Lancaster City secure County Cup final spot

Lancaster City booked a trip to the Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy final in emphatic fashion on a bitterly cold evening at the Giant Axe.

Following a slow and fairly timid first 45 minutes, Nic Evangelinos broke the deadlock in added time. After the break, Stephen Yawson then solidified the Dollies’ lead courtesy of an excellent finish, as he scored in back-to-back games.

To round off a perfect evening for the hundreds of City supporters, Evangelinos made it three through another elegant strike.

In the early stages of the cup tie, the Doliies were showing intent. A shot was blazed wide after just a few minutes, but this didn’t manage to set the tone. It was quite a cagey affair, which is to be expected in a game of this magnitude.

Prior to Evangelinos’ opener, City had already found the back of the net, though the linesman ruled this out.

An ambitious yet delightful ball from Jim Craig found Joe Amison on the right-hand side, and after a delightful ball back into the box, Craig found the back of the net. However, it was disallowed due to offside, which thwarted City’s hopes of an early lead.

Despite this, the home side continued to plug away with Evangelinos coming close on multiple occasions. Regardless of his few wayward efforts, the attacker eventually found the finishing touch via a terrific left-footed volley in the 47th minute.

After the interval, Lancaster continued to create chances with Yawson coming close, but Clitheroe keeper Hadi was more than equal to the efforts. The visitors did respond with chances of their own, but Brad Kelly once again remained strong.

Despite this, by the 53rd minute, City’s number eleven made up for his blunder with a delightful finish across the goal to double the lead. It was a team goal to be proud of too, as Amison forced the turnover, and Evangelinos perfectly slipped through his fellow attacker.

The Dollies’ dynamic duo weren’t done there as they soon combined yet again, although this time, Yawson couldn’t provide the cutting edge to beat the keeper.

The missed opportunities were all soon forgotten though as in the 73rd minute, City killed off the game. Evangelinos sealed a brace and ultimately capped off a brilliant performance.

Christian Sloan, who was excellent all evening, drove through midfield and found his striker, and from there Evangelinos did what he does best. Effortlessly checked back onto his right foot before curling it home to add to his ever-increasing goal tally.

City got over the line when it mattered most and managed to nullify a strong Clitheroe side. The Dollies now have the chance to add to their seven trophies in the competition, when they face either Padiham or Fulwood Amateurs in Leyland.

Up next for Jimmy Marshall’s side is Northern Premier Division action, as they play host to Warrington Town. Kick-off is 3 pm on Saturday (March 4).