A late second half strike by Gareth Horler was enough to put Bridgnorth through to the semi-finals of the Shropshire Senior Cup at the expense of Shifnal Town, writes SEAN WOZENCROFT.

The striker turned his defender inside the area and fired past the visitors’ goalkeeper to secure a 1-0 victory and set Bridgnorth up with a plum tie against AFC Telford United on Monday.

It was the perfect response to Horler’s penalty miss early in the second period.

“We certainly deserved it,” said Bridgnorth chairman Eric Eagles. “We were by far the better team over the 90 minutes.

“Our manager Julian Marsh was chuffed to bits afterwards – and rightly so. We battled hard and got our just rewards.

“It would be nice to play Shrewsbury in the final, but first we must concentrate on Telford at the New Bucks Head.”

Bridgnorth won the crucial battle of midfield in an edgy game where tensions remained on a knife edge.

Shifnal boss Darren Goodall said: “The result was disappointing, but overall I’m happy with the performance.

“In the first half we showed that we are a decent side – but I think we needed the lead at half time because the pitch made it difficult and we knew Bridgnorth would come out in the second and hit it up to their forwards, who are good in the air.

“It always looked like one goal would win it, but a lot of our lads got 90 minutes under their belts so it was a good workout.

“There was always going to be a bit of an edge to the game as a few of the players knew each other and they knew a game against Telford was on offer, regardless of what their manager might have said before the match.”

Shifnal continue their pre-season preparations with a friendly against BGB Southern League outfit Chasetown tomorrow, while Bridgnorth prepare for their plum tie with the Bucks.

At the same time Shrewsbury Town will be playing Market Drayton in a repeat of last year’s final in the other semi-final – with a place in the first ever final at the Prostar Stadium up for grabs.