REPORT | Anstey Nomads 3-1 Quorn

The Reds were left to rue missed chances as their season came to an early end at Cropston Road. Paddy Webb notched his 29th goal of the campaign to give Quorn the lead, but a double-blow in first half stoppage time turned the tie as Anstey scored twice in three minutes before the break.

Courey Grantham was consistently able to get the better of Anstey Captain Jordan Annable, with the centre-half lucky to escape a booking in the first ten minutes. Quorn’s front three were consistently getting in behind the Nomads defence, and almost took the lead in the 12th minute. Ryan Beswick sent Webb away down the left as he blazed to the touchline and cut back inside, playing a ball in to the centre where Grantham turned and shot. Several players had been drawn out of position by Webb’s run, but one Nomads defender was able to get an all-important block in to clear off the line.

Grantham was again causing problems, making a good run, but Conrad Logan was out quickly to save at his feet. Cain Noble was next to have a driving run, bearing down on the keeper before a last-gasp sliding intervention took the opportunity away. With just 20 minutes played, Quorn had made all of the running and could have had a couple on the board.

There was almost 30 minutes played before Anstey’s first meaningful attempt, but Kyle Bryant was well-placed to block Henry Bestwick’s shot. Quorn were straight back on the attack though as Jack Samples played in Webb, only for Logan to make another good save. Grantham got the better of Annable again, but his partner in the middle, Lewis Gibbens covered well and got a block in.

An intricate passing move, that the Quorn faithful have become accustomed to over the past two months, involving Beswick, Webb and Silvio Bello, saw the full back in the box, but some desperate defending once again blocked the opportunity. There was nothing the Nomads could do just a minute later though, as Reece Fyfe played in Webb to run free on Logan and slide the ball under the keeper for a deserved lead.

It had been an absolute onslaught, and a set-piece looked as though it would be Anstey’s only chance to find a way back in to the match, and so it was to prove. In first half stoppage time, Quorn failed to deal with a corner and Nyle Blake had a simple job to tap home the equaliser. The match completely turned just 90 seconds later as Anstey converted another set-piece. A free kick was pumped into the box, and although Bello cleared an initial effort off the line, Annable was able to drive in the rebound to turn the match on its head.

Now playing with the lead, Anstey looked a different side in the second half, confident on the ball and able to slow the pace of the match. Charlie Woods made an excellent save in the 57th minute to keep Quorn within touching distance, but there was nothing he could do seven minutes later as Blake unleashed a superb strike to put the match beyond the Reds. Quorn kept pushing for a goal, desperately trying to find a way back in to the match, but Anstey throttled the match and were able to see it out professionally. Farren Simons appeared to be unlucky to see a straight red shortly before the end of the match as Quorn’s season came to a premature close.

Regardless of the result, Ant Carney and Matt Green have shown they’re a more than capable duo to lead Quorn as they prepare for a second season back at step four. Their record since taking on the role mid-February has been superb, driving the Reds into the playoffs, winning seven, drawing two and losing four in their 13 match spell to end the season, three of those defeats against the top three, who were clearly the best sides across the entirety of the season.