FA Vase 2nd Round

Winchester City 5 A F C Newbury 0

City recorded their second five-goal home cup victory in a week with a convincing display against fellow Sydenhams Wessex League side A F C Newbury. Such was City’s dominance, goalkeeper David Hook was not called on to make a save all afternoon, and the visiting side forced only once corner in the match that being in the 90th minute.

The young Newbury side chased City all over the park for the first quarter of an hour or so. City though had the warnings out when on the quarter of an hour Ian Mancey fired a half volley against the inside of the post. A free kick was played wide right to Shaun Dyke who run on before shooting into the side netting. Jamie Musselwhite set up by the controlled chest off from Mancey had another effort blocked by the crowded Newbury defence.

Twenty-five minutes had been played when City finally did net the deserved opening goal. Dyke who teased his full back all afternoon, got to the bye line before sending a low cross into the area, where Mancey guided a left foot shot past keeper Richard Burton.

The visiting side looked sprightly with strikers Billy Huntley and Ben Matthews but they could not penetrate the City defence. City just swarmed forward again. On the half hour another Dyke ball into the area this time from the left flank, Mancey laid the ball off for Christer Warren to fire low past the Newbury defence only to see the ball hit the post before rebounding back into the arms of Burton. Tommy McCormick and Musselwhite combined three minutes later to set up Mancey but the striker shot wide.

Three minutes into the second period Matt Bicknell’s cross into the box allowed a McCormick header towards goal pushed out by Burton but Mancey slammed home the rebound for his second of the afternoon. The tie was basically over.

Warren and Musselwhite both saw efforts either blocked by the Newbury defence or saved by Burton, Newbury’s best chance of the half falling to Danny Taylor but his looping header cleared the bar.

After seventy-one minutes City added their third. Liam Green sending Burton the wrong way from the penalty spot after Tom Willoughby had handled a Dyke cross.

McCormick saw a twenty-five yard drive palmed away by Burton as the game edged towards a close. With five minutes left on the clock, Newbury under increasing pressure and tiring saw a Dyke right wing cross arrive at the far post where skipper Mark Jones rose high above the Newbury defence to head home his second goal in two games.

The final goal came three minutes later, substitute Ben Kneller keeping up his remarkable scoring rate latching on to a pass from Bicknell to bury a low shot past Burton for his fourth goal in two games, a total of 39 goals sop far this season for the reserves and first team at City.

Winchester : Hook, Buckman, Bicknell, Mark Jones, Davies, Warren, Dyke, McCormick, Mancey (Rusher 86), Musselwhite (Kneller 72), L Green Unused subs R Lewis, Lang, Zawadski

Newbury : Burton, Sackman, Hearn, Thorpe (Brown 60), Tagg, Willoughby, Taylor (Strong 69), Morgan, Matthews, Huntley, Prior Unused subs Ross, Sturman, Henson