Dynamo Dudley's Vase hopes dashed in shoot-out

The four-time Beacon League champions visited Sutton and District Sunday outfit Hundred Acre Reds in a second-round encounter and produced an excellent performance to take the tie to penalties, writes Dave McLean.

Dynamo twice trailed by a two-goal margin and battled to the very end to force a 3-3 draw, but in the decisive penalty shoot-out it was the Reds who edged into round three, with a very tense 4-3 margin. On target for Dynamo were Ben Hickman (two) and Rion Francis-Mills.

In the Redbox Signmakers Beacon Championship, Lower Gornal-based Fiveways Inn were another team showing their battling qualities as they came from 2-0 down at home to local rivals Sedgley & Gornal United to share the spoils.

Efforts from Jack Kelly and Harry Woodbine had given the fourth-placed visitors the advantage before Fiveways bounced back superbly through James Gadd and an 80th-minute equaliser from Nathan Maxwell.

“I was delighted with our performance and the way we hit back to earn the draw,” said Fiveways club secretary Luke Handy.

In a reduced Beacon fixture card, Bloxwich Rangers Under-21s, AFC Sporting Gornal and Dudley Rangers United all registered group qualifying victories in The Sports Shop (Kingswinford) Clinton Cup.

Sporting Gornal made it two wins in two as they saw off a strong challenge from visiting Norton Canes, who surprised the hosts by grabbing a 10th-minute lead through Alistair Kerrigan.

However, Sporting levelled before the break through Jordan Robinson, while player-secretary James Rawlings made it 2-1 for the home side after the resumption. An 89th-minute penalty converted by Owen Harris finally sealed a second successive win for Sporting.

There was also a second successive group win for Bloxwich, for whom Reece Berry was again in clinical form, notching four (including a penalty) as his side ran out worthy 6-1 victors at Coven United.

Free-scoring Bloxwich, who made it 12 goals in two group matches so far and also missed a second penalty, made it six of the best again as Ethan Mannion and an own goal wrapped up the scoring. Mackie Miller struck Coven’s consolation.

Dudley Rangers United got their Clinton Cup programme off to a winning start, hitting back from two goals in arrears at half-time to dash visiting AFC Springfield’s hopes.

The duo of Joe Scott and Ethan Smith had put Springfield in the driving seat, but early second-half goals from Aaron Jones and Sam Collier levelled matters, before Callum Cox and Joe Sidaway clinched the points for United.

The quarter-final draw for the NDT Midlands Lester Charity Cup was made this week and is: Codsall Station v Dynamo Dudley, FC Premier Under-21s v Penn Rovers, Bloxwich Rangers Under-21s v Trysull Tigers, Kurdish United v Claregate Park Rangers (dates to be arranged).

This Sunday, Codsall will carry Beacon League hopes in the prestigious Birmingham County FA Sunday Amateur Cup third round. They have been drawn at home (Codsall Community School) to South Birmingham league outfit PAB FC.