Reds Through to Quarter-Final

A confident midweek performance from The Non-League Reds on our visit to 'The Wirral', helped seal a place in the final eight of this season's Macron Cup.

Both teams started brightly and tried to play good football, on a bobbly pitch that had stood up well to the downfalls of rain in the previous 24 hours. Lairds almost got through on 7 minutes but Jack Hinnigan made a great interception to stop the attack. AFC had a promising break moments later, when a fine cross from Adam Moorcroft was just out of the reach of Elliot Taylor.

Lairds had the first effort on target after 12 minutes, but the shot from the edge of the box was saved easily by Ben Barnes. AFC began to press a little more and Moorcroft forced a good diving save from Finlay Small in the home goal. Mid-way through the half, great battling from Moorcroft put himself clean through on goal. The keeper saved well with his foot and then did the same when Taylor fired the rebound straight back at him.

The home side had plenty of possession but the AFC defence dealt well with most things thrown into the area. It was the visitors who looked the more likely to break the deadlock at this stage and Moorcroft continued his search for a goal, when he fired well over from outside the area. Then on the stroke of half-time a ball into the area from Joel Skillen found Mark Madden, whose fine effort was saved well by the keeper. However, Adam Moorcroft was following in and smashed the ball into the net to give AFC the lead at the break.

The pattern continued at the start of the 2nd half, with AFC patiently building from the back, with both full backs Smalley and Wright-Ocana looking dangerous going forward. However, it was the home side that went closest on 52 minutes, when Ben Barnes made a great save to stop a shot destined for the top corner.

Skillen went wide of the target with an effort with the outside of his right foot, but The Non-League Reds managed to extend their lead on the hour mark, when after a good move, Madden found Skillen on the edge of the box and his shot flew into the bottom corner of the net to make it 2-0.

Lairds responded well and a Driscoll effort was saved brilliantly by Barnes. The home side gave themselves a lifeline on 74 minutes, when substitute Harrison Denton benefited from an AFC defensive mix-up, to fire the ball into an empty net.

The home side's joy was short-lived however, when a couple of minutes later, when Moorcroft put Elliot Taylor through wide on the left. Taylor ran into the area and finished confidently to restore AFC's two goal lead and notch his 21st goal of the season.

The 3rd goal effectively killed off the home side's chances and in the remaining minutes, Taylor, Wright-Ocana and Madden all forced saves from Laird's keeper. The final whistle blew and AFC's reward for the win was a home Quarter-Final tie against Euxton Villa, in February next year.

This coming weekend AFC are back in League action, with Cheadle Town the visitors to the Berry Street Garage Stadium. Kick-off is 3pm and as ever, all support will be greatly appreciated.

FINAL SCORE - Cammell Laird 1907 1 v 3 AFC Liverpool

LINE-UP - 1. Barnes 2. Smalley 3. Wright-Ocana 4. Moorcroft (c) 5. Fisher-Jones 6. Hinnigan

7. Madden 8. Rooney 9. Taylor 10. Brown 11. Skillen

Subs used - Jamieson, Blankendal, A. McShane

Photo courtesy of Dave Williams