Sholing 2-0 Stockbridge

Scorers : Wayne Robinson 66, Jake Cope 83

Date: Tuesday 18 October 2022, 7:45pm – Russell Cotes Cup First Round

Venue:  Imperial Homes Stadium   Attendance : 116

Sholing : Macca Hare, Leo Taylor (Sami Makhloufi 69), Lochlan Colquhoun (TJ Cuthbertson 46), Ryan Cluett, Rob Flooks, Josh Batt, Conor Whiteley, Charlie Wagstaffe © (Brad Targett 46), Wayne Robinson, Jake Cope, Dom Panesar-Dower  Unused subs : Dan Miller, Owen Roundell

Stockbridge : Dease Kerrison, Dan Coleman, Sam Scannelli, Reece Daly ©, Dan Flux, Davy Newbold, Ross Belbin, Dan Savage, Chris Pye, Paul Abrahams, Ryan Morgans.   Subs : James Carrier, Lyndon Taylor, Jags Dusanjh, Jordan Shearman, Dean Smith

Man of the Match : Jake Cope

Boatmen were held until beyond the hour mark by Hampshire League side, Stockbridge, but finally broke through thanks to goals by Robinson & Cope, to advance in the Russell Cotes Cup.

Team News : 18 year old goalkeeper, Macca Hare, came in for his full debut after excelling for the U23's. Leo Taylor & Lochlan Colquhoun were two other youngsters given a start by Diapes.  Worty, D-Dan, Byron, Marv & Gos were rested.

It was a mild, still evening at the Imperial Homes Stadium and it was a quiet start to the match.  Stockbridge are currently joint top in the Hampshire Premier, with the best defensive record and that organisational discipline was in evidence throughout the first half. 

The visitors were restricting Sholing to long shots, with Copey going closest with a shot that fizzed over.  Apart from a ball into the box that Leo Taylor almost got to before the keeper, wasn't much goal mouth action to speak of. 

Stockbridge had a couple of attacks of their own, but nothing to test Macca Hare in goal as a forgettable first half came to an end.  HT 0-0

Diapes brought on TJ & Targett for the second half and from the off, the tempo was markably higher than the Boatmen had played in the first 45.   Kerrison in the Stockbridge goal was quickly forced into two saves, firstly from Robinson and then Conor Whiteley.  Then Jake Cope hit a screamer from 25 yards that went inches over. 

Wayne Robinson tried his luck with an ambitious overhead kick from just inside the box, which he connected well with, but the ball cleared the bar.  Brad Targett was showing his pace down the left, getting into the box several times. The game was being playing almost exclusively in the Stockbridge half and their resistance was finally beaten on 66 minutes.

Jake Cope burst through the middle and looked to be heading in on goal when he was fouled from behind, but the referee played a good advantage as the loose ball fell to WAYNE ROBINSON near the penalty spot to knock past the keeper for his 2nd goal in as many games.

Stockbridge went closest to scoring on 74 mins, when an angled shot went narrowly wide of the far post.  On 83 minutes, Sholing wrapped up the tie when JAKE COPE dispossessed a Stockbridge player, advanced into the box and coolly sidefooted past the keeper and into the far corner for his 5th of the season.

Macca was confidently dealing with what came his way, making a couple of routine saves near the end to ensure a clean sheet on his debut. 

A good performance from Stockbridge, who made us work hard for the win.  Good luck to them for the rest of the season.  Boatmen will find out soon who we will face in the next round of the Russell Cotes Cup.  FT 2-0

Next Game : Bideford v Sholing - Saturday 22 October 3pm - Southern League