City out of the Trophy

A spirited Worcester City were hit for four in Hampshire as they dropped out of the FA Trophy.

A Brett Williams brace and goals from Manny Oyeleke and Aiden O’Brien were enough to see the Conference Premier side through to the FA Trophy third round, after Ethan Moore had given City an early first half lead.
City made two changes to the side that lost against Oxford on Sunday, with Daniel Nti and Dominic Dell dropping to the bench for Steven Leslie and top scorer Ethan Moore, and eighty City fans made the long trip south.
Aldershot enjoyed a large spell of possession in the opening ten minutes and came close twice through Manny Oyeleke from outside the area. His first shot dipped wide of Veiga’s goal via a deflection with four minutes gone, before the second three minutes later, a low curling effort from the edge of the area, was clutched by the Portuguese stopper diving low to his left.
But, against the run of play, City snatched a twelfth minute lead as Ethan Moore latched on to Danny Glover’s through ball, advancing into the Shots area before curling a left footed shot off the inside of the far post.
But Aldershot equalised in the 23rd minute as Millwall loanee Aiden O’Brien was released by Craig Stanley’s lofted through ball from the right hand side, with the striker calmly dinking the ball past Veiga.
The Shots nearly doubled their lead just a minute later, as Jayden Gibbs’s low cross was miscued wide by the lively Jordan Roberts.
Never-the-less, City remained calm and continued to carve out chances of their own. The unmarked Danny Glover was inches away from connecting with Aaron Williams’s cross from the right hand side, before Glover teed Moore on the edge of the area with the frontman seeing his tame shot saved easily by Jonny Henly in the Town goal.
But Aldershot took the lead in the 34th minute with a fine individual goal from Manny Oyeleke. The midfielder picked up the ball in the middle of the pitch, evading several challenges as he drove skilfully through the heart of the City team into the area, before calmly poking a right footed shot into the bottom corner.
City went into the break without captain Graham Hutchinson who suffered a reoccurrence of Saturday’s ankle injury towards the end of the half.
Aldershot threatened after the restart as Aiden O’Brien chested down a cross from the right hand side and, with Richard Munday heading the ball towards his own goal, Veiga had to scramble to his right hand side to tip wide.
Daniel Nti was thrown on in the fifty-fifth minute in the hopes for City to snatch an equaliser and City continued to press as Ethan Moore cut in from the left hand side, laying the ball off to Glover whose shot was deflected wide.
But the visitors had to be wary of Aldershot’s attacking threat as, on the hour mark, Jordan Roberts poked the ball through to Aiden O’Brien, who could not find a way past the advancing Veiga.
And, in the sixty-fifth minute, Aldershot bagged their third goal of the game. Jose Veiga initially did well to deny O’Brien’s header from a corner with a diving save, but Brett Williams was on hand to slot the ball into the back of the net on the rebound.
Ethan Moore was through on goal just minutes later and was denied by a last ditch tackle as he neared the Shots area. The City team, and bench, were incensed there was an infringement. The referee was unconvinced.
And as City pushed men forward late on, Aldershot sealed the game in the eighty-sixth minute as Craig Stanley crossed from the right hand side to Matt Paterson who fired at Veiga, with Brett Williams thumping the rebound home from six yards out.
Manager, Carl Heeley, said that he was disappointed at his teams exit.
“We’re a little bit disappointed in our performance today because it was there for an upset and we proved in the first half we were capable of doing it.
“We set out to try and get the first goal because we seem to be a better side when we do that. But the frustrating thing for me was the goals we conceded. All of them really could have been avoided and certainly the two in the first half. I think 4-1 a little bit flattering to be honest”, said Heeley.
City return to league action on Saturday with the visit of Harrogate Town to Aggborough.

Attendance 1158

Report by Alex Harris