Clee Hill United manager Wayne Whitbread thrilled after 7-1 win over Highley Miners Welfare in Shropshire FA Junior Cup (From Ludlow Advertiser)

Clee Hill United manager Wayne Whitbread thrilled after 7-1 win over Highley Miners Welfare in Shropshire FA Junior Cup

5:30pm Thursday 21st February 2013 in Sport By Ian Morgan

Clee Hill United 7 Highley Miners Welfare 1

CLEE Hill boss Wayne Whitbread hailed his players after they romped into the quarter-finals of the Shropshire FA Junior Cup.

Adam Warren was Hill’s hat-trick hero, while Scott Jordan and substitute Steve Preece both bagged braces in Saturday’s third-round rampage.

Hill scored four late goals to sink lower-graded Highley and set up a home clash with league rivals Ketley Town in the last-eight of the cup on March 9.

“The difference between where the team are now and where we were 12 months ago, is incredible,” said manager Whitbread.

“We are playing some excellent football and, although the first 20 minutes on Saturday were a battle, we did what we had to do.

"We led 2-0 at half-time and when we went 3-0 ahead in the second-half, I thought we had won the game.

“But Highley came straight back at us and we had to pick things up and we then scored four late goals.”

Hill have an important Mercian League Division One match at home to strugglers Wrockwardine Wood Juniors this Saturday.

Whitbread hopes to welcome back Tom Evans, who has been suffering with flu.

“We have to look at Saturday’s match as a must-win game,” said Whitbread.

“We need to beat the sides below us because we don’t want to be dragged into a relegation scrap.”