Clinical City too strong for Plymouth Parkway

Gloucester City started brightly at the KMM Energy Stadium, creating a huge opportunity within the first five minutes. Coventry City loanee Rylie Siddal beat his man on the left-hand side and delivered a brilliant cross that prolific striker Kane Simpson couldn’t quite get his head on.

The Tigers continued to pile the pressure on Plymouth Parkway as midfielder Sion Spence had an early effort on goal, but the deflected shot wasn’t enough to test Freddy Harvey-Larmer in the Parkway goal.

Parkway struggled to deal with the pace of Siddal, who breezed past his marker again in the 20th minute and got a shot off that was too close to the keeper.

Plymouth Parkway’s best chance of the first half came in the 30th minute when a cross from a counter-attack found Reece Thomson, but he couldn’t quite get on the end of it.

Gloucester City broke the deadlock in the 30th minute. Joe Hanks picked up a lofted pass inside the box, dummied his defender, and smashed the ball into the back of the net to give City the lead.

Some brilliant passing play then led to a second goal for Gloucester City five minutes before half-time, with Kane Simpson striking home to double the advantage.

Half-time: Gloucester City 2–0 Plymouth Parkway

Gloucester went into the break firmly in control after a dominant first-half performance.

It was a back-and-forth opening 10 minutes of the second half as Plymouth Parkway tried to find a way back into the game.

Parkway had a good opportunity in the 60th minute when they won a free kick just outside the box, which resulted in Michael O’Regan receiving a yellow card. It presented a great chance for Parkway captain Rio Garside, but he opted to shoot and his effort flew just over the City crossbar.

City grabbed a third goal in the 68th minute following a lovely counter-attack. Hanks played the ball past the Parkway keeper, allowing Simpson to slot it away neatly for his second of the afternoon.

There was still time for a moment of quality from the Parkway goalkeeper in the closing minutes, as he denied Kane Simpson a hat-trick with an excellent save, preventing Gloucester City from extending their lead further.

Full-time: Gloucester City 3–0 Plymouth Parkway

Gloucester City ran riot with a commanding performance, securing all three points with a comfortable and clinical display.