by Peter Scherer (Images: Steve Ingers)
Two goals in the first five minutes set Mickleover on the way to a 4-1 win in the opening five minutes.
Starting line-up: 1-Jay Alexander 2-Jake Bennett 3-Danny Gordon 4-Will Atkinson 5-Brad Gascoigne 6-George Wilkinson 7-Luke McCormick 8-Cieron Keane 9-Manni Norkett 10-Andy Dales 11-Paddy Webb. Subs: Stuart Beavon, Danny Benson, Josh Carter, Will Smith, Jack McDowell.
Mickleover were straight on the attack from the start and when Dales found McCormick on the right wing, his cross was turned into his own goal by a rugby defender, with just two minutes on the clock 1-0.
Two minutes later McCormick was causing trouble again on the right, when his cross just missed connecting with both Norkett and Webb.
As the pressure continued on the visitors defence, Norkett held the ball in the area, but had his back to goal. But his patience gave Dales time to get into place, and smash home number two into the roof of the net, with six minutes gone 2-0.
Rugby had their first shot 11 minutes in, but that was wide of the left-hand post, but it was a sign of this to come, when Rivel Mardenborough pulled one back, charging through the middle as the home defence looked for offside, 2-1.
Sports came straight back to go close again when Dales sent McCormick down the right wing, firing in a shot just past the post.
But the goal had given Rugby more confidence too and then sent a glancing header goalwards, but comfortably taken by Alexander.
The Mickleover defence had started to look vulnerable and it became more end to end. Rugby put a header just wide after a 23rd minute corner and Norkett nearly added to the goal tally, when his 36th minute break saw him take it around the keeper, only to be cleared off the line.
McCormick had another shot blocked at close range, after a scramble in the box, but then Alexander had to race off his line after Wilkinson had failed to clear a cross from the right.
In the closing minutes of the first half Dales had a shot over the bar from just outside the box and then Webb had a shot blocked after a Gordon cross had been missed by Woods in the Rugby goal.
It could easily have been 4-0 in the opening 10 minutes, but Mickleover went into the break at 2-1 and needing to tighten things up at the back.
Sports began the second half on the attack again, with Woods having to palm away a shot from Webb after 50 minutes. McCormick then found Dales with a cross from the right, but that was cleared by the visitors defence.
The pressure finally told again when Norkett made it 3-1 after 55 minutes. He had made a break through the middle, but met the advancing Woods. His first shot came off the keeper, but the rebound was fired into the net.
A throw in from Gordon then found Dales on the hour mark, but his shot was wide of the right-hand post, but although Mickleover were dominating, Rugby still got a break and forced Alexander into a diving save after 64 minutes.
Sports made their first change when Benson replaced Gordon, before there were appeals for a penalty when Webb was clearly tripped in the box. They were waved away but a minute later McCormick almost got Norkett through again.
Dales had another attempt held by the keeper after 70 minutes, just before Smith came on for Keane.
Norkett almost broke through again five minutes later, but the keeper got there first. But there was still one more goal to come. Carter had replaced McCormick and he picked up on a long clearance from Alexander, cutting in from the right he had the Woods trying to narrow the angle, but bided his time and lofted a perfect shot over the keeper for his first senior goal, 4-1.
The was another penalty shout with five minutes left when Norkett was pushed down in the box, he was then replaced by Beavon for the final minutes, but it remained a solid 4-1 win with the back four of Bennett, Gascoigne, Wilkinson, Gordon and latterly Benson, looking much stronger in the second half.
