For the third time of asking, this cup quarter final finally got underway. After two weeks of cancellations due to the weather, and having not played a match since the last round of the cup back on the 2nd December, Eastville was to be the venue for this match. So Brady Stoke would be playing their home fixture switched to the away team’s pitch, but this wasn’t a problem, because everyone just wanted to play the game.

Following some rousing music in the dressing room and a good warm-up, Bradley Stoke Town started the match in the same fashion as all of their games this season – wanting to play football. Although good opportunities in the first half were slightly lacking for Town, they did look like they were playing much nicer football than St Annes. With the wind, St Annes were adopting the long-ball approach with two quick and skilful strikers chasing down everything. However, baring a couple of bobbles that caused Stoke’s defence to look slightly uncertain at times, St Annes never really troubled the Bradley Stoke goal. The first half ended goalless.

In the second half, Bradley Stoke altered their formation slightly to give striker Andy Forshaw up front a bit more support and the change worked perfectly. Forshaw picked up two goals in reasonably quick succession, both from close range. The assists coming from Joe Williams on his way to a battling man-of-the-match performance and Matt Dobbins, who had switched back to his more familiar role in the centre of midfield.

A particular note has to be paid to some of the fine passages of play that Bradley Stoke enjoyed in the second half. The pass and move philosophy was evident all day, but it really started to pay off in the second half and it was a credit to all the players wearing the black and orange shirts that they persisted to play their calm football throughout this match.

The two goal lead allowed Stoke to make a couple of personnel changes. Dave Stephens came on up front and looked very bright immediately and Mark Harwood came on to do a solid job at replacing a tiring Andy Gray (suffering from a cold) at left back. The third and final substitute saw Sam Chillcott join the game. He was able to re-ignite the centre of the park with some fresh legs and managed to send a superb through ball to Dave Stephens who ran onto the ball…and just when you thought he had taken it too wide, he slotted it home from a tight angle in off the far post to make it 3-0 and stake a strong claim to regain his starting place back in the team.

A strong performance by all as the underdog, Bradley Stoke Town players, go marching into the semi-finals of the GFA Minor cup.

Match report courtesy of James Palmer.