North East trip next up for Emley after impressive FA Vase win

The Pewits brushed Longridge Town aside 4-1 and will next travel to play Newcastle Benfield with the second round tie set to take place on Saturday, November 20.

Benfield play in Division One of the Northern League and have beaten Ashington, Albion Sports and Golcar United to reach this stage of the competition. A coach travel to Tyneside will be available for Emley supporters with club volunteers given priority followed by members and season ticket holders before seats go on general sale on Monday.

Emley quickly established control against Longridge with Jack Bennett and George Doyle creating openings. They were ahead after 10 minutes when Sam Pashley headed home Tom Claisse’s corner.

Longridge sparked into life, but missed two good chances and home keeper Sam Kelly denied them with two good saves.

At the other end, Bennett was a thorn in the side of the visitor’s defence and crafted himself a one-on-one opportunity after a combination of tenacity and fancy footwork. It would have been a goal of the season contender, but Daniel Roccia saved well.

The lead was doubled on 36 minutes when Callum Charlton sprang the offside trap, beat the keeper to the ball and had a simple tap in to a gaping goal.

Emley started the second half well as impressive young midfielder Lennon O’Grady nodded in from close range for his first senior competitive goal for the club after Charlton’s initial shot was saved.

It was effectively all over on 72 minutes when Bennett’s powerful shot from a tight angle squeezed under the keeper.

Longridge did manage a consolation through Moses Yoak’s free-kick, but the Pewits were good value for their win.

Emley were back in action on Tuesday night in a second round Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup tie at home to Hemsworth MW and went through 2-1 thanks to an 86th minute goal from Joe Jagger.

In a game where both teams created chances aplenty and the game swung one way then another it was the Pewits who eventually prevailed in the first of a double header between the sides – the teams face each other at Fitzwilliam in the NCE Premier League on Saturday.

Emley went with a changed side that contained a good blend of youth and experience. Lewis French was between the posts for his first team debut while Owen Thomas and Josh Calvert also stepped up from the academy to make their first team bows.

On a blustery evening at the Fantastic Media Welfare Ground, it was Emley who started the stronger although Hemsworth had their moments, Jagger pulling an early shot wide, Ryan John seeing a shot deflected and Emley having a couple of corners in the opening exchanges.

Hemsworth took a while to get into their stride and eventually carved out a couple of good chances themselves, but they could not hit the target with any of them.

With Emley increasing the pressure and looking to counter, their efforts were finally rewarded a with a quarter of the game gone. A corner was not cleared by the Wells defence and Charlie Smith was on hand to bundle the ball into the net.

Hemsworth then found some form of their own as they went in search of an equaliser, first a free header from a corner was wasted, then two wayward shots, one wide and one over and then a scramble in the box saw another shot blazed over the shed roof.

Almost on half time, the visitors created probably the game's best chance, but after rounding French, the forward, rather than shoot, chose to pass back to a teammate and he could only blaze wide with French getting back to put him off.

The hosts again started the quicker of the two for the second half. Lennon O'Grady was unlucky with a turn and shot that ran just wide and Matt Sykes lined up a 20-yard free kick which also sailed narrowly wide.

It had been mostly the home side for the first 15 minutes of the half, but then French was called into action and he certainly earned his stripes with two cracking saves to deny the visitors, the first from a close range shot, the second, from point blank and he then did enough to make sure the rebound was fired over.

Emley made some changes and brought fresh legs on and it seemed to have sparked them, Jack Bennett was particularly lively from his introduction, twice skipping past defenders, earning his side corners and a good save from Wells' keeper Teale.

He thought he had bagged himself a goal as he showed great pace to outstrip the defence and plant a firm shot, but instead of nestling in the corner, it hit the bottom of the post and into Teale's grateful gloves.

French was the hero for Emley again as Hemsworth thought they had an equaliser, but he tipped a shot past the post and the corner was cleared.

But he was beaten on 73 minutes when Jason Davis fired in from 20 yards, beating the young keeper low down and it was all square again.

Hemsworth looked the more likelier side as they stretched Emley down the flanks, but the experienced Tom Cadzow and Antony Leech as well as man of the match Smith at the back for the Pewits steadied them.

Smith had a Beckenbauer moment, when he strode out of defence, saw the Wells defence backing off and made it all the way to the area with the shed willing him to finish, but he was thwarted by a good defensive challenge as he was about to pull the trigger.

And as time ticked on, Emley wrestled the advantage back, and after more great work by Bennett earned them a corner, the ball was cleared, then recycled back into the danger area and Jagger rose above the defence to plant a header into the Richard Hirst stand net to the delight of the Emley fans.

There was only a couple of minutes left for Emley to hold on and avoid a penalty shoot-out lottery. They managed it to book their place in the third round of the county cup and now must look to take three league points of the same opponents on Saturday.

Emley are in more cup action as they take on Winterton Rangers at home in the second round of the NCE League Cup next Tuesday.