Quorn 2 - 0 The Mikes

The game started with some constructive football. Indeed, there was more to record in the first five minutes than there had been in the opening twenty, the Tuesday previous! With only three minutes gone, Boldmere should have taken the lead. Home keeper Charlie Woods couldn’t hold a fierce Mitch Botfield fifteen yarder…and as William Shorrock followed up, Woods somehow pushed his effort round the post. Quorn are in the same position as we were twelve months ago - a settled, promoted side playing in a smooth rhythm. Boldmere, meanwhile, look what they are - a hastily assembled squad still trying to discover a common theme. Not surprisingly, the hosts dominated proceedings, Charlie Marzano producing an “Oooh!” from the crowd as he fired just wide from twelve yards. Right on the quarter mark, the hosts took the lead. A long ball down the left was intercepted by Ricardo Lewis, his attempted back pass fell well short leaving Tyrell Shannon-Lewis penetrating the box. His touch was poor and the ball ran away from him under pressure from James Mace and as Dan Moore comfortably gathered it…Lewis was needlessly bowled over, or was he? Contact seemed minimal and a second harsh penalty this season was conceded by the defender. Mace was booked before Moore dived the right way, got a good hand on the ball but couldn’t stop Paddy Webb scoring. The game continued in similar vein, Lewis firing just wide of the frame with a shot on the turn, Cain Noble sending in a thirty yarder past the other post. The Mikes had to counter with the long ball, but were repeatedly caught offside (a sign of a practiced rearguard) and didn’t have a shot until seven minutes before the break.

The second half continued as had the first, and was only eight minutes old when Boldmere made a double substitution. Slowly, the Mikes pulled themselves into the game, and after the hosts had twice threatened their net again, it needed a diving save to keep a home clean sheet. After Moore produced the game’s best save from a Lewis rocket, Owen Parry stumbled over the ball when well positioned. The minutes were ticking away, and as the game’s last quarter unfolded, Boldmere were beginning to turn the screw. Could they snatch an equaliser? Alas, it was not to be. With a minute of ordinary time left, an untidy back line meant Josh Samples was onside from a speculative through ball. He bore down on the unprotected Moore, and slotted home to tie up the points for the hosts.

Quorn: Charlie Woods; Silvio Bello; Josh Steele; Reece Fyfe; Pat Zito; Jordan Gough; Charlie Marzano; Josh Samples; Paddy Webb; Tyrell Shannon-Lewis (Mitch Candlin 70); Cain Noble.
Subs. not used: Tyree Wilson; Tom Hilton; Thabang Dube; Kyle Bryant.
Boldmere St Michaels: Daniel Moore; Ricardo Dudley (Joseph Hull 54); Tazivaishe Chibaya (Harry Sweeney 62); Callum Gittings (Matthew Funge 53); Harry Craven; James Mace; Lewis Allison; Mitch Botfield; James Spiers; Owen Parry; William Shorrock.
Subs. not used: Jack Byrne; Khaellem Bryce Bailey-Nicholls.