No cup joy as Woolfe sees off the Reds (From Redditch Advertiser)

No cup joy as Woolfe sees off the Reds

11:08am Sunday 9th September 2012 in Sport By David Lawrence

Redditch United 0, Hednesford Town 3

There will be no FA Cup run for the Reds this season after this defeat ensured they fell at the first hurdle.

But with the in-form Hednesford as the visitors, it was more of a Becher’s Brook than a mere hurdle for Simon Redhead’s side, the high-flying Northern Premier outfit arriving at the Valley Stadium without a loss to their name this season.

Towering strikers Sean O’Connor and Neil Harvey caused problems for the United defence all afternoon and in former Bolton Wanderers winger Nathan Woolfe, they had a midfielder with an eye for goal.

That said, the opening half-hour was an even affair with good chances being created by both sides.

Hednesford were first to go close with Harvey twice letting fly only to be denied by home keeper Niall Cooper.

The Reds replied on 18 minutes when Connor Deards beat the last man only to drag his shot wide of the target before Liam McDonald was denied by Dan Crane in the visitors’ goal.

But as the interval approached, the Pitmen began to take control. O’Connor managed to put a header wide from eight yards and Cooper produced another good save to deny Woolfe.

But the winger finally made the breakthrough four minutes before the break when the Reds only half cleared a throw-in launched into the area allowing Woolfe to fire home from 18 yards.

The goal seemed to take the fight out of the home side and two goals in eight second half minutes guided the visitors through to the next round.

Woolfe rifled in his second on 56 minutes following good work from Harvey before Elliott Durrell curled a 25-yard free-kick beyond Cooper and into the top right-hand corner.

Not even the introduction of substitute strike pair Craig Wilding and Charisma Agbonlahor could conjure up a chance for the Reds and the closest they came in the second half was a late McDonald effort that Crane turned around the post.

Reds: Cooper 8, Stringfellow 6, CHARLTON 8, Midworth 6, Flanagan 6, Bridgewater 5, Cresswell 7, Richards 6, Danks 5 (Wilding 64, 6), Deards 6 (Agbonlahor 64, 6), McDonald 7. Subs (not used): Clarke, Quaynor.