City eased their way into the Fourth Round of the Dr Martens Cup with a comfortable win over fellow Premier Division side Grantham Town. The win sees City gain a little revenge for the league defeat handed out at the Meres earlier in the season and extends their unbeaten run to five games.

Manager Gary Roberts had suggested that he would ring the changes for this encounter but in the end, Alan Calton replacing Daniel Naisbitt between the posts and Stuart Niven relegating Robbie Nightingale to the bench were the only changes to Saturday’s starting eleven.

City got into gear quickly on a crisp evening. In only the second minute, a swift break involving Jamie Godbold and Danny Bloomfield ended with Stuart Niven lifting a shot a couple of feet over the bar. Grantham countered immediately. Lewis Baillie made a bit of a hash of intercepting Tim Wooding’s long ball forward, the ball finding it’s way to Kevin Wilkin, the former City favourite wasted no time testing Calton with a cross shot that the young ‘keeper did well to turn behind for a corner.

However, that was to be the highlight for the home fans in the sparse crowd as Calton was not called into action again in the half as Grantham spurned the few opportunites they created. One such chance fell to on loan striker Dale Watkins as a partially cleared corner was lobbed back into the danger area, he hit the ball as it fell across him high into the night sky when well placed although the close attention of Matt Langston may have had a part to play in his execution.

In the early stages City always looked the most threatening going forward and it was no surprise when after twelve minutes they took the lead through top scorer Bloomfield. City had Grantham chasing shadows as they stroked the ball around the pitch before Robbie Simpson produced a sublime turn to lose Martin Fox before firing in a low hard cross. In thruth it should have been dealt with but Rob Gould made a complete mess of it, presenting the ball to Bloomfield who gleefully lashed a shot from eighteen yards past Mario Ziccardi in the home goal.

The City side continued to combine well as Gratham failed to find any telling cohesion. Godbold, who looked lively all night, went on a typically jinking run after twenty two minutes, beating two men before testing Ziccardi with a low shot. The visitors kept pressing and Baillie, forward supporting an attack, forced Wilkin to concede a corner. Rob Miller’s flag-kick was only partially cleared, Louis Riddle picked up the loose ball and fired in a shot that rose too high to threaten the home goal.

City didn’t look under any real threat of giving up their lead but there was a momentary cause for concern just after the half hour mark when Calton lost the ball in a crowd of players following a right wing corner. The teenager attempted to catch when a punch would have been more favourable, Adrian Speed got something on the ball and it trickled goalwards but it was a simple task for Craig Pope, on post duty, to hook the ball clear.

Sixty seconds later and City were again putting pressure on Grantham and only a smart save from Ziccardi stopped them extending their lead. Simpson produced a great reverse pass to put Bloomfield in the clear but the home stopper prevented the City marksman from notching his second of the evening, saving the close range effort with his legs.

City were not finished, and two minutes later Niven sent Miller scampering away on the right. Miller returned the ball inside to Niven who hit a crisp shot goalwards, Ziccardi again came to the Gingerbreads rescue, smothering the shot.

Despite City finishing the half strongly, it was Grantham who had the final word with Watkins heading Niall Inman’s deep cross woefully off target.

City lost the services of Bloomfield at half-time. The striker had received two heavy kicks to his ankle in the first period and was replaced by Rob Nightingale.

As they had been early in the first-half, City were soon on the offensive. In the 47th minute, Louis Riddle showed quick feet to cut inside two defenders and drill a shot at goal. Ziccardi was equal to it although he had to gather at the second attempt.

After that initial opening flurry the game lulled into mediocrity. City were comfortably containing their hosts but without offering much attacking threat of their own. However shortly after the hour the result was put beyond any real doubt when a rather bizarre goal put City two ahead.

Langston’s long ball forward was picked up by Riddle, he easily beat Wooding before lifting a high cross into the area. There seemed little danger as the ball appeared to be going beyond the goal and out of play. Ziccardi certainly thought so as he back pedalled across goal appealing for the goal-kick as he went, however, the ball just stayed in play. Nightingale hadn’t given it up and lobbed the ball over his head and back into the danger area where it found Simpson lurking, the stiker wasted no time applying the perfect finish, drilling the ball inside the post past a stunned Ziccardi.

The goal seemed to knock the stuffing out of a Grantham side already low on confidence and City went on to create further chances. On sixty eight minutes, Nightingale played a slide-rule pass to send Simpson racing in on goal. With the home defence trailing, Simpson looked odds on to add to his personal tally but Ziccardi again thwarted City as he saved Simpson’s goalbound effort at the second attempt, grabbing the ball before Simpson could tap home.

In the closing minutes City produced a fine passing move that deserved a better finish than it got. A clever flick from Riddle freed Miller down the centre. He in turn found substitute Lee Summerscales out on the left flank. A superb crossfield pass picked out Nightingale in space on the right, a pass inside found Riddle with a clear sight of goal. Unfortunately the winger got his shot all wrong and screwed the ball harmlessly wide of the far post.

A minute later Grantham did finally show some fight. Substitute Dominic Hallows hit a speculative shot from distance. His effort was always looking to be swinging wide but Calton produced a covering dive, just to be sure.

In injury time, Grantham again came close to what would have only been a consolation goal and it was Hallows again who was involved. Grantham had worked a good move up the right flank, the long cross that followed caused some confusion in what had been a rock solid City rearguard, the ball squirting out from a ruck of players to Hallows who, from the corner of the six yard area, blasted a shot over angle of post and crossbar.