Gainsborough Trinity 1 v Kidsgrove Athletic 1 - Kidsgrove won 9-10 on pens - NPL LC R3

Tuesday 18th February 2020
The Integro NPL League Cup Third Round
at the Martin & Co. Arena, The Northolme
Gainsborough Trinity (0) 1
Gregg Smith 59
Kidsgrove Athletic (1) 1
Lee Williamson 13 pen
Attendance: 135
Kidsgrove won 9-10 on penalties.

Trinity were were reinstated into the Integro Cup Third Round, after Lincoln United, who had beaten the 'Holy Blues' at the Northolme, following a penalty shoot-out in the previous round, were removed from the competition for fielding a player in that game, who was ineligible to turn out in this competition.
Or, as an excitable youngster from Gainsborough told me, in the run up to tonight's kick-off: "Lincoln were booted out of the cup because they had an illegible player!"
You've got to love the inadvertent humorous usage of a decent malapropism.
Though I'm a fine one to talk when it comes to wuddling my mords up.

Trinity's defeat to Stalybridge at the weekend, was their first loss in twelve games, as they've undergone a complete transformation, on a par with a revolution, under the management of Curtis Woodhouse.
Kidsgrove Athletic also lost at the weekend, when they went down 2-0 to another Lincolnshire side: Cleethorpes Town, at the Linden Club in a BetVictor Northern Premier League, South East Division fixture, i.e. one division below the current level that Trinity ply their trade at.

'The Grove' beat Market Drayton Town 2-1 in the last round of the Integro NPL League Cup and face the same opposition in a league game at their Hollinwood Road ground on Saturday, as they look to make a dent in the promotion play-off places, which they currently sit eight points adrift of. Although they do have four games in hand over fifth placed Stocksbridge Park Steels. Tonight marked the first ever meeting between these two sides, but if the visitors show the same kind of tenacity that they did at times, especially during the first half, for the remainder of the season, they might well be visiting the Northolme in the league next season.

Having finally made a delayed start to their season, Gainsborough now are sitting comfortably, just below mid-table, in the NPL Premier Division, twelve points behind the clubs in the play-off berths, but, more importantly, ten points clear of the relegation dog-fight that had threatened to usurp their current campaign.
Which you might've thought would have been an incentive for tonight's hosts to focus their energies on this cup competition, as a means of maintaining some impetus to this season, a commodity that was sadly lacking during the opening months of their campaign.

Alas, as things turned out, Trinity now hold the unwanted distinction of having been knocked out of the Integro Cup on penalties, in both the second and third rounds this season.
The visitors took the lead after thirteen minutes, when Jamie Green was penalised for a push inside the area... and at the tender age of thirty-seven years old, Lee Williamson took responsibility for the resulting spot kick, waiting for George Willis to move a fraction to his right before calmly stroking the ball into the other side of Trinity's net.

Blimey! If Williamson is thirty-seven, then I must be really ancient, because I recall him breaking into the first team from the youth ranks at Mansfield Town, where he spent five years before playing for a variety of Football League clubs, including: Blackburn Rovers, Blackpool, Burton Albion, Northampton Town, Portsmouth, Sheffield United, Rotherham United, Watford and Preston North End (on loan), while picking up five international caps for Jamaica. The last that I'd heard, he was 'keeping his hand in' at Kimberley Miners Welfare, following a spell as assistant manager at Belper Town. It was great to see that he is playing at a decent level and still having an impact on games too.

Trinity fielded a fairly strong side but were slow to get going and appeared listless, out of sorts and second best for long spells, during a first half that saw Ryan Austin's very well organised visitors bossing the shape and tempo of the game, while the 'Holy Blues' began to look frustrated, which led to Gregg Smith picking up a yellow card for an improvised off the ball wrestling move, right in front of the referee's assistant, which left tonight's match referee: the affable Matt Tyers, with no option but to issue a caution after consulting with his sidekick.
'The Grove' created several chances to build on their lead, but it was almost half-time before the home side created anything worthy of note, when their captain Simon Russell drilled the ball from fifteen yards out, but was thwarted by Kieran Harrison who pushed the ball away at full stretch.

Gainsborough picked up the pace after half-time, when the introduction of Alex Wiles gave them more cohesion moving out from the back.
The game was opening up as both sides began to tire and right on cue, Nicky Walker entered the fray in the fifty-seventh minute from the bench to good effect... and a little over sixty seconds later, he picked out Smith with a dipping cross, that the Trinity number nine met with a looping header that nestled just under Harrison's crossbar to level the tie up.

The game ebbed and flowed from one end to the other, with the goalkeepers putting in a great shift apiece, as Harrison denied Walker and Dec Bacon within the space of a minute, before denying Smith a second headed goal, while George Willis pulled off a great save as the clock ticked down, getting down well to his left at full stretch to turn Alex Morris' well struck effort from the edge of the box round the upright. In the final minute Kyle Blake's angled effort was blocked as Willis spread himself and made a vital block.

But still, nothing could separate these two sides again in open play and it was all going to be decided with a penalty shoot-out, sans thirty minutes of extra-time.

FT: Gainsborough Trinity 1 v Kidsgrove Athletic 1

Penalty shoot-out detail:
In the previous round, Gainsborough had missed all three of their penalties when they lost against Lincoln United... but tonight: the Trinity captain Simon Russell took responsibility for their first kick and comfortably set the ball rolling. 1-0
Tom France levelled things up with the visitors first kick. 1-1
Nicky Walker struck the ball cleanly but Kieran Harrison saved the hosts second kick. 1-1
Ollie Jepson finished emphatically with Kidsgrove's second spot-kick. 1-2
Dec Bacon coveted Trinity's third kick (2-2), but Richard Duffy launched the visitors next attempt into the roof of the stand behind the goal (still 2-2)

Gregg Smith made it 3-2, but Ryan Griffiths levelled things up again. 3-3
Alex Wiles, Michael Williams and Jamie Green all netted for Trinity, as did Alex Morris, Kyle Blake and Sam Hall for 'The Grove' (6-6) even though George Willis got a hand to Blake's effort.
Kingsley James stepped forward and smashed his penalty home via the underside of the crossbar, but Kidsgrove were on level terms yet again, when the highly-rated Abdul Sankoh stroked the ball past Willis. 7-7
Harrison reached James Williamson's kick, but couldn't keep the ball out (8-7), before Butler crashed the next kick into the roof of the net. 8-8

Nathan Stainfield restored Trinity's advantage, (9-8) while Kieran Coates either picked his spot precisely or squeaked his kick just inside the right hand upright. 9-9
All of the outfield players had taken a turn, so it was now up to the goalkeepers to see if they could settle the outcome between them.
Willis put his kick into orbit as it sailed over the bar... advantage Kidsgrove! 9-9
But Harrison, who pulled off a string of decent saves in the second half, kept his shot on target... and the visitors were through to the next round of the League Cup. 9-10

Kidsgrove are still firing on all fronts, pushing for a play-off spot, while progressing through in the Integro Cup... and they also have a quarter-final ties against Stoke City in the Staffordshire Senior Cup coming up on the horizon. Good luck to them with all of that.

Trinity for their part, are heading for a much better finish to their league season than most people had anticipated prior to Curtis Woodhouse's arrival... and will be looking to finish as high in the table as possible, while the players vie for attention, to keep their places in the next phase of the manager's plans next season. If you ask me, not that you probably will, I reckon that they've got the right man at the helm to deliver on the Northolme faithful's growing hopes and expectations for next term.