| Gadeside Rangers are comfortably through to the quarter finals of the Birkdale Trophies Challenge Cup after sweeping aside second division promotion hopefuls Eastfield United. A goal apiece from Toby Zhou, Adam Hills, Tom Shurville and Tariq Khan helped Gadeside secure their place in the next round of the cup they lost in the final of last season. |
| Gadeside were on the offensive from the word go and created a number of half chances with Toby Zhou and Tom Shurville seeing shots blocked while the returning Jason Brownhill was off target with a far post volley. The lead was finally broken on 23 minutes when Toby Zhou powerfully headed home Ivanz Mani's corner. Gadeside found a lot of joy down the right with good work from Mani and Daniel Brooks but it was a goal from the left hand side that led to goal number two. Brownhill and Zhou combined well for the latter to find Adam Hills, who ended his barren goalscoring run with a fierce drive past the keeper. It could - and probably should - have been so many more in the first half but a mixture of good last ditch defending and a tendancy to overplay by Gadeside kept the score down until Tom Shurville received a pass from Mani and hit a spectacular drive into the roof of the net from 20 yards. |
| Gadeside started the second half with a bang when from kick-off, a sublime passing move from kick-off saw Tom Shurville burst into the box but fire wildly over - but what would have been an outstanding team goal. However, Gadeside did not find the rhythm they had in the first half though they regularly created chances. Daniel Brooks saw a shot blocked while Adam Hills saw his free-kick superbly saved by the keeper. The hosts did pull a goal back in unusual circumstances when Eastfield's right full back launched a long cross into the area which was taken by the wind and lobbed the despairing Sam Green who had had little to do all game. |
| But Gadeside did regain their three goal lead when Toby Zhou's crossed for the onrushing Tariq Khan to slide home with his first touch. Gadeside again had chances to increase their lead; Shurville seeing another long range effort come back off the bar, Hills fired just wide - but Ivanz Mani had the best of the chances when he was brought down in the area but the wideman scuffed his penalty horribly wide of the goal. |
| Sam Green, Ian Freeman, Justyn Walcott (Paul Bangs), Ben Higginson, Tom Oliver (Matt Evans), Daniel Brooks, Ivanz Mani, Tom Shurville, Adam Hills, Toby Zhou, Jason Brownhill (Tariq Khan) |