged the bounce of a long ball down the middle leaving Garvey a clear run in on Woodward but the Adders keeper came out on top to send them in 2-0 to the good at the break.

Half-Time: 0-2

Adders came out for the second-half with an air of authority about them, Shorthouse missed an early chance to get his hat-trick when his shot was saved by Young, but five minutes later they had one foot in the final.
Good work by Gould and Naughton on the left freed up Mitch Thomson 20 yards out and he arrowed a shot wide of Young in the home goal and into the bottom corner.

Naughton missed a chance on the hour mark to extend Adders lead lifting his shot over, then the game began to get a little scrappy with a number of yellow cards for both sides as some of the tackling started to get a little close to the mark.

Thirteen minutes from time the home side missed what was proven to be their last chance to get back in the game, Cowley broke down the left exchanged passes with substitute Fellows, but lifted his shot over the bar from 8 yards.

The introduction of Walker-Donovan, Williams and Harris from the bench added fresh legs to the Adders midfield for the latter stages of the game and Harris created two chances for Naughton with bursts into the box, the first of which he lifted over and the second was touched onto the bar by Young.
Those two chances proved to be a dress rehearsal for the real thing when he caught Dineen in possession four minutes into injury time, rounded Young and put the icing on the cake with Adders fourth.

All in all a very professional performance by an ever improving Adders side that still have a hell of a lot left to play for as the last couple of months of the season approach.

Full-Time: 0-4

Midland Commercial Property Services M.O.M: Luke Shorthouse

Atherstone Town: Woodward, Eggleton, Gould (Harris), Haines, Gray, Goodby, Quinn (Walker-Donovan), Baxter, Naughton, Thomson (Williams), Shorthouse.
Subs Not Used: Bilic, Green.

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