London Lions progress in FA Vase

Lions made several changes to the side that beat Bedford in midweek. Dan Lee, David Souter and TJ Keterman all started with Danny Berg starting on the bench. Aron Barnes, Andy Glynne, Mario Cenolli and Guy Helman all had the weekend off.

St Margaretsbury pitch wasn’t the best but Lions seemed to settle quicker than their hosts. For the first 20 minutes Lions were on top bossing the game and causing their opponents all kinds of problems in wide and central areas. Sam Sloma, Josh Kennet, Daniel Stanton and TJ Keterman all contributing to the pressure building up around the hosts goal.

That pressure eventually told when the referee who had a superb game awarded Lions a stonewall penalty. The ever-reliable Sloma stepped up and dispatched the spot kick calmly into the back of the net.

Lions then could have and should have put the game to bed in a 15-minute spell which saw them miss chance after chance. Lee in the Lions goal pulled off two saves one in particular that was very impressive from close range.

Lions eventually doubled their lead just before the break. Having missed two early half chances, Keterman this time held off a challenge from the covering defender to open up an angle and finish tidily past the exposed home team’s keeper.

It was clear to everyone watching that St Margaretsbury would step it up in the second period and Lions needed to be on full alert. The home side came out far more aggressive and used some rough-house tactics to try and unsettle Lions. However, the visitors stood up to it but the game became a little scrappy and Lions lost the fluidity of the first period.

Lions brought on all three subs in Ben Ellis, Berg and Bern and it was the latter that sealed victory with a fantastic individual effort. Cutting in from the left he bent his shot from 20 yards over the keeper and straight into the goal.

It was another impressive performance, especially the first 45 minutes, and a home tie against Codicote awaits in the first round proper with Wembley still in reach.

Lions: Dan Lee, Ricky Engleman, Michael Sacks, Adam Myeroff, Guy Morris, Josh Kennet, Daniel Stanton, David Soutar (sub: Danny Berg), Craig Ellis, TJ Keterman (sub: Ben Ellis), Sam Sloma (sub: Daran Bern)

Man of the match: Craig Ellis