Post by Kev Panther on Oct 15, 2013 18:04:21 GMT
STRICKLAND ROCKET GIVES SKELMERSDALE VICTORY IN SEVEN GOAL THRILLER
SKELMERSDALE UNITED 4 BLYTH SPARTANS 3
By Neil Leatherbarrow
Every so often a game comes along that will long remain in the memory, it has thrills, excitement, tension, drama and from a Skelmersdale perspective a happy outcome. Saturday’s match at the West Lancashire College Stadium had all that and more, it was sheer box office.
From the kick-off it was obvious that the crowd were to be entertained by two teams who were set to play the game in the “correct manner” on the floor with a real determination to win. From a managers angle the first-half was probably a horror movie as both defences should have done better, but at the interval it left you tingling with the unpredictability of it all.
Scene one, after five minutes Kenny Strickland played the ball into Dean Astbury’s feet, the Skelmersdale centre-forward played it wide to the right finding Matty Hughes, he swung the ball low into the penalty area, Shaun Tuck dummied and Adam Morning ran in behind him to fire into the net. No Blyth player got near the ball in the whole move.
Act two, within a couple of minutes Blyth moved the ball down the left and centred it to the edge of the Skelmersdale penalty area, from where Craig Hubbard smashed it into the Skelmersdale net.
Play then see-sawed from end to end. Astbury shot wide then Blyth goalkeeper Michel Misieweicz made a magnificent save from a Rob McIntosh header, down the other end though Skelmersdale goalkeeper Zac Hibbert made a brave block at Dan Maguire’s feet to keep out the number seven, then made another save to keep out Ashley Davis.
Twenty minutes and another blow was struck, Maguire battled his way down the right-wing for Blyth and cut inside, seeing Hubbard on a run he played the midfielder in and it was 2-1 to Blyth.
Seven minutes later Skelmersdale whacked home an equaliser. The Messenger Express Skelmersdale Man of the Match Adam Morning crossed from the left, Astbury miss-controlled and the ball ran free, Tuck ran in and thumped the ball high into the Blyth net.
Two minutes before half-time Skelmersdale got a penalty. Morning dribbled around Arjun Purewal but was tripped, Tuck sending Misieweicz the wrong way from the spot.
Blyth were not to be counted out and got up off the ropes quickly. Four minutes into added time before the break, left-back Ian Watson got forward and after a neat move on the flank the ball was delivered into the box, where it found that man Hubbard, who was able to celebrate the birth of his first born son earlier in the week by completing a hat-trick.
The half-time reaction from the fans and players alike was phew, let’s get our breath back. The reaction of the respective managers was different and the second-half although still having the enterprise from the teams now had both teams looking far more organised in defence, so organised that it was the midway point before the forwards began to get the upper hand again, when an Astbury free-kick was saved at his near post by Misieweicz.
Strickland had a free-saved by the keeper too, then Hibbert saved from Maguire and Damen Mullen saw an effort cleared by Peter Wylie.
The decisive moment arrived in the 79th minute. Joe Holt dribbled down the right and crossed into the goalmouth, an under pressure defender didn’t fully clear the ball and it ran to Strickland some 22 yards from goal, the former Chelsea player unleashed a skimming missile of a shot low into the far corner.
The last ten minutes was frantic, Blyth pushing forward and Skelmersdale picking them off at the back at every opportunity. Misieweicz saving at Kevin Leadbetter’s feet was arguably Skelmersdale’s best move, while despite plenty of effort from Blyth the Skelmersdale defence were just not in the mood to let them back onto the game again.
The game was a classic and it was good that there was a decent crowd to watch it too, surely they must come again after that, maybe to watch the sequel next week when the teams meet again in the FA Trophy at Blyth’s Croft Park, who knows if that is a draw there will be a repeat scheduled for Stormy Corner in a replay next Tuesday night.
SKELMERSDALE UNITED: Hibbert, Strickland, Holden (Wylie, 33), Hardwick ©, McIntosh, Dunn, Hughes (Leadbetter, 76), Burton, Astbury, Tuck (Holt, 69), Morning Subs (not used) Simpson, McMahon
BLYTH SPARTANS: Misieweicz, Airey (Kendrick, 84), Watson, Buddle, Purewal ©, Hubbard, Maguire, Mullen (Holmes, 83), Davis, Hooks, Wearmouth (Dale, 60) Subs (not used) Horner, Parker
Referee: Peter Gibbons
Attendance: 286
SKELMERSDALE UNITED 4 BLYTH SPARTANS 3
By Neil Leatherbarrow
Every so often a game comes along that will long remain in the memory, it has thrills, excitement, tension, drama and from a Skelmersdale perspective a happy outcome. Saturday’s match at the West Lancashire College Stadium had all that and more, it was sheer box office.
