The Green Army bowed out of the Emirates FA Cup in the Extra Preliminary Round after being well beaten by Step 4 Chasetown.

The hosts showed their intent from the off playing on the front foot and taking the game to Coton, and an early corner led to ‘keeper Lewis Landers suffering a serious knee injury resulting in him being stretchered off. However, the 17 year old replacement Blake Hall stepped up from the bench to make his competitive debut for the Green, putting in a stellar performance.

Chasetown continued on the front foot, forcing Hall into a couple of smart saves, before rattling the bar with a venomous effort on 15 minutes. Shortly after their hard work paid off as they took the lead, breaking through the lines to create a 1 on 1 opportunity that the winger finished well.

Coton did respond well and tried to hold possession of the ball in the first passage where they were on top, however struggled to create any chances on goal. Despite this, an effective counter attack by Chasetown in the 28th minute saw an incisive pass through the Coton backline allowing the striker to break through and slide under Hall to double their advantage.

The biggest chance of the half for the Green Army came in the 40th minute, when a diagonal ball by Josh Beeson found Ross Evans with time and space in the box. An excellent turn around the hosts defender freed up some space for him to strike at ball, with the rebound falling to Jon Letford who directed a volleyed effort at goal which the ‘keeper did well to tip over for a corner. Another chance for Coton came in the 44th minute when Beeson turned provider again, firing a low cross across the face of goal. With Jay Henry waiting at the back post to tap the ball in, the Chasetown defender pulled out an excellent recovery block to guide the ball out for a corner.

With momentum firmly shifted in the direction of Coton, added time in the first period brought a sucker punch for the Green as they conceded a third. The left winger cut in on the counter attack and curled a delightful effort into the top corner to give them a solid advantage going into the break.

The second half continued in the same way with Chasetown on top, and if it wasn’t for heroic double saves in the 46th and 61st minutes by Blake Hall the scoreline would have been a lot worse for Coton. A rare chance for the Green Army came in the 67th minute when Gio Dainty swung a ball to the back post to find Henry but his volley went just over. This sparked another response by the hosts as they moved further into the lead with their fourth and fifth goals.

The consolation did come for Coton though, when in the 83rd minute Owen Watkins was fouled in the middle of the box, allowing Daisy Morris to step up and fire into the top corner. The scoring was then completed in injury time when another well worked Chasetown goal, meant the game finished up at 6-1.

A much deserved victory for Chasetown who were the better team on the day, and we wish them all the best in the next round.