GREAT game, great goals and, for the second Saturday running, Marc McGrath hit a goal of stunning quality only this time perhaps a shade better than the strike which had helped sink the same opponents in the league seven days earlier. The player himself admitted it was one of his best.
With Bels already one up at a muddy Blanche Pierre Lane thanks to a notable overhead effort by Neil Clegg, McGrath collected the ball on the angle of the penalty area on the left.
There were many a luminous Saints shirts in front of him, but in a flash he had wriggled past a string of home defenders and with keeper Nathan Pattimore drawn out of his goal, mcGrath sidefooted calmly into a gap at the near post. Pure class.
‘Yeah, I’d say it’s one of the best I’ve scored,’ said the in-form striker after the final whistle.
The goal won the quiet approval of even the most diehard Saints followers, jealously wishing they had a frontman of similarly clinicial tendencies.
Indeed, had they a McGrath to lead their line, it might have been St Martin’s who were progressing into the last four as they had their share of clear chances and Bels keeper Rhys Gower had to make some excellent saves.
Micky Ogier, the Bels boss, called McGrath’s first ‘exceptional’.
‘He’s just got so much skill,’ Ogier added, admitting concern for his side’s cup hopes when Saints, 3-0 down early in the second half, hit back to trail by just one with 14 minutes left.
‘We should have put the game to bed in the first half with the chances we had,’ said Ogier.
Glyn Smith, standing in for an unavailable Colin Fallaize at the head of the Saints dugout, was pleased with his side’s effort.
‘I think it was a really good cup tie and with a little bit more luck we could have got something out of the game.’
Saints certainly had their chances in a match which had far more than the run-of-the-mill domestic one about it. Heavy conditions made for plenty of slips and throughout forwards were on top as both back lines found it tough to turn sharply.
From the second minute when McGrath wriggled his way brilliantly through on the left and forced Pattimore into an excellent tip-over save, the chances came thick and fast.
Within a minute, Jason Winch had wastefully volleyed over but for the first 45 generally it was the home goal that came under the bigger threat.
On 10min. Clegg failed to get enough power into his outstretched one-legged attempt to turn in a cross and before long Dave Rihoy was dragging a shot across the face of goal when he should have at least hit the target.
Like Clegg before him, Saints’ Craig Farnham could not get enough boot on the ball to convert a cross and Chris Le Noury’s near-post header drew a save from Gower, but on 22min. Bels got the breakthrough.
Saints, missing the aerial presence of their influential skipper, Kevin Graham, who sat on the bench after failing a fitness test after a week of illness, failed to clear a high ball into the six-yard box and Clegg, with his back to goal, spectacularly bicycle-kicked the ball high into the Saints net.
It was a goal worthy of winning any game but, on this occasion, it was to be outdone by at least two of those that were to come on an afternoon when you dare not take your eye off the action for fear of missing a goal.
The chances continued to come at either end.
Rihoy beat the offside trap on the right but Pattimore blocked superbly and within seconds Winch was put into the clear but before he could shoot he was thwarted by a covering tackle.
Clegg then managed to head into the bar from a yard out when it seemed he must score, but within 60 seconds strike partner McGrath intervened with his stunning dribble and shot to double the visitors’ lead.
The second half was no less entertaining.
Within seconds of the restart Rihoy had burst through on the right and forced Pattimore into a near-post save, Farnham drew another fine stop from Gower as he latched onto a great Winch delivery and Clegg was denied by Pattimore’s feet.
That was all inside the first four minutes of the half and on the 50min. mark McGrath killed off Saints, or that’s what everybody thought, with an excellent third.
Latching onto a long ball downfield McGrath’s attempted chip over the onrushing Pattimore partially failed.
But with possession falling kindly for him, McGrath cleverly chipped the ball over an attempted tackle and blasted into the far corner.
To their credit, Saints showed no sign of hoisting the white flag.
Charles Pinsard found the net from a header which was rightly scrubbed out for offside and, on the hour mark, sub Nick Edmunds, who looked a threat from the moment he stepped onto the park, raced through on Dominic Heaume’s pass only to be upended by a sliding Gower.
Chris Mauger blasted the penalty out of Gower’s reach and Saints sensed they were back in the game.
Subconsciously thinking they were through at 3-0, Bels had gone off the boil and under increasingly heavy pressure the league champions-elect conceded a second on 76min.
Winch, showing glimpses of his best form after a disappointing spell in recent weeks, was upended 25 yards out by Scott Bradford and from the free kick he delicately and skilfully picked out Heaume’s well-timed run.
The island player and outstanding performer on the pitch, did the rest, heading powerfully past Gower.
The Saints support roared but within a minute was silenced by an equally talented performer, Rihoy.
Finding another gaping gap on Saints’ left flank, Rihoy powered into the box off his wing and rifled a superb shot into the far corner.
Another goal of the highest quality.
Rihoy was later to kick a Le Noury effort off the line as Saints made one final effort to rescue the tie, but the last action came at the northern end.
Rob Williams, Bels’ young reserve, was upended as he dribbled into the box, but wastefully missed the chance to score a first-team goal as his spot-kick was easily collected by Pattimore to his left.
‘Considering the conditions, some nice football was played out there,’ said the winning coach and never has he spoken a truer word.
This was classic cup football refereed sensibly if not always expertly by arguably the island’s best ref, Ian Drillot.
Article posted on 7th January, 2008 - 12.00am
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