DROITWICH Spa travel to Ashby Ivanhoe in the second round of the FA Vase tomorrow (Saturday) after a 4-0 home victory against Southam United in the league last weekend.
The result keeps the Saltmen at the top of the Hellenic League Division One table, nine points clear of Redditch Borough.
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Prior to the kick-off, there was an emotional minute’s applause for club founder Nick Duggan who passed away in October.
Both teams battled in the first half and Southam could have taken the lead but, thanks to the crossbar and some good saves from goalkeeper Joe Neeson, the 0-0 scoreline was kept intact until Spa could strike.
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The opening goal came just before half-time, thanks to Josh Hurdman’s sizzling shot from the corner of the box which ended up in the top corner of the Southam net.
Up until that moment, Droitwich had created plenty of half-chances but Southam defended well and it seemed the Saltmen may not get the rub of the green.
It remained 1-0 at half-time.
In the second half, Droitwich built on their first goal, dominated the game and put plenty of pressure on the visitors’ defence.
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Alex Dugmore finally doubled the lead on 58 minutes and it then only took another two minutes for Droitwich to go 3-0 up when Hurdman grabbed his second goal of the game.
The scoring was rounded off by the ever-industrious Nathan Binner who got himself a well-deserved goal for his tireless running with 25 minutes to go.
Some 228 fans watched the match – the eighth best Step Six attendance of the weekend across England.
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Tomorrow’s opponents will prove a tough test for Droitwich. Ashby play at Step Five, one level higher than Droitwich.
The teams have met on numerous occasions previously when The Knights were in the Midland Football League Division One. And it was Ashby who beat Droitwich in the play-off final two years ago to get promotion to the United Counties League Premier Division. They currently sit 10th in UCL Premier North.