From the kick-off it was obvious that the crowd were to be entertained by two teams who were set to play the game in the “correct manner” on the floor with a real determination to win. From a managers angle the first-half was probably a horror movie as both defences should have done better, but at the interval it left you tingling with the unpredictability of it all.
Scene one, after five minutes Kenny Strickland played the ball into Dean Astbury’s feet, the Skelmersdale centre-forward played it wide to the right finding Matty Hughes, he swung the ball low into the penalty area, Shaun Tuck dummied and Adam Morning ran in behind him to fire into the net. No Blyth player got near the ball in the whole move.
Act two, within a couple of minutes Blyth moved the ball down the left and centred it to the edge of the Skelmersdale penalty area, from where Craig Hubbard smashed it into the Skelmersdale net.
Play then see-sawed from end to end. Astbury shot wide then Blyth goalkeeper Michel Misieweicz made a magnificent save from a Rob McIntosh header, down the other end though Skelmersdale goalkeeper Zac Hibbert made a brave block at Dan Maguire’s feet to keep out the number seven, then made another save to keep out Ashley Davis.
Twenty minutes and another blow was struck, Maguire battled his way down the right-wing for Blyth and cut inside, seeing Hubbard on a run he played the midfielder in and it was 2-1 to Blyth.
Seven minutes later Skelmersdale whacked home an equaliser. The Messenger Express Skelmersdale Man of the Match Adam Morning crossed from the left, Astbury miss-controlled and the ball ran free, Tuck ran in and thumped the ball high into the Blyth net.
Two minutes before half-time Skelmersdale got a penalty. Morning dribbled around Arjun Purewal but was tripped, Tuck sending Misieweicz the wrong way from the spot.
Blyth were not to be counted out and got up off the ropes quickly. Four minutes into added time before the break, left-back Ian Watson got forward and after a neat move on the flank the ball was delivered into the box, where it found that man Hubbard, who was able to celebrate the birth of his first born son earlier in the week by completing a hat-trick.
The half-time reaction from the fans and players alike was phew, let’s get our breath back. The reaction of the respective managers was different and the second-half although still having the enterprise from the teams now had both teams looking far more organised in defence, so organised that it was the midway point before the forwards began to get the upper hand again, when an Astbury free-kick was saved at his near post by Misieweicz.
Strickland had a free-saved by the keeper too, then Hibbert saved from Maguire and Damen Mullen saw an effort cleared by Peter Wylie.
The decisive moment arrived in the 79th minute. Joe Holt dribbled down the right and crossed into the goalmouth, an under pressure defender didn’t fully clear the ball and it ran to Strickland some 22 yards from goal, the former Chelsea player unleashed a skimming missile of a shot low into the far corner.
The last ten minutes was frantic, Blyth pushing forward and Skelmersdale picking them off at the back at every opportunity. Misieweicz saving at Kevin Leadbetter’s feet was arguably Skelmersdale’s best move, while despite plenty of effort from Blyth the Skelmersdale defence were just not in the mood to let them back onto the game again.
The game was a classic and it was good that there was a decent crowd to watch it too, surely they must come again after that, maybe to watch the sequel next week when the teams meet again in the FA Trophy at Blyth’s Croft Park, who knows if that is a draw there will be a repeat scheduled for Stormy Corner in a replay next Tuesday night.
SKELMERSDALE UNITED: Hibbert, Strickland, Holden (Wylie, 33), Hardwick ©, McIntosh, Dunn, Hughes (Leadbetter, 76), Burton, Astbury, Tuck (Holt, 69), Morning Subs (not used) Simpson, McMahon
BLYTH SPARTANS: Misieweicz, Airey (Kendrick, 84), Watson, Buddle, Purewal ©, Hubbard, Maguire, Mullen (Holmes, 83), Davis, Hooks, Wearmouth (Dale, 60) Subs (not used) Horner, Parker
Referee: Peter Gibbons
Attendance: 286