Chasetown FC ascended to their highest ever league position in the pyramid after beating Glapwell 1-0 in Saturday’s UniBond South playoff final.
Despite some good first half action the game never really ignited, but six minutes from time the stadium erupted as Dean Perrow fired the Scholars ahead and the home side held on for victory.
In front of a very large crowd the visitors settled in quickly but it was Chasetown who had the first chance when Grant Ryan’s third minute cross met Gary Hay but he headed straight to keeper Andy Richmond.
Duncan Horler then shot wide before Glapwell’s first chance saw the ball played over the Scholars defence and Neil Grayson was ready to pounce, but home skipper Richard Teesdale hooked clear.
Hay then found two further chances but was unsuccessful each time as the lively opening continued, while Teesdale proved his usual reliable self on 16 minutes to head Jamie Clarke’s cross away after the latter had beaten Mark Branch.
Both sides continued to produce positive football fitting a fixture of this status, Gavin Saunders sending a free kick just over the bar before Clarke mis-kicked with only Ryan Price to beat on 25 minutes.
Chasetown had the ball in the net three minutes later but the goal was ruled out due to a push by Teesdale, and Clarke had two more chances for the Well but dragged his first shot wide and bundled a cross out for a goal kick at the far post on 39 minutes.
The hosts then found a couple more chances but both were cleared, and the game went into the break finely balanced.
The action slowed up considerably in the second half but Chasetown’s substitutes were well involved, Perrow straight into the action with a raid into the Glapwell box thwarted by Aaron Shelley while Ben Jevons’ piledriver just past the hour was saved superbly by Richmond.
The visitors thought they had equalised following a goalmouth scramble but the referee judged a foul by Price and the effort was disallowed, and the game appeared to some to be heading for extra time.
On 84 minutes, however, two Chasetown efforts were blocked and the ball fell to Perrow who smashed the ball into the back of the net to delirious scenes from the Scholars fans.
Glapwell still had a chance to equalise in stoppage time but no-one was on hand to complete the move and Chasetown held on for a memorable victory.
The next big event for the club will be the annual Presentation Evening, which will be held at the Banks’s Stadium in Walsall on May 29.
Chasetown: Price, J Branch, M Branch, Saunders, Thomas, Teesdale (c), Stephens, Egan, Hay, Ryan, Horler. Subs: D Smith, Jevons (Saunders 51), Perrow (Ryan 61), Horton, Birch (Hay 89).
Glapwell: Richmond, Darkin, Magee, Varley, Kennedy, Timons (c), Kitchen, Walker, Grayson, Brown, Clarke. Subs: Kimberley, Higginson (Grayson 75), Hanson, Shelley (Kennedy 65), West.
