Elliott Durrell was the hat trick hero yet again last night as The Pitmen squeezed past Conference South high-fliers Welling United; setting up an away tie with Forest Green Rovers in the process. The game ended 4-3 to the home side but Welling must be given credit for making the hardy souls watching at Keys Park sweat on their place in the next round.
Dean Edward's will be delighted with a first half performance which saw Hednesford smash four goals past a beleaguered Welling side before the break. However questions must be asked as to how The Pitmen let the away side back into the game and very nearly threw away a decisive advantage.
Played on a slippery pitch in icy conditions the game saw an in-form Hednesford side play their first fixture since the 7-2 drubbing of Worksop on Boxing Day. The lack of match action certainly showed in the opening exchanges of a game littered with early errors.
A scrappy encounter sprung to life in the 8th minute when a corner, conceded needlessly by Danny Harvey, was headed against the bar by Charlie Sheringham with Brock beaten. A lucky escape for Hednesford was soon turned into a one-goal lead only a minute later.
A hoof up the pitch saw the Welling defence flat footed and from all of 25 yards Durrell arrowed the ball past the despairing goal keeper into the far left hand corner of the net. The following 20 minutes saw a rampant Hednesford send their faithful into rapture as Durrell added another two goals to complete an astonishing 15 minute treble and take his tally to six in two games.
Durrell capped an incisive passing move involving Tyrone Barnett with a rifled shot into the roof of the net for his second. The Pitmen were in dreamland when Durrell charged down a clearance from Ryan Johnson and oozing confidence fired past a helpless Masters in the Welling goal.
Elliott Durrell about to fire his third past the Welling keeper
The rout was completed when yet another ball over the top left the Welling defence on the back foot and Durrell unselfishly squared it for Barnett to slot the ball into the net. Welling were looking rocked and rudderless as the Hednesford fans lapped up the shock score line
Tyrone Barnett slots the ball into the Welling nets to make it four
However, the whole complexion of the tie changed on 43 minutes when Welling won a free kick 20 yards out. Sheringham showed his class with a thunderbolt of a free kick which flew past Brock into the top corner. Hednesford hearts began to flutter...
The team from Kent started the second half like a different side and for the opening 20 minutes threatened with neat passing moves involving the lively front three. The pressure paid off in the 57th minute when a teasing cross was headed towards goal by Sheringham - Brock could only parry superbly and Sanchez Ming gleefully tapped it in.
It was Hednesford's turn to look uncertain in midfield this time and only a number of last ditch tackles and important headers from the imperious Danny Harvey kept the score at 4-2.
Welling's pressure tolled when, with five minutes remaining, a very scrappy goal from another needlessly conceded corner was given by the linesman and credited to Charlie Sheringham 4-3 and game on...
A bad tempered final 5 minutes saw a restless crowd urging Hednesford to hold onto the ball and some clever time wasting tactics in the far corner kept the seconds slowly ticking by. When man in the middle, Mr Martin, finally blew for full time a home crowd of three hundred and forty six were sent into rapturous celebration as a memorable game on a cold, moonlit night at Keys Park was brought to an end.
Hednesford now face recent FA Cup heroes and Blue Square Conference side Forest Green in the next round. One more win and a performance matching the one seen in 20 blistering first half minutes last night could see dreams of another famous semi-final come true. Just don't start singing ‘Que Sera, Sera' just yet.
Match Report Chris Brewerton
Images Chris Manison
Hednesford Town
Brock, Platt, Maguire (Burley 83), Ujah, Harvey, Marshall, Sheppard, Durrell,Barnett, Dyer, Briggs. Subs not used: Hall, Musafiri, Harbutt
Welling United
Masters, Protheroe (Delando Smith 83), Johnson, Quinn, Andrews (McEntegart 45), Sinclair, Ming, Blackburn, Orlando Smith, Sheringham, Fazackerley. Subs not used: Dorian Smith, Stevens, Morgan
Referee Mr S.J.Martin (Stafford)
Attendance 346
