After having no game for 2 weeks Avonmouth today welcomed Coney Hill for a Quarter Final GFA Cup tie. They had an impressive win against our friends from Slimbridge in the previous round so we knew we would have to be at our best against this Gloucester team to progress any further in the competition.
Avonmouth started on the attack looking for the early goal & after a few half chances deservedly took the lead on 8 minutes. Sam Eastwood won the ball in midfield & then sent a lovely pass through for Mitch Harris to run onto & after brushing off a couple of defenders smashed his shot past the Coney keeper. A few minutes later a Sam Reynolds cross was deflected against his own post by a Coney defender. Then in a near carbon copy of the first goal Alex Wilkins sent Harris away but this time his shot produced a good save by the keeper. Although Avonmouth were on top at this stage Coney were dangerous on the break. First, following an attack on the left a striker suddenly found himself with only the keeper to beat but his shot went wide of the post. On another attack a cross was punched clear by keeper Ryan Scott but it went straight to an away player whose attempt at goal was then deflected wide for a corner by Scott. However, Avonmouth had most of the possession & despite being frequently frustrated by offside decisions, eventually got their second on the half hour mark. Great chasing down by Montel Riches meant that the ball out of defence was only partially cleared to Prevan Rajh on the left, who then sent a pin point pass to Harris who after a few touches struck his shot past the keeper. Avonmouth were winning most of the 50-50s all over the pitch but despite creating frequent half chances no further goals came in the first half.
Half time: Avonmouth 2 Coney Hill 0
Straight from the restart Avonmouth went for the game clinching third goal but various excellent chances to score came & went. The home team were dominant and it became a game of attack & defence. Thoughts began that would Avonmouth rue all the many missed opportunities however, all the nerves disappeared when the important third goal arrived on the hour mark. Good play by Harris enabled James Skelton to shoot at goal but his attempt cannoned off the bar. However, the ball was not cleared & arriving from midfield Eastwood collected the ball & smashed his shot high into the net. Within minutes it became four when following a good run on the right, Harris put an excellent cross in that found Skelton at the back post who drove his shot in from close in. It soon became five with a replica of the previous goal but this time a cross by Montel Riches found Lukas Tsiopani at the far post who calmly passed the ball into the back of the net. The match was now won but Coney got a consolation goal on 70 minutes when a lack of Avonmouth concentration allowed a striker time to slip the ball past the advancing Scott & into the net. Coney almost immediately got a second goal, but was denied by an excellent save by Scott. In the remaining 10 minutes Avonmouth still created more chances to score but each one was squandered however, when the final whistle came the home team had deservedly won through to the next stage in the competition.
Today produced another convincing win & performance by the team. The muddy pitch was not conducive for good passing football but the boys still tried to do so & some of the play today in the conditions was excellent. The only downside was all the excellent chances that were missed & in tight matches this could prove costly. However, we are creating these chances & again today everybody battled & played their part in the victory. We can now look forward to a semi-final appearance in a major cup competition – well done to all the boys.
Full Time: Avonmouth 5 Coney Hill 1
