Chelmsford 2 Crawley 1 (From Chelmsford Weekly News)

Chelmsford 2 Crawley 1

11:36am Thursday 21st January 2010

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GLENN Pennyfather offered a warning to City’s forthcoming opponents for the rest of the season after watching his team overcome Blue Square Premier opponents Crawley in the FA Trophy, forecasting “these players will only get better and better”.

The Clarets’ Head Coach guided Chelmsford into the last 16 of the competition and claimed a further £6,000 in prize money for the club.

City twice took the lead through Anthony Cook and a Dave Rainford penalty against their challengers from one division higher and secured a prestige home fixture against Oxford United in Round Three, having overcome Michael Malcolm’s early second-half leveller.

Now matches can’t flow quickly enough for Pennyfather’s squad, who are on a remarkable run of just two defeats in 22 fixtures.

“I’m absolutely delighted,” he beamed after the match.

“We knew this would be a yardstick for us as Crawley were full-time with a wealth of experience in their squad. But I have a massive belief in my squad of players.

"We have got quality here and it showed tonight.

"The players wear their hearts on their sleeves and have made so much progress in such a short space of time.

"The run they’ve been on is a habit and I’m sure they’re going into every game at the moment thinking they’re going to win it.”

The Clarets’ boss had three enforced changes to make to the side which romped to a 4-1 victory at Weymouth at the weekend.

Mark Haines was unable to recover sufficiently from a foot injury so he was replaced at right-back by Steve Clark. Heading forward, Marlon Patterson and Lewis Smith were both cup-tied and were replaced by wide midfielder Matthew Lock and striker Rob Edmans.

Edmans himself was involved in the first real attack of the game on eight minutes, squaring into the penalty box in search of Anthony Cook on the break without success.

But some defensive hesitancy at the other end eight minutes later could have cost the home side if Barry Cogan, a former FA Cup final midfielder with Millwall as recently as 2004, hadn’t half-volleyed narrowly wide of ‘keeper Ashley Harrison’s goal.

Mid-way through the half a crafty Cook bicycle-kick into the danger area returned the earlier favour for Edmans, who this time got his own head to the ball in space, but with insufficient purchase to trouble custodian Simon Rayner from ten yards out.

Though the same combination made it third time lucky four minutes prior to the break when a defender lost possession from an angle on the left inside the area, enabling Edmans to square a low cross to Cook who flicked inside the near post and into the net.

Chelmsford, therefore, re-entered after the break full of confidence but this soon took a dent within a minute of the resumption.

City were caught cold as a teasing delivery from the left was headed into the path of Malcolm a few yards out, the striker guiding into an open goal.

Yet Chelmsford stole the lead back in the 68th minute.

A corner was dropped into the danger zone and, when Rainford attempted to power a header on goal, Referee Stuart Burt felt a shove in his back warranted a penalty.

Rainford got back up and coolly converted to Rayner’s right.

From this point it was a question of whether the hosts could hold on for a second time.

Crawley searched for a way back through Charles Ademeno’s long-range drive wide, but it would be Chelmsford who advanced to the next round with a textbook, professional performance.

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