Southam finally get the job done at the fifth time of asking

SOUTHAM UNITED 3 BARTLEY GREEN 0

Saints manager Lee Knibbs was delighted to see his side back in action and they showed no signs of rustiness as they stormed to a three-goal interval lead to effectively wrap up this Birmingham County FA Midweek Floodlit Challenge Cup tie, writes David Hucker.

The cup clash finally got underway at the fifth attempt and Saints started the first half playing towards the clubhouse with a strong wind at their backs.

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They almost took the lead in the third minute, but Chris Murphy was twice denied by visiting keeper Aaron Gayle and Simeon Smith could not capitalise on Jamie Coleman’s cross from the loose ball.

Seven minutes later they were in front. A long ball fell to Josh Cole, who lashed in an unstoppable shot from just outside box.

The lead was doubled a minute later when Smith latched on to a pass from the left and side-footed past Gayle and into the bottom corner.

Marc Passey had a shot blocked and Smith’s effort from the rebound was deflected for a corner that came to nothing.

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It was one-way traffic, with the visitors’ sporadic raids continually falling foul of the offside trap and keeper Jamie Welsh a virtual spectator for the opening 30 minutes.

The visitors’ first chance came in the 32nd minute, but the shot went wide and they were made to pay when Saints went further ahead four minutes later.

Gayle looked favourite to claim Coleman’s cross but he failed to collect and Smith put the loose ball into an empty net.

With the wind in their favour, Green started to up the pace after the break, but still without troubling Welsh.

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In the 73rd minute, a cross from Brad Rees ended with Jim Graham’s effort being cleared off the line. Graham then shot over with eight minutes to go as Saints comfortably saw out time and sealed their progress.

“They were tough, horrible conditions to play in, but we were always in control and the result was never in doubt,” said Knibbs.

“Despite two weeks out, we looked sharp and used the wind to our advantage in the first half, taking our chances well.”

Last Saturday’s Coventry Telegraph Challenge Cup tie at Coventry Copsewood was called off in the morning and it will now be played on Tuesday February 26 in place of the scheduled league match.

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Tomorrow, Saints are at Nuneaton Griff in the Les James Memorial Challenge Cup and they return to The Pingles on Wednesday to face Griff again in the last eight of the Floodlit Cup.

n Chairman Charles Hill has used the gap in match action to launch a new club website, which incorporates enhanced match statistics and video clips provided by groundhopper Peter Ray.

Although still needing more development work, the site, which is hosted by Pitchero, can be accessed on www.southamunitedfc.com

“I have been wanting to make a change for some time, but didn’t have the opportunity until now,” said Hill.

“People are increasingly expecting to see a colourful, informative and up-to-date website and the new style achieves all these aims.”