After a brief scare, Shildon AFC saw off Handsworth FC in an FA Vase tie that kicked off an hour late at Dean Street after the visitors were delayed due to an accident on the A1(M).
The extra hour on the coach didn’t appear to have harmed the away side, who took the lead through Tyler WIlliams after 20 minutes.
The left back’s rapid high press saw him steal the ball on the left wing before wrong-footing both defender and keeper Jennison to slot the ball into the bottom corner.
But within fifteen minutes, Shildon were back on par. Billy Greulich-Smith, who received a special award prior to the match to mark an incredible 500 appearances for the club, took full advantage of a defensive error to fire home a left-footed effort from the edge of the box.
Having fully warmed up after the lengthy wait for the game to kick off, the second half belonged entirely to the home side.
The home fans too were rewarded for their patience as Shildon made certain of their place in the second round of the national competition by adding a further four goals without reply.
David Vincent put the hosts in front just four minutes after the restart with quick reactions after his initial shot crashed off the keeper’s right-hand post and rebounded back to him at pace to hit first time into the opposite corner.
Ben Reay was next on the scoresheet, firing back across the keeper after a smart turn in the box.
Six minutes later it was 4-1 when man-of-the-match Greulich-Smith notched his second on 64 – a tap-in after being unselfishly set up by Leighton Harris, who himself only had the goalkeeper to beat.
There were still fifteen minutes left on the clock when Jack Blackford completed the scoring, converting from just inside the box after some neat interplay with Brad Hughes.
Shildon will host rivals, Carlisle City, with whom they drew 1-1 in the league recently, in the next round on 31 October at Dean Street.
Meanwhile, it was back to league action on Tuesday evening and a potentially tricky midweek journey across the Pennines to face Kendal, who came into the game on the back of a three-game winning streak.
And three, indeed, was the magic number as Shildon made short work of their hosts, scoring three times without reply in the first half.
Joe Posthill got the goalscoring underway in the 21st minute after a calamitous clearance from the keeper cannoned off his centre back and straight to the feet of Posthill who was gifted a free run on an open goal.
Eight minutes later, Greulich-Smith doubled the lead with a simple header from a corner. The game was essentially put beyond doubt a minute before the break when Ben Reay finished off a fine move after Greulich-Smith’s effort was saved.
Kendal’s Jamie Looker found the net with 25 minutes remaining, but it proved no more than consolation with no further scoring in the game.
Shildon remain third in the table with a game in hand over the leaders and travel to Blyth Town this Saturday before hosting second-place Easington on Tuesday evening.
Shildon & District's local community newspaper.
