Worcester City 2 Stafford Rangers 3
Sep 24, 2020

FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round

Wednesday 23 September 2020

Substitute Joe Cuff scored twice as Stafford Rangers overcame a potential banana skin to progress to the 2nd Qualifying Round of the FA Cup at Worcester City. The host club have experienced better days in the past but ongoing issues since they left their St Georges Lane home in 2013 saw them groundshare with Kidderminster and Bromsgrove Sporting. The knock-on effect saw Worcester opt to drop down three divisions of the pyramid.

But 2020/21 has seen Worcester return to the city at Claines Lane and it was ground building in progress as Stafford Rangers met up with their former Alliance Premier League rivals, now members of the Midland Football League, for the first time in nine years. The game got off to a lively start but had very little to show for it in the opening quarter of an hour.

That changed when Sean Brain put the home side ahead on 17 mins, but it was a goal shrouded with controversy. The goal came about following Jamie Smith’s long ball over the Stafford defence which picked out the Worcester front man.

Rangers keeper Lewis King came off his line, but Brain flicked the ball over King and walked it into the empty net. King immediately claimed handball – justifiably so according to accounts from behind the goal – but the referee waved away the protests. But, if anything, the goal kick started Rangers and, just a minute later, Jamie Sleigh was denied an equaliser by the feet of Dan Jezeph following a clever free kick from Tom Thorley.

Rangers received a further blow when Mitch Candlin was forced out of the game with an ankle injury to be replaced by Cuff. Rangers deservedly levelled on 32 minutes when Joe Kenton made Worcester pay for failing to clear their lines, nipping in ahead of Ryan Winwood before beating Jezeph with a shot the zipped off the rain-soaked surface.

Four minutes later, Cuff struck following some good approach play from Stafford. The chance seemed to have gone when Tom Turton intercepted Callum Coyle’s pass, but Cuff was in like a flash to dispossess the defender and fired Rangers in front. Jamie Sleigh came close to adding to the score before half time but a crucial intervention from Nat Kelly kept Worcester in it.

Referee Neil Pratt was seen to show two red cards to the respective managers for words exchanged as the two sides left the pitch for the break. Sleigh had another good chance to extend Rangers’ lead early in the second half but Jezeph was again on hand to make the save. Worcester sensed a way back into the game and Liam Lockett nearly found it when his low centre spooned up off Sam Coulson but, fortunately for Rangers, into the arms of King.

Chris Withington had a shot charged down and Brain saw his deflected wide by Michael Williams. The Worcester pressure was eventually rewarded on 57 minutes when Aaron Roberts forced the ball home at the back post after Luke English had flicked on a corner. Both keepers were called in to action with Jezeph tipping over a testing free kick from Thorley as Coulson moved in and King denying Nicols with a good save after Thorley had lost possession in the centre of the field.

Jezeph kept out a Coulson header while King saved a long-range drive from Turton before Cuff restored Rangers’ lead on 75 minutes with a fine individual goal. Breaking down the right, Cuff cut inside his man and let fly with a shot across the Worcester keeper and into the far side of the net.

Still Worcester came and King turned over a looping header from Roberts who put another effort wide soon after. But it wasn’t all one way as Rangers went for the kill with both Cuff and Sleigh denied by Jezeph. Worcester almost found another equaliser when Adaggio hit the post following some good possession from the home side, but Rangers held out to book their place in the 2nd round.

Worcester City: 1 Dan Jezeph, 2 Aaron Roberts, 3 Nat Kelly, 4 Craig Jones, 22 Luke English (9 Marco Adaggio 76m), 6 Tom Turton, 7 Ryan Winwood (21 Josh Willis 85m), 12 Jamie Smith, 14 Liam Lockett (15 Chris Withington 53m), 11 Sean Brain, 19 Andy Nicholls. Unused Subs: 5 Joe Hawkins, 18 Dan Okojie, 13 Ben Clay, 20 Owen Oxley

Stafford Rangers: 1 Lewis King, 2 Michael Williams, 3 Cieran Keane, 4 Sam Coulson, 5 Ben Forrest (12 Dan Burns 85m), 6 Tom Thorley, 7 Mitch Candlin (16 Joe Cuff 24m), 8 Alex Ray Harvey, 9 Jamie Sleigh, 10 Callum Coyle, 11 Joe Kenton. Unused Subs 14 Tom Carr, 15 Reece Jones

Ref: Neil Pratt
Cautions: King (Rangers)
Goals: Worcester: Brain 17m, Roberts 57m Rangers: Kenton 32m, Cuff 36m, 75m
Attendance: 300

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3:00 pm
NPL Premier Division

Stafford Rangers v Workington AFC

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