Coventry United 3-1 Hanley Town: Hosts equal best-ever FA Vase run to edge closer to Wembley

Local non-league side Coventry United defeated Hanley Town on Sunday afternoon to edge one step closer to a historic date under the Wembley arch.

A month on from their second-round demolition of Heanor Town, Terry Anderson’s team resumed their Isuzu FA Vase campaign with what was a third consecutive tie at Butts Park Arena.

It was the visitors, though, who took the lead after just five minutes. In what would become quite the theme of the afternoon, a long throw-in from Kyle Stubbs caused chaos in the Coventry penalty area, the loose ball eventually being smashed home by Eden Bailey.

The visitors emerged from the break with renewed energy

After an early period of Hanley pressure, the hosts began to grow into the game. Ryan Harkin came close to a leveller in the fifteenth minute after muscling his way into the box, but quickly saw his low effort blocked by a lunging Tommy Van Der Laan.

But Coventry didn’t have to wait much longer to find that equaliser. Moments later, Riley Davoile’s inswinging corner was somehow scrambled in off the deck by Harkin, who’d just seen his ambitious overhead attempt smothered at source.

Hanley responded positively to the setback with Jake Twyford’s dipping first-time volley forcing Dan Moore into a save, but it was the hosts who took the game by the scruff of the neck as half-time neared.

“From the first five minutes obviously we’re 1-0 down, and we had to show character”

– Terry Anderson

A second majestic passing move within a matter of minutes seemed to have stalled at the feet of Charlie Shaw on the edge of the box, but the midfielder skilfully escaped his marker to play a delightful give-and-go with Davoile before firing Coventry into the lead from ten yards.

The visitors emerged from the break with renewed energy, but some last-ditch heroism from Adam Miles was enough to deny Lewis Porter what would’ve been a controversial equaliser after huge shouts for offside.

Stubbs continued to prove a headache down the left-hand side well into the second half, but his efforts increasingly came to be in vain. Seeing yet another long throw-in narrowly headed over the crossbar by Joel Stair, the defender’s inviting delivery after sixty-seven minutes couldn’t be turned home from point-blank range by a guilty-looking Bailey.

It was then Harkin’s turn to squander a golden opportunity for his second of the day with just under ten minutes remaining, but the hosts were not to be denied a club record-equalling result and safe passage into the fourth round.

In the fifth and final minute of second-half stoppage time, Harkin turned provider by squaring to substitute Sam Ellis, who cooly tucked home the game-sealing goal into the bottom corner.

“From the first five minutes obviously we’re 1-0 down, and we had to show character,” said Coventry’s manager to The Boar Sport. “I thought we were really good in the first half, I think we were unlucky to not go in maybe another goal ahead.”

Coventry’s dreams of reaching the Home of Football have been boosted by yet another home tie in the draw

“Well we didn’t solve it in the first five minutes, did we?” Anderson joked when asked how he’d originally planned to thwart the opposition’s threat from set pieces. “But after that I think our lads were ready for second balls, they were hungry and they knew what was coming. We had to defend really well today.”

In Monday’s fourth-round draw, Coventry’s dreams of a potential date at the Home of Football were boosted by being awarded yet another home Vase tie, this time against fellow United Counties League side, GNG Oadby Town.

The tie is currently scheduled to be played on Saturday 17th January at Butts Park Arena, although the exact date and time is still to be confirmed.