FA Vase First Round

Whitehead stoops to conquer
Gordon Foster, 4 October
Photos by Derek Bentley

Rainworth Miners Welfare 2

Deeping Rangers 1

RAINWORTH defender James Whitehead vindicated manager Rudy Funk’s decision to switch him up front when he came up with an 81st-minute winner against United Counties side Deeping Rangers, to send the Wrens into the next round of the Vase.
But the match, between the two fifth-placed clubs of their respective step five leagues could not provide the five-star entertainment that had been on view in Welfare’s 2-1 victory over Selby Town last Tuesday.
Both sides found it hard to come to terms with the swirling wind, which played a part when Mitchell Griffith’s 37th-minute equaliser for Rangers cancelled out Ant Lynam’s opening strike 10 minutes earlier.
And after an uninspiring second half the tie looked to be heading for extra time and a possible Tuesday replay until Whitehead’s headed winner—especially with both home strikers withdrawn.
The Wrens manager explained: “Sometimes you have to use your initiative and make these decisions. Ant Lynam was struggling with his back and Julian Topliss wasn’t quite on his game today, so both front lads were lacking what they had on Tuesday night when they were superb.
“So we made the changes and gave our skipper Lee Wilkinson a few minutes of action after his injury, and it worked for us.
“We made hard work of the win. You could see how Deeping approached the game with one man up top, and they made life difficult for us in the middle of the park.
“They held their line well defensively so well done to them for their organisation—they had clearly done their homework, which is good to see at our level.”
Funk made just one change to the starting line-up from Tuesday, re-instating Matt Draper into defence following his injury. But the injury was aggravated late in the first half leading to his withdrawal.
For Rainworth, Brendan Sweeney put in another classy performance which was head and shoulders above anything else on the park on the day, and he almost set up an eighth minute lead for the Wrens with some fine work on the right. However, the incoming Danny Naylor could not quite connect at the far post.
And in the 15th minute Cameron Fearon did not gain enough height almost under the bar to meet Simon Wright’s corner.
Rainworth looked the more dominant side at this stage, and Rangers keeper Lee Jordan did well to deny Sweeney after Matt Baxter had broken the offside on the left and switched the ball infield.
Sweeney then won the ball on the right and blazed a path between Ben Porter and Dan Hussey to set up Lynam whose low 12-yarder was again well saved.
Jordan also got a strong hand to the ball when Lynam cut in from the left to shoot at goal in the 27th minute, but this time it wasn’t quite strong enough and the keeper could not keep it out.
It was a deserved lead at this stage, but it lasted only 10 minutes. Then Porter tried his luck with a long range shot on the swirling wind, which made it hard for Mark Hales to hold. The keeper could only parry the ball downwards, and Mitchell Griffiths—probably Deeping’s best player on the day—was on hand to put away the rebound.
Four minutes before the break Draper pulled up and had to be replaced by Ian Streather, but either side could have taken the lead before half time.
First Topliss fed the ball down the right to Lynam who cut in. Jordan parried the initial shot and the striker could only put his follow-up behind off the outside of the near post.
At the other end Fearon came up with a well timed challenge, doing just enough to force Dan Jacobs to finish wide from Griffiths’ astute low cross.
The third quarter of the match was notable only for its inaction, with nothing at all of note until the 66th minute when Luke Kennedy’s 20-yard pot shot was too high.
That, though, signalled a step up in pace, and more excellent work by Sweeney won a corner from which substitute Jermain Hollis’ shot took a deflection off John Paul Duncliffe, wrong-footing his keeper who did well to twist and fall on the ball as it arrowed towards the net.
Deeping broke quickly from that, and Hales came off the better in a one-on-one with Jacobs who had made ground down the flank and run in.
James Dean’s diving header from a Deeping corner took enough of a deflection to go for another flag kick, and Porter lifted a 20-yard free kick too high as for a time the visitors looked rather the more likely to snatch a winner.
Rainworth introduced Wilkinson in the 78th minute, pushing Whitehead forward to partner Hollis up front, and it paid dividends three minutes later.
Sweeney, who minutes earlier had seen a venomous 20-yarder brilliantly turned over the bar, launched the move with a visionary ball to Wright on the left, and Whitehead met the cross with a stooping header to settle the tie.
Rainworth might have added to their lead, Hollis firing an angled drive from the left of the box just past the far post, and Danny Naylor profiting from a rebound off referee James Thornhill in the area in stoppage time but seeing Porter clear his effort off the line.

RAINWORTH: Hales, Fearon, Wright, Whitehead, Albery, Draper (Streather 41), Baxter, Naylor, Topliss (Wilkinson 78), Lynam (Hollis 54), Sweeney. Subs not used: Charlesworth, Smith.

DEEPING: Jordan, Duncliffe, Porter, Griffiths, Holyoak, Hussey (Stevens 83), Kennedy, Dean, Paul, Musgrove, Jacobs. Subs not used: Goode, Cornell.

REFEREE: James Thornhill of Ilkeston.
ATTENDANCE: 118.

GOALS: Rainworth—Lynam 27; Whitehead 81. Deeping—Griffiths 37.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Brendan Sweeney.

