Raptors kept at bay as FC begin Fenix Trophy campaign in comfortable fashion
FC United began their Fenix Trophy defence with a resounding 5-0 win against Prague Raptors in the first leg of their Preliminary Round tie at Broadhurst Park.
A brace for Dec McLoughlin, along with goals for Joe Ferguson, Dec Evans and new signing Luca Navarro punctuated a deserved victory for the Reds against their opponents from the Czech capital.
Mark Beesley handed full debuts to three new additions; goalkeeper Conor O’Keefe started in net following his move from Ashton United, while forwards Gez Sithole and Navarro featured in attack after joining from Warrington Town and Radcliffe (loan) respectively.
Having had the slight edge of proceedings through the first quarter of an hour, the hosts took the lead in the 17th minute. A flowing move on the left hand side eventually saw the ball switched over to Ferguson on the right, who produced an in-swinging delivery toward the back post. Awaiting the cross was McLoughlin, who finished high to the centre of the goal with a right-footed strike.
FC doubled their advantage only minutes after finding the opener, with Ferguson getting himself on the scoresheet with a superb solo effort. After Raptors turned the ball over in midfield, the right wing-back picked up the ball at the edge of the centre circle before driving at the visitors’ backline. Ferguson jinked past two Raptors defenders on his way into the area, before dinking over Oswaldo Gonzalez in the away goal to make it 2-0.
Raptors’ efforts at getting up the pitch came to no avail in the minutes following United’s second, and soon Kim Grant’s side found themselves three goals down in the 27th minute. In a frantic passage inside the Raptors penalty area, Jan Palinkas saw a header cleared off the line following a delivery to the back post. From the rebound, FC’s probing just inside the area led to Evans taking the shot on, with the centre-half picking out Gonzelez’s bottom right corner through a swarm of bodies to extend the Reds’ lead.
The Czech side enjoyed their best period of the first half following FC’s third goal, with Michael Houdek producing the visitors’ closest effort on goal four minutes before the interval. A lofted ball forward was knocked into the path of Houdek, with the midfielder opening up on his left foot before firing just wide of O’Keefe’s left hand upright.
Half Time: FC United 3-0 Prague Raptors
Callum Skilling provided the first test for the new Reds ‘keeper 10 minutes after the restart. Quick thinking from Andrea Rizzi from a throw in allowed Houdek to find Skilling with a first time ball, yet the striker could only find the palms of O’Keefe with a left-footed effort.
With just under an hour played, the home side found their fourth goal of the evening courtesy of a debut strike by Navarro. The on-loan Radcliffe man gained possession from a central position inside the final third, and after initially seeing an effort blocked, Navarro’s follow-up attempt trickled home via a deflection off a Raptors defender.
Despite Raptors continuing to send bodies forward through the final 30 minutes, the visitors were unable to create any openings of substance as the second half ticked away. Substitute Dragisa Erakovic looked to have evaded the FC backline when he was played through at the edge of the area, however the move was halted by the linesman’s flag.
FC added a fifth and final goal in the 84th minute of play, with McLoughlin doubling his tally for the night to round off the scoring. Another run by Ferguson into the box resulted in the ball landing at the feet of substitute Charlie Cowin, with the youngster selflessly laying off to McLoughlin who finished calmly at Gonzalez’s near right post.
Report by Finn Honeywood.
Raptors kept at bay as FC begin Fenix Trophy campaign in comfortable fashion
FC United began their Fenix Trophy defence with a resounding 5-0 win against Prague Raptors in the first leg of their Preliminary Round tie at Broadhurst Park.
A brace for Dec McLoughlin, along with goals for Joe Ferguson, Dec Evans and new signing Luca Navarro punctuated a deserved victory for the Reds against their opponents from the Czech capital.
Mark Beesley handed full debuts to three new additions; goalkeeper Conor O’Keefe started in net following his move from Ashton United, while forwards Gez Sithole and Navarro featured in attack after joining from Warrington Town and Radcliffe (loan) respectively.
Having had the slight edge of proceedings through the first quarter of an hour, the hosts took the lead in the 17th minute. A flowing move on the left hand side eventually saw the ball switched over to Ferguson on the right, who produced an in-swinging delivery toward the back post. Awaiting the cross was McLoughlin, who finished high to the centre of the goal with a right-footed strike.
FC doubled their advantage only minutes after finding the opener, with Ferguson getting himself on the scoresheet with a superb solo effort. After Raptors turned the ball over in midfield, the right wing-back picked up the ball at the edge of the centre circle before driving at the visitors’ backline. Ferguson jinked past two Raptors defenders on his way into the area, before dinking over Oswaldo Gonzalez in the away goal to make it 2-0.
Raptors’ efforts at getting up the pitch came to no avail in the minutes following United’s second, and soon Kim Grant’s side found themselves three goals down in the 27th minute. In a frantic passage inside the Raptors penalty area, Jan Palinkas saw a header cleared off the line following a delivery to the back post. From the rebound, FC’s probing just inside the area led to Evans taking the shot on, with the centre-half picking out Gonzelez’s bottom right corner through a swarm of bodies to extend the Reds’ lead.
The Czech side enjoyed their best period of the first half following FC’s third goal, with Michael Houdek producing the visitors’ closest effort on goal four minutes before the interval. A lofted ball forward was knocked into the path of Houdek, with the midfielder opening up on his left foot before firing just wide of O’Keefe’s left hand upright.
Half Time: FC United 3-0 Prague Raptors
Callum Skilling provided the first test for the new Reds ‘keeper 10 minutes after the restart. Quick thinking from Andrea Rizzi from a throw in allowed Houdek to find Skilling with a first time ball, yet the striker could only find the palms of O’Keefe with a left-footed effort.
With just under an hour played, the home side found their fourth goal of the evening courtesy of a debut strike by Navarro. The on-loan Radcliffe man gained possession from a central position inside the final third, and after initially seeing an effort blocked, Navarro’s follow-up attempt trickled home via a deflection off a Raptors defender.
Despite Raptors continuing to send bodies forward through the final 30 minutes, the visitors were unable to create any openings of substance as the second half ticked away. Substitute Dragisa Erakovic looked to have evaded the FC backline when he was played through at the edge of the area, however the move was halted by the linesman’s flag.
FC added a fifth and final goal in the 84th minute of play, with McLoughlin doubling his tally for the night to round off the scoring. Another run by Ferguson into the box resulted in the ball landing at the feet of substitute Charlie Cowin, with the youngster selflessly laying off to McLoughlin who finished calmly at Gonzalez’s near right post.
Report by Finn Honeywood.
