Richmond Town stumble through another cup exit door

RICHMOND Town’s disappointing run of results in Cup competitions recently continued at Redcar Athletic on Saturday, going down by the odd goal in seven.

Following a bright start, Town took a deserved lead after twenty minutes through Stephen Butterworth who thundered an unstoppable shot into the top corner of Will Lawrence’s net from twenty yards after Kalumn Holbrook’s cross was only half cleared by Redcar’s defence.

Richmond had created several chances prior to the opening goal. Man Of The Match Holbrook had already gone close three times. Shooting wide of the target in the opening minutes of the game, a shot that Lawrence pushed away and another effort which he fired over after Scott Ryan had been denied by the legs of the Redcar keeper. Josh Knox won possession from Redcar’s giant centre forward Andy Jennings and picked out Damon Reakes who found Butterworth but his attempted chip failed to trouble Lawrence who was also in the right place to save from Ben Darville who’s shot went straight at the keeper.

Redcar did start to create chances. Richmond goal keeper Harry Wray saved from Adam Preston just before Butterworth’s strike then Sam Garvie had a glorious chance to equalise but mistimed his header when left unmarked ten yards out. With forty four minutes played, Lance Skelton did level the scores when he headed Joe Bennett’s free kick beyond the reach of Wray, and it almost got worse for Richmond before the half time whistle, but Skelton at the back post could only find the side netting.

The home side started the second half the better of the two sides. Preston again went close, his shot going across the face of the goal with Wray beaten. then Just before the hour, another Bennett free kick was glanced home by Lewis Wood to give the home side the lead with Wray struggling to see the ball clearly in the bright sunshine. Preston almost added a third but Simon Pinkney deflected his shot wide of the post.

Dan Caisley, back in the starting eleven produced a fantastic cross which was held up by Darville who played in Ryan who missed the target, before Holbrook tried his luck from distance but failed to trouble Lawrence.

A double substitution by Town Manager Chris Lax in the seventy fourth minute had an immediate effect, when one of the replacements, Nathan O’Connor’s long throw into the penalty area was flicked on by Redcar’s Preston from which Holbrook burst into the box to smash the ball home from 12 yards to level the tie once more, however straight from the restart as Redcar attacked, Richmond again conceded a free kick which Bennett again sent into the box for Wood to give his side the advantage once more. Reakes played a perfectly weighted pass into the Redcar box which Caisley converted, lifting the ball over Lawrence to make it 3-3 with ten minutes left to play, but once again Richmond conceded almost straight from kick off.

Substitute Anthony Jones firing low into the corner of Wray’s net. Redcar almost added a fifth but for a fantastic save by Wray to deny Preston and this proved to be the games last chance, and with it brought Richmond’s third exit from cup competitions in a fortnight. They have another opportunity to lift a Cup this season in The Shipowners Cup, and this Saturday they play in a ¼ final tie at Coxhoe Athletic, with kick off at 13.30.