Scenes of disgrace by Bedworth fans mar cup exit

FA Cup qualifying round II

Bedworth Unted 2 Rainworth MW 1

Report by Gordon Foster

DISGRACEFUL scenes marred Rainworth's disappointing exit from the FA Cup at Bedworth United on Saturday, both on the pitch and among the crowd behind the dugout.
With 15 minutes to go and the Wrens trailing 2-1 their physio Dave Nicholls was blatantly kicked and floored by a member of the Bedworth dugout as he tried to return the ball into play quickly. The incident sparked a riot both on the pitch and among a band of drink-fuelled Greenbacks so-called supporters gathered behind the dugouts and in front of the clubhouse door, who drenched the members of the Rainworth bench with quantities of beer.
It took the shine off an absorbing match which Rainworth should have had in the bag by half time, had they taken a few of their chances.
The Wrens had taken a deserved lead through Julian Topliss in the 38th minute, but the game turned on two Bedworth goals, one in stoppage time at the end of the first period and one in the opening moments of the second.
Rainworth made several changes from the side which drew 3-3 with Hallam on Tuesday. Jermain Hollis dropped back from his striker role to slot in at right wing back, while Simon Wright returned to the left back berth in place of Nathan Hollingworth.
After sustaining an injury against Hallam on Tuesday, Ant Lynam was passed fit to play up front where he was partnered by Julian Topliss, but Cameron Fearon, who also sustained an injury on Tuesday, slotted onto the bench.
There were starts also for James Whitehead in defence and Brendan Sweeney in midfield.
Bedworth included former Hinckley United midfielder Sam Shilton, son of former Nottingham Forest and England keeper Peter.
Home keeper Andy Kemp just won a race for possession with Lynam on the edge of the area in the third minute as Rainworth made the brighter start, while Craig Charlesworth dispossessed Ashley Robinson in the Wrens’ box as the home side threatened for the first time.
Jason Moore’s downward header dropped wide from Gary Moran’s cross, but Rainworth were quickly back in the ascendancy.
And when Lynam was fouled some 20 yards out Kemp brilliantly tipped Ian Clarke’s goalbound free kick around his post, Gilbert Cummins heading the corner away.
Kemp did enough to force Topliss wide as Rainworth continued to dominate, and Lynam’s 30-yard free kick skimmed just the wrong side of the post.
Twice Topliss broke into the area from the left, but on both occasions his final touch let him down when a goal looked porbable.
Bedworth hit back, and Charlesworth and Whitehead both conceded corners as Matty Blair ran dangerously into the area from the right.
Lynam should have done better inthe 34th minute after beating the offside, but needed too long on the ball and was effectively closed down by Cummins.
But the Wrens gained the lead they deserved in the 38th minute. Matty Lee was booked for hands on the right touchline, and the free kick led to a scramble in the box with several attempts blocked before Topliss finally put it away.
As the first half entered overtime Lynam blazed a path between two defenders only to fire straight at Kemp, but it was Bedworth who equalised when Shilton was allowed space to cross from the left and Robinson rose highest to head home.

Barry Alberry replaced Charlesworth for the second half, which was only 50 seconds hold when Rainworth were stunned by a fluke goal. Hales appeared to have Jason Moore's shot well covered but it struckthe unlucky Matt Draper and flew into the net out of the reach of the wrong-footed keeper.
The shellshocked visitors struggled to recover from the setback and Robinson had the ball in the net again in the 49th minute. Mercifully the relieved Wrens were reprieved by an offside flag.
Bedworth, who had been under the cosh for so much of the first half, looked a rejuvenated outfit, and Draper charged down another Moore effort then Whitehead did well to challenge in the area as Moore threatened again.
As Rainworth began to look for a way back the always lively Hollis made a fine run down the right, but crossed to Lynam whose effort was blocked.
However, Hales had to be at his best to tip over a wicked 35-yard free kick from Shilton, and then smothered the ball as the home side appealed for a penalty after two plyers had gone down in the area under challenges.
Kemp needed lengthy treatment of over three minutes after twisting his ankle, but opted to try to play on although clearly struggling.
But it all turned nasty shortly afterwards when Rainworth physio Dave Nicholls was kicked on the shin by a Bedworth player as he tried to get the ball back into play quckly. It sparked dreadful scenes including alcohol thrown by the home fans at the Rainworth bench occupants from behind the dugout.
Play was delayed for around five minutes, and the guilty fans sent behind the goal—they should have been ejected from the ground—and Kemp made way for goalkeeping coach Paul Shepherd before play resumed.
The incident took the shine off the game, but Rainworth still had two chances to force a replay in seven minutes of stoppage time, Danny Naylor and Alberry both finishing off target, but there had been much more time lost through the second half and the official undoubtedly ended the match at least three minutes too early.

BEDWORTH: Kemp (Shepherd 83), Moran, Lee, Connelly, Cummins, Allen, Koriya, Blair, Robinson, Moore (Beard 61), Shilton (Kabongo 90+3). Subs not used: Brown, Edmond, Petty, Lenton.

RAINWORTH: Hales, Hollis, Wright, Whitehead (Fearon 90+7), Charlesworth (Alberry ht), Draper, Baxter, Clarke, Topliss, Lynam, Sweeney (Naylor 58). Subs not used: Jones, Hollingworth, Wilkinson.

REFEREE: Robert Lovegrove MBE of Redditch.

ATTENDANCE: 210.

GOALS: Bedworth - Robinson 45+1; Moore 46. Rainworth - Topliss 38.

CAUTIONS: Bedworth - Lee 38 (hands); Koriya 90+5 (failure to retreat at free kick). Rainworth - Alberry 49 (foul on Robinson).

WRENS MAN OF THE MATCH: Jermain Hollis.