Report: Rossington Main (A)

Any fears of an FA Cup hangover were calmed after just 3 minutes as Walshaw’s bullet header from a pin point Ross Hardaker corner gave Emley the lead.

Emley almost doubled the advantage from a carbon copy from Hardaker’s delivery. This time it was the head of Sam Pashley but his header went wide.

The rest of the half ebbed and flowed but mostly in Rossington Main territory as chances fell to Donae Lawrence and Ruben Jerome. After each Emley attack, the ‘Main’ tactic was quickly punt the ball long and wide but they were also capable of playing out from the back. Whichever route they took, Emley were able to soak up most of the pressure and the hosts chances were restricted to speculative efforts and hopeful crosses. In truth, Declan Lambton had a quiet time in the Emley goal as did the solid centre back pairing of Jack Cowgill and Charlie Barks in front of him.

After a mid-half lull in proceedings, the game moved back up a gear with two moments of mild controversy. Firstly Emley felt they should have been awarded a penalty for hand ball by the Rossington defender. The referee deemed the star jumping player’s hands being in a natural position.

Then as the half entered stoppage time, Jerome looked to have been fouled and then stamped upon but it was the Emley forward who was penalised with a free kick and a yellow card for his trouble. After eventually consulting his assistant, the referee did decide there was some kind of Main malfeasance and brandished another caution.

Sandwiched between those incidents, Lawrence picked up the ball on the edge of the box after a bit of pin ball and got the shot away - only to see it rebound off the post and out of harms way.

Half-time came with tensions heightened and Emley disappointed not to have stretched their lead.

Jerome was at the heart of much of the action throughout the second half and he remained a thorn in the side of the Main defence. But he’d be advised not to waste his money on a lottery ticket this weekend, as his luck was out with every glimmer of hope extinguished by a ball that just wouldn’t quite fall for him, good saves or last ditch blocks.

Instead, it was Lawrence who got his reward for his usual industry as he was in the right place at the right time when a Hardaker corner snaked through a crowd for him to poke home.

Rossington’s best chances of the game also came from a pair of corners in quick succession but only one required the intervention of Lambton.

Emley ramped up the pressure again with a long range effort from Alex Metcalfe dropping narrowly wide.

Hardaker cliched a hat-trick of corner ball assists on 76 minutes with another wicked delivery. Walshaw beat the floundering ‘keeper to it and claimed his second of the night with his final touch before making way for Shiraz Khan.

Khan and fellow subs Curtis and Clegg were all happy to help see out the remaining quarter of an hour but Jerome was still looking for a way onto the score sheet. He was harshly penalised for a foul signalled by the assistant after he looked to win the ball firmly but fairly to put himself through on goal. This resulted in a final warning and the referee was true to his word moments later when the Emley number 9 was shown a second yellow card for a fairly innocuous trip in midfield.

Emley may have ended with 10 men but that was the only blight on an otherwise routine win on the road in what was a potential banana skin game against a side with an excellent early season record.

Emley will look to climb the league again with 3 points at home on Saturday but face another team in good form in the guise of Campion.

Full time - Rossington Main 0-3 Emley

Attendance - 110

Emley - Lambton, Pashley, Hardaker, Metcalfe, Barks, Cowgill, Walker, Haigh, Jerome, Walshaw, Lawrence
Subs used: Curtis, Clegg, Khan
Sub unused: Knowles

Goals - Walshaw (3, 76), Lawrence (60)

Moxon & Co. Man of the Match - James Walshawt