REPORT | Quorn 2-1 Rugby Town
Quorn launched their home campaign with a thrilling 2-1 victory against, fellow step four new boys, Rugby Town under the lights at Farley Way on Tuesday evening. Cain Noble opened the scoring in the 71st minute, only to see Ryan Sahota equalise for the visitors less than a minute later. Ryan Beswick scored the decisive goal, from the penalty spot, in the 85th minute, but only after Rugby had missed a spot kick of their own.
With both sides finishing second in their respective step five divisions last season, Tuesday looked like a real test for two teams with ambitions of pushing higher up the pyramid. Quorn started brighter as Tyrell Shannon-Lewis and Jack Samples had chances in the first 10 minutes, but neither tested Matt Hill in the Rugby goal.
Paddy Webb had a couple of good opportunities, the best of which coming after Charlie Marzano had stolen possession and burst forward, but the striker couldn’t find the target. The Reds weren’t having it all their own way though, as Town looked to take the lead through Sahota and Jordan Wilson, again though Charlie Woods was comfortable in the Quorn goal.
The closest either side came to breaking the deadlock in an end-to-end first half, fell on the stroke of half-time, as Samples fired a ball across goal that was agonisingly close to finding the boot of Shannon-Lewis with an empty net at his mercy. There was still time for Courey Grantham to fire in a goal-bound header from a corner that was cleared off the line.
Possibly the best move of the match came just before the hour mark when Noble made a great run and had the ball played in to his path just outside the box. The hard-working midfielder unselfishly laid the ball off to Webb, whose powerful drive crashed off the post and out to safety. It was a very similar passage of play that brought about the opening goal, as Noble broke forward again and collected a pin-point pass that he rifled in to the top corner.
Rugby didn’t dwell on falling behind and almost from the kick-off Wilson flicked a ball on that was whipped in to the near post where Sahota was waiting to equalise. Sahota was involved again as Woods was adjudged to have brought him down inside the box in the 81st minute. Wilson stepped up but fired his spot kick wide of the right hand post to leave the scores level at 1-1.
Two minutes later Quorn were awarded a penalty for handball. Beswick sent Hill the wrong way and rolled the ball in to regain the lead for the Reds. Neither side sat back as Quorn went in search of a third whilst Rugby threw everything at them. Woods pulled off an excellent save in stoppage time, tipping over the bar to preserve the win.
Next up for the Reds is a Tuesday evening trip to St. Ives, where they will face Cambridge City as they look to maintain their unbeaten start in the league.