by Peter Scherer (Images: Steve Ingers)
A goal in each half from Ricardo Dinanga ended Mickleover’s hopes of advancing in the FA Trophy, going down 1-2 to AFC Telford Utd.
Starting line-up: 1-Yusuf Mersin 2-Will Atkinson 3-Jake Bennett 4-Curtis Weston 5-Nathan James 6-Danny Benson 7-Brandon Ferron 8-Charlie Hickingbottom 9-Justin Iwobi 10-Andy Dales 11-Marcus Barnes. Subs: Cieron Keane, Ryan Wilson, Stuart Beavon, Dylan Edwards, Bernard Nsiah.
Mickleover won a corner in just the second minute, but Whittall managed to beat Barnes in the air, before it was deflected for another corner and eventually cleared.
Bennett was back on the attack though a minute later, testing the Telford defence, who managed to intercept on this occasion.
The visitors then had their first corner after five minutes, before Mersin saved a shot from Moore, following a deflection from another corner.
Keeper Hall saved a long range shot from Mickleover after seven minutes, before Dinanga went on a charge for Telford, well intercepted by Benson, who tapped it back to Mersin.
Dinanga had a shot wide 10 minutes in, after two more successive corners, before another Bennett charge for Sports was stopped by the visiting defence.
Hall made another easy save a minute later, before Piggott tried his luck for Telford, only to find his shot blocked.
Dales latched on to a free kick after 14 minutes when Barnes was fouled, but after cutting inside he failed to test Hall too.
The deadlock was finally broken after 18 minutes, when Dinanga collected and let fly hard and low with his left foot, after evading the Mickleover defence, 0-1. Sports tried to fight back and Weston brought the ball out after 25 minutes, he found Iwobi who was then outpaced by Myles, before the Sports striker then fouled his challenger.
Weston then tried to shoot through a crowd before Piggott cleared, before Sports won a free kick to test the defence again, but the final ball was easily taken by Hall.
Iwobi’s effort to progress on the half hour ended with a challenge from Gudger and then Barnes similarly, after he was stopped by Dinanga and Piggott, before the ball was cleared again.
A 35th minute free kick from Mickleover again failed to test keeper Hall, who was in action two minutes later, comfortably collecting a Dales effort.
Telford then broke out before Storer was stopped, the same player then fouled by Weston, but that free kick was easily cleared too.
Weston continued to try and play the ball forward, but his 43rd minute attempt was taken and fed back to Hall again.
But Telford continued to press too and Mersin had to save again from Walker and Piggott before the half time whistle went and so it remained 0-1.
Mersin was soon action again, as just one minute into the second half he saved a close range shot from Dinanga.
There was almost a second for Telford though, when after 49 minutes Bennett cleared off the line after Gudger won the ball from a corner.
Two minutes later though Sports were back on equal terms, when Piggott was caught out and Hickingbottom collected, firing in the equaliser from close range 1-1.
Dales then hit a volley just wide after 54 minutes, before Ferron led a Mickleover press. He was initially closed down, but persevered and broke through, before Hall collected a tame effort.
Edwards came for Iwobi just after the hour mark and found Bennett, whose cross just missed finding Barnes on the near post.
Sports made their second change when Keane replaced Atkinson, but with 71 minutes gone Dinanga made it 2-1 to Telford, after he collected Brown’s cross, took it around the back of the defence and scored from close range.
Sports were unlucky not be level again just three minutes later, when Pendley headed a Benson attempt off the line.
Brown then tried to stop Ferron’s run five minutes later, the teenager broke through again, but his final effort was blocked again.
Mersin did well to block a Telford effort in a crowded box after 81 minutes, before Gudger almost retrieved the rebound.
Both Dinanga and Armson then made late breaks, but it was Mersin again to the rescue, before the final changes saw Weston and Dales, replaced by Wilson and debutant Nsiah,
The equaliser was almost there after 82 minutes, with a header from the far post after a Ferron cross, but it wasn’t to be.
Wilson had a late shot wide, but time ran out for Mickleover as their last chance of cup glory disappeared with a 1-2 defeat.
