Cups 2003-04

Dennis Mulholland, Craig Hayward and Simon Gossage all plagued the Griff defence throughout the first half but an in-form Paul Grears pulled out save after save to keep the scoreline level.

Grears' best stop came after Gossage had only the'keeper to beat, but a terrific reaction save ensured his shot was deflected wide. Michael Batchelor rose highest to connect onto the resulting corner, which would have beaten the keeper but lacked accuracy.

Griff had fewer chances, but were perhaps disappointed at the fact they were not a goal to the good at half time.

Ross Genner had a 29th minute shot which he lifted just over the bar, whilst Gareth Plant took the ball past 3 Romulus defenders, only to fire wide 7 minutes before the break.

Further disappointment came 3 minutes into the second half, when Matthew Robinson was challenged by Jason Woodley. As he was the last defender, Referee Cooke was left with no option but to send the Griff Captain back to the dressing room.

In a carbon-copy move, Brendan McCarthy released the ball to Jamie Shipway in the 52nd minute. This time there was no foul and even Grears could not stop the youngster's strike, which gave the Sutton Coldfield-based side the lead.

Despite being a player down, Griff refused to crumble and found themselves level in the 79th minute after Garth Plant's thundering shot from the edge of the box.

However, their energy-sapping efforts could not quite last the distance, with the winner coming from another Brendan McCarthy ball which split the tired Griff defence – this time met by Matthew Robinson who beat Grears and slotted home with 6 minutes remaining.