Keighley District FA Challenge Cup quarter-final: Denholme United 2 Steeton 5 (Played at Marley Stadium)

STEETON reached the semi-finals with a victory which was comfortable in the end but they had to overturn an interval deficit.

In a game played at Marley to ensure it went ahead, Roy Mason's men took only ten minutes to take the lead when striker Andy Briggs ran free down the right and rifled a shot past Adam Vaux.

However, the lead lasted only two minutes as Steeton keeper Joe Mash was forced into a hurried clearance which fell to the feet of Ross Parr, who made no mistake in slotting home the equaliser.

Just three minutes later Parr doubled his tally when he latched on to a loose ball and chipped Mash from 20 yards. Steeton piled on the pressure but United held firm until the 35th minute when a fine run by Joe Park ended in a foul in the penalty area.

Skipper Michael Rhodes' spot kick brought a fine save from Vaux, who flung himself to his right and pushed the ball wide.

The equaliser almost came from the resulting corner from Toby Jeffrey but Briggs' close-range effort just cleared the bar. Two minutes before the interval Steeton were forced to re-jig their formation when Joe Mason had to leave the pitch through injury.

His replacement Andy Holden slotted into midfield, with Park, who was making his 150th appearance for the club, taking up a more defensive role. In added-on time, United almost grabbed a third but the effort from a left-wing corner was smartly headed off the line by Sam Rooke.

The second half was only a few minutes old when Rooke was unfortunate to see a thumping header rattle the bar.

The equaliser finally came in the 56th minute when Briggs latched on to a loose ball and forced it home from 12 yards. Parity persuaded manager Mason to replace Briggs' strike partner Ben Clarkson with Graham Holmes as Steeton now had the upper hand.

They regained the lead two minutes later when Briggs completed his hat-trick with half an hour left. The advantage was extended ten minutes later when Rhodes put in a cross from the right which was turned into his own net by United's right back.

Steeton were now comfortable and, after 70 minutes, Ben Richardson took over on the left from Elliott Scott. However, seven minutes later they were reduced to ten men when a tackle by Tim Hird, who had battled hard in midfield throughout, was judged to have been reckless and he was shown the red card.

Being a man down did not stop Steeton pressing forward and, in the last minute, a cross from the right was firmly headed home by Briggs for his fourth goal and 17th of the season in as many matches.

Chevrons boss Roy Mason said: "It was a bit of a banana skin for us against a side that have been going well this season. "The pitch was a bit of a leveller and didn't help us play the type of football we like to.

"That said we need to be adaptable and I was pleased with the way that when we changed the system, we took control and created numerous chances.

"Denholme pushed us all the way and gave us a couple of nervy moments, especially in the first half when they took a 2-1 lead."

Steeton: Mash, Mason (Holden), Scott (Richardson), Rhodes, Rooke, Hird, Jeffrey, Smith, Clarkson (Holmes), Briggs, Park.