Post by Kev Panther on Dec 4, 2013 10:30:12 GMT
SKELMERSDALE LACK TURBO POWER
STAMFORD 2 SKELMERSDALE UNITED 0
By Neil Leatherbarrow
It certainly wasn’t a day to remember for Skelmersdale on Saturday, things going wrong from the moment they got on the bus to Lincolnshire. Soon the Turbo on the coach started to give problems and severely slowed the progress, meaning no pre-match meal for the players and a late arrival at the ground. Not the ideal preparation for a difficult away game.
Things didn’t go well from the off in the match too. Within two minutes the ball was lifted over the Skelmersdale defence to Stamford’s new signing Nabil Shariff, who was only thwarted by a fine save from Skelmersdale goalkeeper Ryan McMahon.
It became clear from an early stage that the game was going to be just as daunting as the journey had been, Stamford’s ground is tight in size and sticky on the surface and doesn’t make for flowing football, plus the hosts were full of confidence after winning 3-0 away the previous weekend.
McMahon had to repeat the act from Jordan Smith, but in between Kenny Strickland cause panic in the home defence with a free-kick that was scrambled around the post.
In the 22nd minute things contrived against Skelmersdale again. A long throw from the right brought a clash of heads and Peter Wylie fell to the ground, as the Skelmersdale defence looked in vain for the game being stopped by referee Mr Law, the ball went to Ryan Robbins who half-volleyed it into the Skelmersdale net from around fifteen yards.
Martyn Jackson came on to replace Wylie and in the 34th minutes he went close, his shot going inches wide after Shaun Tuck and Dean Astbury worked together to set him up.
In the few minutes before the interval Skelmersdale had their best period and if they had equalised it might well have been a different story here. However, Matty Hughes saw his header cleared off the line and from a Gareth Peet free-kick Tuck somehow didn’t get a touch when any kind of header would have brought a goal.
Stamford started the second-half well and Shariff netted in the 54th minute after the ball sat up for him in the box during a spell of pressure.
Had home left-back Jason Field netted instead of hitting the post on the hour, the game would have been over there and then, but it was still going to be a long way back for Skelmersdale.
Jackson brought a magnificent tip over the crossbar out of home goalkeeper Alex Lynch and Strickland brought another save out of him soon afterwards.
With ten minutes remaining Peet called Lynch into action again after Rio Ahmadi found him with a cross but the reality was, Stamford’s defence looked solid and were not to be breached.
Stamford are a better team than their league position suggests and on this evidence will definitely not be in relegation trouble at the end of the season, they are a very organised team and know how to use their home ground to best advantage. Skelmersdale could cite half a dozen reasons that conspired against them on the day, but four and a half hours on a coach, an empty belly and insufficient time to warm up didn’t help. They will have better days and it is yet another example of how competitive the Evo-Stik Premier Division is.
STAMFORD: Lynch, Richards, Field (Richardson, 73), Ashton, Jones ©, Walker, Lawlor, Challinor, Shariff (Moyo, 78), Smith, Robbins (Haines, 90) Subs Staff, Jones
SKELMERSDALE UNITED: McMahon, Strickland, Peet, Hardwick ©, Wylie (Jackson, 28), Dunn, Hughes (Ahmadi, 67), Burton, Astbury (Laird, 66), Tuck, Ince Subs (not used) O’Reilly, Flood
Referee: Geoff Law (Leicester)
Attendance: 240
STAMFORD 2 SKELMERSDALE UNITED 0
By Neil Leatherbarrow
It certainly wasn’t a day to remember for Skelmersdale on Saturday, things going wrong from the moment they got on the bus to Lincolnshire. Soon the Turbo on the coach started to give problems and severely slowed the progress, meaning no pre-match meal for the players and a late arrival at the ground. Not the ideal preparation for a difficult away game.
Things didn’t go well from the off in the match too. Within two minutes the ball was lifted over the Skelmersdale defence to Stamford’s new signing Nabil Shariff, who was only thwarted by a fine save from Skelmersdale goalkeeper Ryan McMahon.
It became clear from an early stage that the game was going to be just as daunting as the journey had been, Stamford’s ground is tight in size and sticky on the surface and doesn’t make for flowing football, plus the hosts were full of confidence after winning 3-0 away the previous weekend.
McMahon had to repeat the act from Jordan Smith, but in between Kenny Strickland cause panic in the home defence with a free-kick that was scrambled around the post.
In the 22nd minute things contrived against Skelmersdale again. A long throw from the right brought a clash of heads and Peter Wylie fell to the ground, as the Skelmersdale defence looked in vain for the game being stopped by referee Mr Law, the ball went to Ryan Robbins who half-volleyed it into the Skelmersdale net from around fifteen yards.
Martyn Jackson came on to replace Wylie and in the 34th minutes he went close, his shot going inches wide after Shaun Tuck and Dean Astbury worked together to set him up.
In the few minutes before the interval Skelmersdale had their best period and if they had equalised it might well have been a different story here. However, Matty Hughes saw his header cleared off the line and from a Gareth Peet free-kick Tuck somehow didn’t get a touch when any kind of header would have brought a goal.
Stamford started the second-half well and Shariff netted in the 54th minute after the ball sat up for him in the box during a spell of pressure.
Had home left-back Jason Field netted instead of hitting the post on the hour, the game would have been over there and then, but it was still going to be a long way back for Skelmersdale.
Jackson brought a magnificent tip over the crossbar out of home goalkeeper Alex Lynch and Strickland brought another save out of him soon afterwards.
With ten minutes remaining Peet called Lynch into action again after Rio Ahmadi found him with a cross but the reality was, Stamford’s defence looked solid and were not to be breached.
Stamford are a better team than their league position suggests and on this evidence will definitely not be in relegation trouble at the end of the season, they are a very organised team and know how to use their home ground to best advantage. Skelmersdale could cite half a dozen reasons that conspired against them on the day, but four and a half hours on a coach, an empty belly and insufficient time to warm up didn’t help. They will have better days and it is yet another example of how competitive the Evo-Stik Premier Division is.
STAMFORD: Lynch, Richards, Field (Richardson, 73), Ashton, Jones ©, Walker, Lawlor, Challinor, Shariff (Moyo, 78), Smith, Robbins (Haines, 90) Subs Staff, Jones
SKELMERSDALE UNITED: McMahon, Strickland, Peet, Hardwick ©, Wylie (Jackson, 28), Dunn, Hughes (Ahmadi, 67), Burton, Astbury (Laird, 66), Tuck, Ince Subs (not used) O’Reilly, Flood
Referee: Geoff Law (Leicester)
Attendance: 240