Reds come out on top in Beehive battle

Birmingham Senior Cup Second Round

NO REAL blood and thunder but important footballing lessons were learned in the Redditch derby at The Beehive last night.

Redditch United's full-time report will read: Could do better while Studley's is along the lines of: Must do better - if they are to progress beyond their Midland Alliance playground.

United wasted gilt-edged chances towards the end which could have been crucial - be it 0-0 in a vital Dr Martens Western League clash.

While the ambitious Bees were given a gentle reminder of the step up in class needed to jump just one rung up the non-league ladder.

But both sides can be commended for their work ethic that led to an encounter just about worth the £4 it left the 150-plus supporters' pockets that little bit lighter.

United, riding high at the top of their league, were slow out of the blocks in each half but the Bees just couldn't provide the sting when The Reds were looking more like a pale shade of pink.

Quickly, the visitors found second gear and, after Robbie Sawyers' cracking 25-yard effort was superbly saved by flying No.1 Dave Adey, Richard Burgess gave United the lead.

Matty Hall's cross from deep on the left hand flank outfoxed all in blue and Burgess, the man who simply can't stop scoring, glanced the ball beyond Adey on 24 minutes.

It was remarkably his sixth goal in just three games; but why stop there? It took the former Aston Villa man just another 15 minutes to take that tally to seven when he cracked home Martyn Myers' right-sided cross. Boy, how David O'Leary could do with a striker with that kind of goals to games ratio right now!

Burgess is on fire and, with seconds left in the first half, was unlucky not to secure his hat-trick when he latched onto the hard-working Richard Softley's astute pass, sprinted forward 30 yards before dispatching a whistling, winding effort which flew an inch wide of its intended top-corner target.

Studley, who are quietly but assuredly mounting their own promotion challenge, had offered little resistance to the Red tide until the second half.

Just six minutes after the break, the tinkle-toed Tony Robinson delivered a pin-point cross to the far post where Andy Johnson headed an all-but certain goal, be it for some cat-like antics (or is that anstiss?) from the 'keeper. Excellence personified.

Redditch responded with a far-post header of their own but this time Softley glanced wide before Nicky Cross had to be on hand to head the ball off the line when Adam Blake got the better of Anstiss at the second time of asking to float the ball towards the line.

Studley, to their credit, never gave up the ghost but as they pushed forward, the gaps opened up in their defence but the Reds failed miserably to finish with aplomb by grabbing a third and a fourth.

First Matty Hall conjured up another magical ball to cast a spell over the Bees' static defence but striker Richard Leadbeater missed an open goal from six yards - and to add salt to his wounds, he fluffed again when the ball was pinned back into the box.

And then horror of horrors, Burgess proved he's human after all by missing a golden chance for his hat-trick when he was forced wide by Adey after being put clean through by Softley just moments before the final whistle.

Studley boss Mark Chambers was the happier of the two derby managers last night as he praised his players for taking the game to Redditch United.

The Bees went buzzing out of the Birmingham Senior Cup at the hands of their loftier neighbours United, courtesy of Richard Burgess' first-half brace.

But Chambers, who has guided his side to fifth in the Midland Alliance, was far from downbeat.

"I think we should have scored in the first 25 minutes when we were the better side but once we went behind, it was always going to be difficult because they're well organised and experienced," said Chambers afterwards.

"But I thought we gave a good account of ourselves and I'm just disappointed that we didn't get a goal because they looked pretty ordinary in the second half. They just did enough to see out the game."

He added: "I didn't think that the gulf between the two side was that big really. I think that we gave them just as good a game as a lot of sides in their league, so that's reasonably good for us and it gives us an indication of what is needed to play at that level."

United boss Rod Brown, meanwhile, bemoaned the lack of creativity shown on the night from his promotion chasers at times and slated some poor finishing by his strikers in the final stages.

Brown said: "Our league game against Gresley Rovers on Saturday seemed to take a lot out of my players, so I rested the likes of Mark Taylor but it meant that we lacked a lot of creativity.

"I think it was a good result but the performance should have been better. We should have kept the ball more.

"We're a side with good forward players but we have to get possession first before we can do anything. It was a scrappy game and derbies like this are always difficult.

"Studley would want to win this a lot more than Redditch but for our fans it's as equally important and I thought that both teams didn't looked relaxed.

"We played Studley pre-season and I rate them and thought they'd will finish top two. But I didn't think they were anything close to what they were like then tonight."

As for the clear-cut chances missed first by Richard Leadbeater and then Burgess, Brown complained: "I wouldn't have expected that from schoolboys. That could be vital in another match and it doesn't matter who we play but we've got to be comfortable with the ball. We're 2-0 up and we're still chasing the game which shouldn't happen."

Midlands giants Aston Villa and Birmingham City enter the competition at the latter stages but Brown insisted: "Yes, it would be nice to get a home draw against big clubs like that but our priority is the league and luckily we didn't pick up any injuries tonight and I've also managed to rest my captain."

Leadbeater did have to come off moments before the final whistle with a nastly-looking cut to his head but was quickly deemed fit by Brown for the league trip to Taunton on Saturday.