Marshall celebrates league and cup wins for Lancaster
“Everyone is pulling together and everything is going in the right direction,” says manager Jim Marshall as his Lancaster City side enjoy an excellent week.
They followed a 4-0 win at Prescot Cables in the Northern Premier League on Saturday by sealing a place in the Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy final with a 3-0 victory over Clitheroe at the Giant Axe on Tuesday.
Nic Evangelinos scored three goals across the two games and was man of the match in the semi-final.
The striker was named on the bench on Tuesday but injury to Dom Lawson saw him enter the action early. And Evangelinos went close twice before opening the scoring with a left-foot volley in first-half stoppage-time.
It took a fingertip save by Clitheroe keeper Zac Hadi to deny him a second before Evangelinos set up fellow forward Steven Yawson to double the lead on 53 minutes.
Victory was sealed 20 minutes later, when Christian Sloan found the outstanding Evangelinos, who cut inside and fired home.
Three days earlier, Lancaster had recorded their first away win in the league since November at Prescot. Simon Grand, a week on from his 800th career appearance, gave them the lead in the first minute on Merseyside.
It remained 1-0 until half-time but Evangelinos made it two within 10 seconds of the restart. Two goals in two minutes from Bobby Bjork and Yawson completed the perfect response to Lancaster's 3-0 defeat away to leaders Hednesford Town (Hebburn Town replaced them at the top with Tuesday's win over Stocksbridge Park Steels).
Lancaster have moved above Bamber Bridge into seventh spot, four points outside the play-off zone with nine to play. Warrington Town are the visitors to the Giant Axe this Saturday.
Boss Marshall said of the win at Prescot: “We did a lot of the ugly stuff rally well and scored at good times. My backline and midfield were tremendous.”
Ahead of the county cup semi, Marshall added: “It would be nice to be crowned champions of Lancashire. On paper we have the toughest of the semi-final opponents.”
However, the NPL West visitors posed little threat to Lancaster, who will meet the winners of next week's all-North West Counties League semi between Padiham and Fulwood Amateurs.