Clipstone breeze past Retford in the cup

Clipstone already had one eye on the third round before the interval thanks to Hardwick’s close-range finish and a Mikey Williams penalty.

Player/Coach Keiran Coupe curled in a wonderful second-half free-kick to give his side a three-goal cushion.

Coupe’s freekick rounded out the perfect night for The Cobras, who were looking to bounce back after two winless games.

Clipstone assistant manager Ian Birtley was pleased with his side's reaction after Saturday's 3-1 home loss to Coalville Town. Birtley said: “We made some changes from Saturday and the lads to a man, and those off the bench were excellent.

“The key thing was the energy; we were first to everything.

“Every week we have to demand these standards and this work rate, which is exactly what we lacked on Saturday.”

Clipstone made eight changes to the team that started against Coalville, and the shuffled-up side made a bright start.

Tom Fleet and Will Brooks forced Retford’s Myles Wright into a fantastic double save after 15 minutes.

Fleet again had an opportunity shortly after, but this time his strike went just wide.

In the 26th minute, Clipstone took the lead.

A low cross was driven into the box and the ensuing effort crashed into the post, but Charlie Hardwick was the first to react and the Cobras striker made no mistake from four yards out.

Hardwick had an opportunity to double his tally minutes later, but Wright watched as the ball rolled past his post.

However, it was not long before Clipstone had doubled their advantage. Brooks had controlled the ball well in the area but was wiped out by Retford’s Jack Johnson, and the referee had no choice but to award a 34th-minute penalty.

Mikey Williams confidently stepped up and sent Wright the wrong way.

The second half followed a similar pattern to the first, it was a physical, yet one-sided affair.

In the 55th minute, Clipstone was awarded a free-kick 25 yards out. Keiran Coupe, who was filling in at right-back, stepped up and always looked assured. The freekick had Wright diving in vain, and Coupe was away celebrating.

The hosts continued to press for a fourth with Mikey Williams forcing a good save with his chipped effort. Retford had a couple of half chances as the game drew to a close but nothing to seriously trouble Dale Sheppard in the Clipstone goal.

The two sides, who currently occupy second and third in UCL Division One, meet again on November 16 in a league fixture.

Before that, Clipstone travel to 19th-placed Sandiacre Town on Saturday afternoon.