Ashville fell to defeat in the Edward Case Cup semi-finals following a controversy filled match at Stafford Town.

Villa had the better of the first half but couldn’t find the back of the net and soon found themselves behind in the 27th minute against the run of play. A throw in on the left side eventually found Matt Hearsey in the box with the Stafford winger finding the bottom corner

The game took a feisty turn just before half time when Stafford were awarded a penalty. The decision sparked a brawl between the two teams which saw Jono Cahill sent off for an alleged stamp and a yellow card for Stafford keeper Adam Jenkins

Mazurkiewicz converted the penalty to give the home side a 2-0 half time lead

The second half saw even more controversy when the already booked Jenkins wiped out Ben Dooley as he attempted to round the keeper but the referee instead booked Dooley for simulation

Mazurkiewicz would add a third for Stafford shortly after when he rounded Cowderoy and finished into an empty net following a defensive mix up

The referee caught Ashville’s ire once again just two minutes later when Jenkins was penalised for picking the ball up outside the area. Once again the Stafford stopper escaped a second yellow card much to Ashville’s disbelief

Despite a valiant effort, Ashville couldn’t find a way back into the game and their attention now turns back to securing a play off spot in the  league when they travel to high flying Sandbach United on Saturday afternoon