Knowle midfielder George Seeley hails Sonny Sheasby as ‘what we look for in a nine’ after standout performance in Birmingham Senior Cup victory

George Seeley hailed Sonny Sheasby as ‘what we look for in a nine’ after the striker’s standout performance in Knowle’s 2-0 victory over nine-man Coton Green in the Birmingham Senior Cup on Tuesday night.

Clever first-half finishes from Talib Copeland and Hayden Purves ensured the Robins booked their place in the last 32 on a night where both captain Kyle Batchelor and teammate Louie O’Connor were sent off for Coton.

In just his second start for the club since joining from Hinckley last month, Sheasby hit both posts, had a goal disallowed for offside and set up Copeland’s opener with a sumptuous through ball in a performance boasting almost everything but a goal.

“He worked so hard,” commented 10-year servant Seeley, Knowle’s longest serving player. “He’s what we look for in a nine really.

"Our number nines traditionally probably haven’t scored a ton of goals - other sides probably have a nine who scores 20 or 30 goals a season - but Sonny showed what an honest player he is today. He grafted from the first minute to the last whistle and he was a bit unlucky hitting the post twice, but he’s shown his quality playing with Talib (Copeland).

“There’s a player in there, he’s only young still but he’s had experience at Step Five - he won Step Five with Lichfield - and he’s going to be a good player. Tonight was a very good performance from him.”

Joint-manager Matt Seeley added: “It was his first start and he’s deserved his opportunity tonight - he’s worked his absolute socks off as a number nine should do. Especially as a lone striker, it’s a really difficult job.

“I’m unsure whether he was offside for the goal he did score - I’ll have to watch it back - but he’s hit both posts, found a beautiful run. He held the ball up well, he linked play up well. It’s a hard job, a sole number nine, but his overall impact tonight was superb for us.”

Knowle played with a swagger about them and, once the first goal went in, never looked likely to surrender their place in the last 32.

The Robins can take confidence from their performance on a night where they snapped their two-game run without a win.

Offering his take on the 90 minutes, George Seeley said: “Today I thought we were bang at it. I thought we showed that in the first half. We looked like the only side who wanted to win the game. A very good performance and a very good way to bounce back.

“The lads who haven’t had as many minutes were able to start the game today and have proven why it’s a squad game. Sonny led the line very well, Anton (Powell) offered a lot of balance with his left foot - he came in tonight and played brilliantly well - and Clarkey (Lewis Clarke) secured another clean sheet.

“It was a very positive performance and it just shows that if we are going to achieve things this year, we’re not going to do it with 11, we’re going to do it with the 22 lads we’ve got in the squad.”

It is at this stage where professional clubs’ development squads enter the competition so Knowle could play against some of the Midlands’ best youngsters.

Potential opponents include Birmingham City, Aston Villa, Coventry City, Walsall, West Bromwich Albion, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burton Albion, along with several top regional non-league clubs like Solihull Moors - who Knowle beat in a pre-season friendly just months ago - and defending champions Tamworth.

“We want to play these professional under-21 sides,” said George Seeley. “If we can get Blues, Villa or another academy down here, that would be really good and help us make more memories and build on the FA Cup memories. It’s a cup that we want to do well in.

“We don’t just see the cups as an opportunity to rotate. We want to win more silverware. I think we’ve proven over the last couple of years that we take every cup seriously and we see them as fantastic opportunities to make more memories.”