BARKS WORSE THAN HIS BITE

SECOND-half goals from Barks and Walshaw saw high-flying Emley reach the quarter-finals of the FA Vase at the expense of Northern League Whickham yesterday at the Fantastic Media Welfare Ground.

- Wendy Atkinson

The fifth-round fixture was itself a repeat of the only previous meeting of the two sides, when Emley came out on top en route to the semi-finals of the same famous competition some 40 years ago.

But visitors Whickham - who had themselves won the FA Vase back in 1981 - did not go down without a fight and created the game's first clear scoring chance in the 28th minute when Scott Robson found the side-netting from a tight angle. Walshaw then Schal Charlie James hit back for Emley as the game started to open up, firing a fierce narrowly free-kick over the crossbar after a foul on Nathan Curtis right on the edge of the box.