Moors were knocked out of the Durham County Challenge Cup on Tuesday as Consett ran out winners on a blustery night at Belle View Stadium.
The home side seemed to settle more in the tricky conditions and on an artificial surface and they were in the ascendancy for large portions of an often-scrappy contest.
The Steelmen were first on to the front foot and Jake Orrell almost caught out young keeper Ryan Johnson with a long-range free-kick which caught in the wind and bounced back off the bar.
On 27 minutes the hosts did go in front. Moors didn’t deal with a long ball forward from the back and Ben Ramsey nipped in to take a wonderful first touch which saw him round Johnson and fire home.
It could have been 2-0 almost immediately when a cross was hung up to the back post where Scott Fenwick sent a looping header back across goal which dropped just wide of the post.
Lewis Dickman introduced Glen Taylor at half time to try and inject some threat into the Moors attack, but Will Shaw could have doubled Consett’s lead when he cut inside from the left only to drag his shot wide of the near post.
Connors Shanks did brilliantly to find space on the left and go past his defender and into the area, but his shot lacked the venom to trouble James Anderson in the Consett goal.
Moors almost used the wind to their own advantage on 72 minutes when Sam Fielding’s left-wing corner was nearly blown in directly at the far post, but Anderson adjusted well to push it away.
Consett made it 2-0 with 13 minutes left. Orrell whipped a wonderful free-kick from the left fringe of the penalty area over keeper Johnson and into the far top corner of the net.
Dickman’s side responded three minutes later when a free-kick from the right was swung in deep to the far post and Taylor rose highest to power home a header to reduce the deficit.
However, it was too little too late and Consett defended with determination to secure their passage to Round Two at Moors’ expense.
“It is a disappointing night for us but fair play to Consett – this is a difficult place to come, and they won’t lose many games here on that evidence,” Dickman told us after the final whistle.
“We gave a good opportunity to the younger lads to come in and gain some invaluable experience and showcase what they’re all about so that was a positive.
“It wasn’t to be in terms of the result, and I don’t think you could say that was down to a lack of effort but unfortunately we have fallen just short so now the task is to respond to that on Saturday at Brackley.”
Full Time: Consett 2 Moors 1
Moors: Johnson, Bondarenko, Ledger, Fielding, Stewart (Taylor 46), Ross, Shanks, Atkinson (Mouat 68), Ramshaw, McKeown, Harris.
Subs not used: Pollock, Chapman, Butler.
Booked: Bondarenko, Ramshaw.
Referee: Stephen Beresford
Attendance: 358
