Tuesday 5th September 2006 – Polymac Services Midland Football Alliance

Quorn 3 Rocester 0

A devastating opening twenty minutes from the home side had Rocester reeling at Sutton Park last night.

The Romans were chasing shadows, simply unable to cope with Quorn’s pace, power, and their movement off the ball, and they had goalkeeper Paul Wood to thank for a stream of fine saves which stopped them disappearing under an avalanche of goals.

Wood’s flying tip-over to keep out Steve Evans’s powerful header barely 30 seconds into the game set the tone for much of what followed.

Less than a minute later Wood was again called upon to make a top class save as Evans stole in behind the defence, this time he needed the assistance of Marc Hubbard to hoof the ball from the line as two forwards converged on the loose ball.

A great run down the left hand side by Tom Byrne set up the seventh minute opener for Evans, who finally beat Wood with a powerful rising drive that the ‘keeper still managed to get a hand to.

It was fast becoming the Paul Wood show after he kept out yet another seemingly goal-bound effort, this time from Scott Lower, but he could do nothing in the 14th minute when Jermaine Gordon gave Quorn a two-goal cushion from the penalty spot after Nick Ward was ruled to have held Evans down as they challenged for a header.

Matt Moran wasn’t far away from pulling a goal back with a curling shot following a mazy run past four defenders, but apart from that and a couple of hopeful efforts from Lee Bagley Rocester couldn’t get going.

Mick Ede and Martin Gadsby entered the fray as Damian Grocott reorganised his side, and to their credit the Romans made a game of the last hour, although in truth Quorn never looked like loosening their grip on the game.

Gadsby’s low drive, which whistled wide of the post ten minutes into the second half, was Rocester’s best effort, and Wayne Johnson’s match-long war with striker Jermaine Gordon became a feature of the game – neither player prepared to give an inch as they battled it out with each other.

Three minutes from time Quorn deservedly added a third goal when Nick Green wormed his way into the area and centred for Paul White, who rifled the ball into the net from six yards.

Quorn: Payne; Green; Wigley; Betts; Smith; O’Toole (Griffiths 78); Lower (Layfield 63); Evans; Gordon; White; Byrne (Julien 57). Subs not used: Turner; Muggleton.

Rocester: Wood; P.Johnson; Douglas (M.Ede 33); Owen; W.Johnson; Brown; Moran; Ward; Bagley (P.Ede 87); Ruddock; Hubbard (Gadsby 45). Subs not used: Clarke.

Yellow Cards:

Quorn: Betts, O’Toole, Smith & Layfield.

Rocester: P.Johnson, Brown, Ruddock & Ward.

Referee: Mr. R. Robertson (Leicester)

Attendance: 122