Recap

Tadcaster Albion 1-0 Redcar Athletic

Tadcaster: Dan McDaid (44’)

Steelmen: –

Tadcaster’s skipper Dan McDaid made the difference, as Redcar Athletic’s Emirates FA Cup woes continued into 2023.

The fullback converted the Brewers’ lone attempt on target to confirm another premature exit, in a tie where the Steelmen’s dominance was only upended by their own missed opportunities.

Albion’s goal advantage gave license to sit back and frustrate, with broken play and fractured momentum hampering Redcar’s efforts to force a replay.

Gary Forster made a number of changes from the opening day defeat, as midweek signing Decklan Greenwood debuted in goal, whilst Sonni Coleman and Oscar Fletcher returned from injury.

With fresh impetus to restart the season, Redcar opened the affair in complete control.

Isaac Walker was predictably the first to have a crack, floating an effort wide from the left flank with a mere thirty seconds on the clock.

The Brewers’ defence faced an early bombardment, as Layton Watts took aim, then Sonni Coleman, Danny Boyle and Mason McNeill, with all four struggling to find a way through a resolute backline.

Sonni Coleman was gifted a gilt-edged opportunity to capitalise on the Steelmen’s dominance, but the forward could only skew Walker’s slide-rule pass wide of goal.

Another heart-in-mouth moment was supplied by Danny Boyle, whose deft lob from Adam Wheatley’s headed pass was tipped onto the underside of the bar by a sprawling Joe Milton.

Having worked with scraps of possession for a whole 40 minutes, Tadcaster were given a rare opportunity to test Redcar’s defence with a central free-kick.

Captain Dan McDaid stepped up to the mark, and after a clever fake, calmly guided the ball around the forlorn wall and into the far bottom corner, to the disbelief of the terraces.

Spurred on by their rather undeserved lead, Albion were the first to cause problems after the restart, as Adam Wheatley was forced to react to deny a lurking Lewis Stephens.

The Steelmen found pockets of success between the broken play, with Oscar Fletcher’s rocket over the bar met with a number of relieved sighs from around the home crowd.

Isaac Walker continued to be a dangerous attacking outlet, as he rattled the advertising hoardings with a low drive, before cutting inside and barrelling over the bar moments later.

Tadcaster mustered one last attempt to add security to their lead, with Jordan Hines negating Decklan Greenwood with a pullback cross, only for Kieran Greenwood to strike the upright with the whole goal at his mercy.

Seven minutes of stoppage time came and went with Albion’s frustrating, but justified gamesmanship, and as Milton rose to beat James Sayer to a Layton Watts’ delivery, Redcar’s dreams of an Emirates FA Cup run were put on hold for at least another year.

Attendance: N/K

Line-Up: Greenwood, McNeill, Thompson, Fletcher, Hall (Conway 81′), Wheatley, Watts, Boyle, Walker, Coleman (Owens 75′), Bell (Sayer 63′)

Next Match: Northallerton Town (h) | Friday 11th August