Goals from Liam Ellis and Joe Rathbone ensured that Avro began the 23-24 season with a win in the FA Cup extra preliminary round at the Fantastic Media Welfare Ground.
Centre half Deane Smalley made his competitive debut at the heart of the Ro defence alongside Geffry Ebhote, with Max Davidson filling in for the injured Kane Wallwork at left back. Jamie Rother and Jack Morrow anchored the midfield, with Muis Bibire Bello, Rathbone and Connor Berry just ahead of them, and Ellis deployed as the lone forward.
The first clear cut opportunity of the afternoon fell to the home side, with Donae Lawrence’s powerful run into the box ending with a fierce left foot strike which Grant Shenton did well to parry to safety. Ellis’ first chance to break the deadlock arrived moments later, but home keeper Declan Lambton was quickly off his line to make a fine save.
However, after being denied the opening goal by an assistant referee’s offside flag, it proved to be third time lucky for the big striker, who timed his run perfectly to get on the end of an long through ball by Matty Crothers, and on this occasion he managed to get the ball over the onrushing Lambton and into the net.
Ebhote headed just wide from a Davidson corner as the Ro sought to double their lead before the break. However, shortly after Lambton had made another excellent stop to thwart Bibire Bello early in the second half, the second goal duly arrived.
Crothers was again involved, with the full back’s ball into the Emley area cushioned into Rathbone’s path by Berry’s head. The midfielder let fly with a left foot volley which flew into the corner, and an unassailable lead was thus established.
Emley wasted their best chance to get back into the tie halfway through the second period. Substitute Walshaw was adjudged to have been brought down in the area, but Shenton flung himself to his right to keep out the spot kick from the same player.
The home side kept plugging away and Walker did have the ball in the net as the game headed into added time, but again an assistant’s flag cut short the celebrations, and minutes later the Ro had booked a trip to Merseyside to take on Lower Breck in a fortnight.
