Saturday 29th October 2005

F.A. Vase 1st Round

Rocester new boy Leroy has off day

Rocester 0 Carlton Town 2

LEROY MAY heaped more misery on Rocester with a red card on his debut at Hillsfield on Saturday.

The former England non-league striker received his marching orders for an off-the-ball incident that floored Carlton Town's David Jephson.

Predictably, there was no end to the Romans nightmare start to ths season as Nottinghamshire visitors Carlton Town grab claimed victory in the first round of FA Vase with two second half goals.

There was little to choose between the sides in a lacklustre first half with only two moments of note.

After 12 minutes, a looping cross from Rocester’s Nathan Gallagher forced Carlton goalkeeper John Mountain to tip the ball over his crossbar.

And 20 minutes later, Rocester keeper Paul Wood got down smartly to keep out a fierce, angled drive from Carlton’s Steve Chaplin.

In the second half, however, the visitors raised their game and were aided by May’s dismissal after the incident which left Jephson prostrate on the ground.

Almost immediately afterwards, the Romans had a chance to snatch the lead when Paul Tortoishell’s close-range effort was deflected over the Carlton crossbar and from the resultant corner Carl Allen’s firm header was held at full stretch by Mountain.

Rocester, however, went behind after 67 minutes when Allen’s miscued clearance fell to Carlton’s Scott Pikard, whose low drive beat both Wood and defender Tony Collins on the goal line.

Needlessly, Carlton then resorted to roughhouse tactics in the closing stages with both Grant Brindley and captain Michael Martin lucky to escape with only yellow cards for scything tackles on Rocester substitute Lee Bagley as he twice threatened to break clear of the visitors’ defence.

Tortoishell did find himself with only Mountain to beat 10 minutes from the end but the keeper deflected his shot with an outstretched leg.

In the third minute of added time at the end of the tie, Carlton substitute Allan Jefferies was allowed to break away on the left from a clearly offside position and to centre the ball for Phil Bignall to score a simple second goal for the visitors.

ROCESTER: Wood, Gallagher (Smith 80), Collins, McCarron, Allen, Ruddock, Caswell, Barnett (Bagley 68), May, Tortoishell, Hancox; subs not used: McCauley, Bloor, Richards

CARLTON TOWN: Mountain, Thomas, Jephson, Brindley, Martin, Cane (White 72), Campbell (Jefferies 72), Gent, Bignall, Chaplin (Piliero 70), Pikard.

Uttoxeter Advertiser (Published on 02/11/2005)