Post by puskas on Nov 5, 2013 16:14:00 GMT
IT’S BACK TO FOUR POINTS FOR SKELMERSDALE
STAFFORD RANGERS 0 SKELMERSDALE UNITED 2
By Neil Leatherbarrow
Skelmersdale United restored their four point lead at the top of the Evo-Stik Premier Division at Marston Road on Saturday in a game that was one for the artisan rather than the artist, an opinion shared by manager Tommy Lawson, who commented after the match that “We had to roll up our sleeves and work for that one.”
Skelmersdale struck early with goals in three minutes and eight minutes, so early that a number of Skelmersdale supporters held up on the M6, missed both the goals. However, the big story of the day was the weather, as for the second week running it made Skelmersdale’s regular passing game impossible to play.
The first goal came from a clearance by goalkeeper Ryan McMahon, the ball was helped on to Shaun Tuck, who evaded his marker and beat Rangers goalkeeper Jon Brain with a chip.
The second five minutes later was a typical team effort. The ball was fed down the right out of defence, Peter Wylie moved it to Adam Morning he found Kevin Leadbetter and the ball was centred low into the goalmouth to Tuck, whose shot went under Brain into the net despite the keepers best efforts.
Stafford responded, Tom Ince fouled Jack Lees and Sean Kinsella’s free-kick went close and on the quarter-hour Joe Guest’s ball into the box was helped on by Lees, only to result in Kinsella blazing wide.
Leadbetter was doing well for Skelmersdale, his 20th minute free-kick was smuggled away by Rangers Ollie Davies and then he brought a good save out of Brain after Martyn Jackson set him up.
Morning was thwarted by a Brain save, then Tuck went close to notching his hat-trick, Leadbetter put Morning away on the right, he sent the ball across the face of goal, but Tuck couldn’t get a telling touch. Straight after the interval Brain kept Tuck out again. His hat-trick wasn’t to arrive, but he went very close a number of times.
Stafford had more of the possession during the second-half, but that was no surprise with a strengthening gale behind them, McMahon was kept busy too. The Skelmersdale keeper made a good save from Kinsella’s 25 yard effort halfway through the half, and did the same in the latter stages from the same players 30 yard shot as Stafford started to use the wind to their advantage.
McMahon made a magnificent save in added time, but it meant nothing as the Stafford player was offside.
It was never going to be a game for the football purist, the wind saw to that. Skelmersdale had a lot more of the chances and on that basis deserved the three points. Skelmersdale’s defence was always the better of the two and in midfielder Ashley Dunn they had the games outstanding player. With five players absent on the day, the game represented a potential banana skin to Tommy Lawson’s men, but they stepped up to the mark and are showing that the promotion campaign can be sustained as along with AFC Fylde and Chorley there is a clear gap building between them and the rest in the league table.
STAFFORD RANGERS: Brain, James, Davies, Morris, Bullock ©, Johnson, Woolery (Cope, 60), Burke (Harris, 63), Lees, Kinsella, Guest (Steadman, 80) Subs (not used) McCarthy, Bateman
SKELMERSDALE UNITED: McMahon, Wylie, Holden, Hardwick ©, Burton, Dunn, Morning, Jackson, Tuck, Leadbetter, Morning (Ahmadi, 85) Subs (not used) Holt, Flood, Slater, Hibbert
Referee: Nicholas Hopton (Derby)
Attendance: 366
STAFFORD RANGERS 0 SKELMERSDALE UNITED 2
By Neil Leatherbarrow
Skelmersdale United restored their four point lead at the top of the Evo-Stik Premier Division at Marston Road on Saturday in a game that was one for the artisan rather than the artist, an opinion shared by manager Tommy Lawson, who commented after the match that “We had to roll up our sleeves and work for that one.”
Skelmersdale struck early with goals in three minutes and eight minutes, so early that a number of Skelmersdale supporters held up on the M6, missed both the goals. However, the big story of the day was the weather, as for the second week running it made Skelmersdale’s regular passing game impossible to play.
The first goal came from a clearance by goalkeeper Ryan McMahon, the ball was helped on to Shaun Tuck, who evaded his marker and beat Rangers goalkeeper Jon Brain with a chip.
The second five minutes later was a typical team effort. The ball was fed down the right out of defence, Peter Wylie moved it to Adam Morning he found Kevin Leadbetter and the ball was centred low into the goalmouth to Tuck, whose shot went under Brain into the net despite the keepers best efforts.
Stafford responded, Tom Ince fouled Jack Lees and Sean Kinsella’s free-kick went close and on the quarter-hour Joe Guest’s ball into the box was helped on by Lees, only to result in Kinsella blazing wide.
Leadbetter was doing well for Skelmersdale, his 20th minute free-kick was smuggled away by Rangers Ollie Davies and then he brought a good save out of Brain after Martyn Jackson set him up.
Morning was thwarted by a Brain save, then Tuck went close to notching his hat-trick, Leadbetter put Morning away on the right, he sent the ball across the face of goal, but Tuck couldn’t get a telling touch. Straight after the interval Brain kept Tuck out again. His hat-trick wasn’t to arrive, but he went very close a number of times.
Stafford had more of the possession during the second-half, but that was no surprise with a strengthening gale behind them, McMahon was kept busy too. The Skelmersdale keeper made a good save from Kinsella’s 25 yard effort halfway through the half, and did the same in the latter stages from the same players 30 yard shot as Stafford started to use the wind to their advantage.
McMahon made a magnificent save in added time, but it meant nothing as the Stafford player was offside.
It was never going to be a game for the football purist, the wind saw to that. Skelmersdale had a lot more of the chances and on that basis deserved the three points. Skelmersdale’s defence was always the better of the two and in midfielder Ashley Dunn they had the games outstanding player. With five players absent on the day, the game represented a potential banana skin to Tommy Lawson’s men, but they stepped up to the mark and are showing that the promotion campaign can be sustained as along with AFC Fylde and Chorley there is a clear gap building between them and the rest in the league table.
STAFFORD RANGERS: Brain, James, Davies, Morris, Bullock ©, Johnson, Woolery (Cope, 60), Burke (Harris, 63), Lees, Kinsella, Guest (Steadman, 80) Subs (not used) McCarthy, Bateman
SKELMERSDALE UNITED: McMahon, Wylie, Holden, Hardwick ©, Burton, Dunn, Morning, Jackson, Tuck, Leadbetter, Morning (Ahmadi, 85) Subs (not used) Holt, Flood, Slater, Hibbert
Referee: Nicholas Hopton (Derby)
Attendance: 366