Match Report | City vs Stafford Rangers

Gloucester City bounce back from the disappointment from midweek with a comfortable 4-0 win against Stafford Rangers in the FA Trophy.

An Ashley Hemmings brace and goals from Ethan Dunbar and Tom Owen-Evans secured all three points for the hosts this afternoon in GL2.

The Tigers started strongly with Evander Grubb being put through on goal just five minutes in, however his chip over the keeper was cleared off the line by Leon Phillips.

City got what they deserved and took the lead in the 13th minute thanks to Ashley Hemmings, who cut in from the right hand side and curled the ball into the far corner.

The visitors were starting to see more of the ball as the half went on and City had to stay alive at the back to prevent Stafford from leveling the game up.

City knew they needed a 2nd goal to make the game more comfortable and they nearly found it with Kian Hill rifling the ball from 25-yards out and smacking the crossbar after a lovely move.

The 2nd half didn’t start well for Stafford as things went from bad to worse for the visitors, with Harvey Washington being shown a red card for a last man shirt pull preventing City a huge chance to double there lead.

Hemmings stepped up to take the penalty and converted in fine fashion, slotting the ball into the left hand side of the goal past Phillips in goal to claim his 2nd of the game.

City’s number nine thought he had his hat-trick but Phillips did fantastically to claw the ball off the line keeping the visitors just about still in the tie.

A triple City change was then made by manager Dafydd Williams as he looked to freshen up his side with Tuesdays game in the back of his mind.

Another penalty was awarded to City which Ethan Dunbar made no mistake from with just 10 minutes to go giving City one foot into the next round.

Tom Owen-Evans sealed the deal for City in added time after the substitute capitalised on Phillips spilling the ball and he managed to tap it home from close range.

A much needed win for City as they look to build momentum and put a winning run together.

It’s a quick turnaround for City as they welcome lead leaders Plymouth Parkway to the KMM Energy Stadium on Tuesday night.

The first Proper round will take place on Saturday, October 24.

Gloucester City: Kane, Nugent, O’Regan, E. Williams (Clarke 67), Hemmings (Evans 76), Grubb (Dunbar 54), Thomas (c), Emmett (Lewis 76), Keyes, H. Williams (Owen-Evans 76) , Hill.