Monday 29th January 2018
EvoStik NPL Integro League Cup Third Round
at Greenwich Avenue
Basford United (1) 3
James Reid 28 Pen, Keiran Fenton 74, Liam Hearn 77
Kidsgrove Athletic (0) 0
Admission £7. Programme £2. Attendance 114
The visitors keeper, Dave Parton, was called into action with less than two minutes gone, when he reached Courey Grantham's effort at full stretch down by his left hand upright, the same post that Grantham hit a few minutes later after he'd been played through by Fernando Bell-Toxtle and only had Parton to beat.
Ross Davidson, the Kidsgrove captain had his sides first goal scoring opportunity, but couldn't keep his shot down and cleared the crossbar from outside the area.
Basford were having the better of things but when Lee Cropper made some space for himself twelve yards from their goal, they would've been relieved as he struck his shot against the post.
Approaching the half hour mark, the home side took the lead as Jamie Reid made no mistake from the spot after Courey Grantham had been fouled inside the Kidsgrove penalty area.
It was Grantham's first game back from injury and on tonight's showing, where he was offering the home side no end of options, his presence is going to be like a new signing for Basford as they head into the second half of the season.
Both sides threatened from long range shots as half time approached, with Kyle Diskin forcing a save from Saul Deeney, while Parton was well placed to collect Bell-Toxtle's dipping effort and Thornhill's well struck piledriver.
Kieran Wells, was making his presence felt and seemed to be enjoying inflicting his typically robust approach on the visitors in a manner befitting a decent prop forward (don't ever change pal) and he almost doubled the hosts lead when he directed a header narrowly off target, moments before the interval.
HT: United 1 v Athletic 0
The game ebbed and flowed but as the second half moved on, Basford began to take over proceedings, Aidan Austin had two chances, Grantham saw his angled shot fizz across the face of the goal before Parton got down well and held onto it and despite some rugged defending and a great performance by Parton, Kidsgrove were finally put to the sword with two goals in the space of three minutes, when Fenton connected well with Reid's left wing corner and bulged the back of the net shortly before Lewis Carr's right wing cross, glanced off the bum of visiting defender into the path of the vastly experienced striker Liam Hearn who shot into the ground from close range, before the ball bounced past Parton to give Basford an unassailable three goal cushion.
Kidsgrove, who had arrived in a mini bus just twenty five minutes before kick off, had had their moments earlier in the game, but now looked like a well beaten side, as a flood of amber shirts towards their area, signalled how dominant Martin Carruthers side had been after half time.
The finaloutcome was a fair and just one, and the best team on the night won.
Good luck to Basford United in the quarter final of this competition.
FT: Basford United 3 v Kidsgrove Athletic 0
A decent game all told.
