The Red Insure Cup Second Round

Dyer On Fire As Pitmen Ease Into Next Round

Ross Dyer was the four goal hero as Hednesford Town out-muscled a youthful Atherstone Town side to reach the next round of the Red Insure Cup.

Elliott Durrell weighed in with a goal to make it five for The Pitmen but Atherstone will feel hard done by with the final score flattering the home side.

A hungry Atherstone team started the brighter on a blustery night at Keys Park with Stuart Hendrie chancing his arm from thirty-five yards forcing Gavin Ward into an acrobatic tip over.

Hednesford struggled to click in midfield and relied on the effervescent Ben Bailey to protect their back four. It was the home side, however, who made the breakthrough on thirty-four minutes as the totally unmarked Dyer headed in from a Durrell corner.

Nine minutes later Dyer raced clear of the Atherstone defence only to be scythed down by Giovanni Dainty; the Hednesford captain dusted himself down and scored from the penalty spot for the second game in succession.

Hendrie scored direct from a long range free kick on fifty minutes as his cross deceived Ward and the away side should have equalised when former Pitman Luke Edwards dispossessed Paul McMullen only to fluff his lines when clean through.

The Pitmen took control following Edwards’ missed chance and Dyer picked up on a piercing through ball by Durrell to secure his hat-trick with a clinical finish past the helpless Nathan Woakes.

Durrell capped his performance with a cool finish after rounding Woakes with eight minutes remaining and Dyer bagged his fourth a minute later with a superb header after Jagielka had planted a perfect cross on a sixpence from the left wing.

The Pitmen make the trip to Banbury in a play-of six pointer on Saturday 28^th November and Dyer will no doubt look to continue his hot streak of five goals in two games.

Words by Chris Brewerton

Hednesford Town

Ward, Platt (Jagielka 74), Martin, Carvey, McMullen, Goodhead, Durrell (82), Bailey, Barnett (Aiston 72), Dyer (34, 43, 68, 83), Chapman (Nisbett 80),

Subs Not Used

Flynn, Walker

Atherstone Town

Woakes, Bruce, Dainty, Haywood, Rathbone, Keen, Banks, Henchcliffe (Haughton 57), Sturridge-Packer, Hendrie (50) (Fulford 90+3), Edwards (Robinson 66),

Subs Not Used

Roscorla, Brown

Bookings

Dainty

Attendance - 167