Tuesday 12th December 2017, Manchester Premier Cup quarter-final
Hyde United 5 (Brown 9, 45, 70, Marie 19, Coates 86)
West 2 (Steer 57, Bailey 74)
Att: 141
The last of West’s cup runs this season came to an end at Ewen Fields as they were ushered out of the Manchester Premier Cup by a clinical Hyde United.
The 36-place gap between the sides told on a bitterly cold night on Tameside, particularly in a first half which saw the home side score three times without reply, but West can hold their heads high after an excellent effort in the second period.
David Brown’s hat-trick for the Tigers was pivotal, and the Hyde number 7 opened the scoring inside ten minutes with the first meaningful action of the match – after Peter Boyle’s shot from the right-hand side of the box was parried by Dryden, the quicksilver Brown was first to react as he snaffled up the rebound. Brown turned provider ten minutes later as the Tigers took an iron grip on proceedings, his through-ball lashed into the roof of the net by Dominic Marie.
As at Maine Road in the previous round, West were backed by a sizeable away following, but they were given precious little to cheer until halfway through the first period – Georgi Whyment saw his shot from outside the area deflected just over the bar, and then Whyment was denied from the corner, his effort blocked on the line by a Hyde defender. West passed up an even clearer opportunity just before the interval when Tom Bailey shot straight at Tigers keeper James Hodges, and it proved costly as Brown sped away at the other end moments later to stretch the home side’s lead with the final kick of the half.
The more fatalistic West supporters sheltering in the Tigers clubhouse during the break may have feared another hammering, but the visitors refused to go quietly in a hugely entertaining second period. They should have pulled a goal back inside five minutes – Ben Steer contrived to hit a post from point-blank range after Bailey’s pass across the box. Steer made amends just before the hour, though, latching onto debutant Prince Banya’s excellent pass down the left channel and beating Hodges with a low finish.
Hyde looked to have settled the match as a contest when Brown completed his hat-trick after 70 minutes, tucking the ball past Dryden after a deflection fell kindly inside the box, but the scent of an unlikely comeback permeated the air when Bailey clipped the ball over Hodges with 16 minutes remaining. Suddenly, West were dominant – Bailey forced a save from Hodges moments after his goal, and Ryan Eiselt and Joe Shaw both went close following set-pieces.
But it was the home side who sealed a semi-final berth against FC United in the closing stages. Brown was again involved, flighting the ball over from the left for Harry Coates to head past Dryden, before the West keeper excelled himself in stoppage time to prevent the Tigers skewing the scoreline too far in their favour. Despite a tenth straight defeat, West were deservedly applauded off the field by their travelling support and must now carry the momentum from their second-half showing into a vital Christmas period.
West: Dryden, Tinker, Banya, Eiselt, Bayunu (Potts 53), Middleton, Steer, Sergeant, Bailey, Shaw, Whyment (Hilton 66). Not used: Mendes Gomes, Settle.
