FA Cup 2Q

26th September 2009

Attendance - 286

Team - Woodhead, Lyth, Leeson, Ingram, Burgess, Hanson, Hassan, Beadle, Blott(Dalton 78), L Gildea(Ormerod 63), Charlton. Subs not used: Ovington, Seaton, Poskett.

Report - by Andrew Snaith - Five well-taken second half goals, including four for Vauxhall's Lee Furlong, sent Town spinning out of the FA Cup in spectacular fashion at the Turnbull Ground on Saturday. Second-bottom Conference North side Vauxhall Motors, without an away win all season, made their one division advantage count against a Whitby outfit who allowed their heads to drop late on.

Blues manager Harry Dunn was without skipper Tony Hackworth who completed a three match suspension, with fellow midfielder Alex Gildea ruled out with an ankle injury sustained last weekend. Wing-back Brian Close and goalkeeper Dave Campbell also missed out with injury, though Denny Ingram was fit to start and Anthony Ormerod to take the bench.

And the Seasiders perhaps should've led on 26 minutes when there appeared little wrong when Christian Hanson's header on was driven home from close range after Motors keeper Danzelle St Louis Hamilton appeared to lose control of the loose ball after an initial catch. But the goal was chalked off for an apparent foul on the away side's former Stoke City gloveman.

Jimmy Beadle and Kevin Burgess shot wide and Furlong saw a decent effort deflected off target. The only other incident of note came when Liam Gildea was fouled by James Holden, losing control of the ball, then jumping into a rash challenge on full-back Josh Wilson. The Whitby man a tad lucky to only recieve a yellow card after Wilson was unfortunately stretchered off and played no further part.

The deadlock was broken three minutes into the second half when Furlong nodded across Blues keeper Tom Woodhead and into the opposite corner of the net after arriving unmarked at the left edge of the six yard box. The Unibond Premier Division hosts, struck by the loss of talismanic Danny Brunskill to work commitments, showed why they'd only mustered three goals in their last five outings. Anthony Ormerod, the architect of a late equaliser in the league just 10 days ago failed to inspire when replacing Gildea on the hour.

That proved the difference maker and when Furlong found the roof of the net after a neat move, and Chris Noone made it 3-0 just seconds later, the game was all but over. Whitby's defence certainly thought so and there was some lazy body language late on that practically handed Motors their final two goals.

Furlong promptly completed a hat-trick with nine minutes remaining after being left totally free. And there was even time for the ex-Southport striker's fourth- chipped over teenage keeper Woodhead despite a huge suspicion of offside. Perhaps just as important as a disappointing FA Cup exit, was the loss of a potential £4,500 worth of prize money for the winners.