Lobster Pot 0

Dandy Town 3

Dandy Town took only 15 minutes to dismantle Lobster Pot and advance in the FA Cup at White Hill Field yesterday - but then wasted a plethora of opportunities to blow their commercial rivals clean off the pitch.

Veteran striker Darron (Duke) Simons - who plys his trade these days in the Commercial Division - scored two goals either side of the half after Shakir Smith had made the breakthrough with a powerful header.

Simons had a golden chance to snatch a hat-trick from the penalty spot in the 73rd minute but was ultimately denied by Pot goalie Brian Ward who was largely credited for keeping the final scoreline somewhat respectable.

Town coach Scott Morton would've been delighted to see his team advance to the last four in the competition on the back of yesterday's comfortable win. But even he must have been concerned with the manner in which some of his key players shied away from goal as though it was the plague.

Hornets dominated the match from the outset and should have piled up a comfortable cushion at the half. Such was the visitor's dominance during the opening stanza Pot failed to muster a single shot on target and had to wait until the 47th minute before striker Mark James finally tested Kejon Sampson from long range.

Town took full advantage of the spacious confines at White Hill Field and spread the ball around nicely in an effort to stretch the Pot back line. But it took Machai Campbell's long diagonal cross over the top and Smith's clinical header at the far post to finally unlock the home team's defence and from this moment the outcome of this cup tie was never in doubt.

Campbell, who limped off with a hamstring strain at the half, sent in a well measured cross behind Pot's last line of defence that was brilliantly headed home by Smith who beat Ward who seemingly had the angle covered.

Town were now clearly in the ascendancy and in the 26th minute they doubled their lead when Simons, who had gone agonisingly close earlier with a right-footed shot that trickled just wide of the post, buried Brendon Minors' outswinging cross that again caught Pot off-guard at the back.

National team cricketer Kevin Hurdle also threatened with a header that was cleared away before Lynn Tucker blew past two defenders and then rattled the crossbar with a ferocious drive Ward knew little about. But for all their dominance Town only had two goals to show for their efforts at the break.

Whatever words of encouragement Pot coach Troy Berkeley had in store for his troops at the break seemed to do the trick as the home team attacked with more purpose in the second-half while Hornets gradually lost some of their sting.

But not even Berkeley's words of wisdom could prevent the visitor's from stretching their lead as Simons pounced all over a Minors rebound and drilled the ball into the roof of the net from close range.

With the result securely in the bag Hornets should've rubbed salt in the wound in the closing stages but failed miserably to capitalise in front of the posts. Minors went close on two occasions before Simons was denied what would've been a memorable cup treble from the penalty spot after Heys Wolfe was tripped up in the box.

Tucker's name should've also been on the scoresheet but with an open goal at his mercy the Hornets striker inexplicably shot into the sidenetting before midfielders Hurdle and Seion Darrell and late sub Antwan Russell all lifted shots over the bar to spare Pot further blushes.

Lobster Pot: B.Ward, M.Gilliland, T.McMahon, K.Mahadeo, S.Palmer, E.Odede, T.Cusack (C.Andrews, 55 mins), S.Mehran, M.James, J.Azman (G.Richardson, 80 mins), C.Woods (K.Brown, 88 mins).

Dandy Town: K.Sampson, S.Smith (M.Parsons, 70 mins), M.Campbell (S.Furbert, 45 mins), E.Signor, O.Steede, K.Hurdle, B.Minors, S.Darrell, H.Wolfe, D.Simons, L.Tucker (A.Russell, 84 mins).

Yellow cards: S.Smith, A.Russell (Dandy Town).

Men of the match: B.Ward (Lobster Pot); D.Simons (Town).

Referee: Lyndon Raynor.