Post by Kev Panther on Mar 25, 2014 19:09:55 GMT
FIRST GOAL IS CRUCIAL AS UNITED WIN AT SKEM
SKELMERSDALE UNITED 1 FC UNITED OF MANCHESTER 3
By Neil Leatherbarrow
The wind and the rain didn’t help but the first goal was probably the deciding factor as FC United did to Skelmersdale what Skelmersdale had done to them earlier in the season, that is win 3-1 on the opponents ground. Matters were pretty even when in the 24th minute an innocuous looking shot from FC’s Jerome Wright surprisingly went into the Skelmersdale net via the near-post. It turned a very close game FC’s way and left Skelmersdale vulnerable.
On the back of a run of eight successive victories going into the game FC confidently carried the game to Skelmersdale in the early stages. However, the nearest they came to a goal was a close range effort from Mike Norton that was swallowed up by Skelmersdale goalkeeper Zac Hibbert.
Skelmersdale were starting to make inroads when FC scored the opener, in the 20th and 22nd minutes Adam Morning and Dean Astbury both put efforts just off target. A diagonal ball from midfield found Jerome Wright wide left on the 18 yard line, the FC number ten hit across the ball and it was looping harmlessly wide, it pitched in the mud, changed course and squirmed under Hibbert and into the net.
It was big blow to Skelmersdale, they responded well though. FC goalkeeper Dave Carnell just got to a through ball before Astbury then Mark Jackson chipped wide, before Jackson hit the post with a far post header. Just before the interval Lewis Field put Ashley Dunn in on goal, but Carnell’s foot maintained FC’s lead, showing superb reactions.
The elements blew in FC’s favour after the break and they were on top for the first fifteen minutes, Hibbert saving from Matthew Wolfenden and Norton before he dived full-length to thwart Dean Stott.
Carnell’s save from a Jackson header saw Skelmersdale coming back strongly, before they took another body blow in the 77th minute when they were caught on the breakaway. Wright got the ball in space near the left-wing corner flag, he cleverly beat the Skelmersdale right-back and hoisted the ball to the far post, Tom Greaves arrived at pace and aimed a header into the Skelmersdale net.
Skelmersdale bounced back quickly. Four minutes later the Railway Hotel Parbold, Skelmersdale Man of the Match Sean Miller riddled into space on the left. Jackson met Miller’s cross with a header that was parried by Carnell and Dunn followed up to drill the ball home.
Three minutes later FC struck with another break. Wright won a challenge with Shaun Holden and put the ball wide to overlapping right-back Liam Brownhill, with Holden injured on the floor he took maximum advantage of the extra room rounding a defender before driving the ball low across Hibbert into the far corner.
In a closely contested game the first goal is valuable and gives the scoring team a big edge, a point well demonstrated here. Skelmersdale played well and on the balance of the whole ninety minutes arguably deserved something, an issue manager Tommy Lawson clearly agreed with when after the game he said; “I thought the score flattered them.” But if you have to chase the equaliser, you have to take risks in defence by committing more players onto the attack and that can be costly.
SKELMERSDALE UNITED: Hibbert, Field (Turner, 72), Holden, McIntosh (O’Reilly, 64), Wylie ©, Dunn, Miller, Burton. Astbury, Jackson, Morning Subs (not used) Strickland, Ince, Prince
FC UNITED OF MANCAHESTER: Carnell, Brownhill, Neville, Stott ©, Davies, Raglan, Wolfenden (Daniels, 86), Byrne (Fox, 90), Norton, Wright, Greaves (Mulholland, 89) Subs (not used) Jones, Birch
Referee: Ian Gittens
Attendance: 1,000
SKELMERSDALE UNITED 1 FC UNITED OF MANCHESTER 3
By Neil Leatherbarrow
The wind and the rain didn’t help but the first goal was probably the deciding factor as FC United did to Skelmersdale what Skelmersdale had done to them earlier in the season, that is win 3-1 on the opponents ground. Matters were pretty even when in the 24th minute an innocuous looking shot from FC’s Jerome Wright surprisingly went into the Skelmersdale net via the near-post. It turned a very close game FC’s way and left Skelmersdale vulnerable.
On the back of a run of eight successive victories going into the game FC confidently carried the game to Skelmersdale in the early stages. However, the nearest they came to a goal was a close range effort from Mike Norton that was swallowed up by Skelmersdale goalkeeper Zac Hibbert.
Skelmersdale were starting to make inroads when FC scored the opener, in the 20th and 22nd minutes Adam Morning and Dean Astbury both put efforts just off target. A diagonal ball from midfield found Jerome Wright wide left on the 18 yard line, the FC number ten hit across the ball and it was looping harmlessly wide, it pitched in the mud, changed course and squirmed under Hibbert and into the net.
It was big blow to Skelmersdale, they responded well though. FC goalkeeper Dave Carnell just got to a through ball before Astbury then Mark Jackson chipped wide, before Jackson hit the post with a far post header. Just before the interval Lewis Field put Ashley Dunn in on goal, but Carnell’s foot maintained FC’s lead, showing superb reactions.
The elements blew in FC’s favour after the break and they were on top for the first fifteen minutes, Hibbert saving from Matthew Wolfenden and Norton before he dived full-length to thwart Dean Stott.
Carnell’s save from a Jackson header saw Skelmersdale coming back strongly, before they took another body blow in the 77th minute when they were caught on the breakaway. Wright got the ball in space near the left-wing corner flag, he cleverly beat the Skelmersdale right-back and hoisted the ball to the far post, Tom Greaves arrived at pace and aimed a header into the Skelmersdale net.
Skelmersdale bounced back quickly. Four minutes later the Railway Hotel Parbold, Skelmersdale Man of the Match Sean Miller riddled into space on the left. Jackson met Miller’s cross with a header that was parried by Carnell and Dunn followed up to drill the ball home.
Three minutes later FC struck with another break. Wright won a challenge with Shaun Holden and put the ball wide to overlapping right-back Liam Brownhill, with Holden injured on the floor he took maximum advantage of the extra room rounding a defender before driving the ball low across Hibbert into the far corner.
In a closely contested game the first goal is valuable and gives the scoring team a big edge, a point well demonstrated here. Skelmersdale played well and on the balance of the whole ninety minutes arguably deserved something, an issue manager Tommy Lawson clearly agreed with when after the game he said; “I thought the score flattered them.” But if you have to chase the equaliser, you have to take risks in defence by committing more players onto the attack and that can be costly.
SKELMERSDALE UNITED: Hibbert, Field (Turner, 72), Holden, McIntosh (O’Reilly, 64), Wylie ©, Dunn, Miller, Burton. Astbury, Jackson, Morning Subs (not used) Strickland, Ince, Prince
FC UNITED OF MANCAHESTER: Carnell, Brownhill, Neville, Stott ©, Davies, Raglan, Wolfenden (Daniels, 86), Byrne (Fox, 90), Norton, Wright, Greaves (Mulholland, 89) Subs (not used) Jones, Birch
Referee: Ian Gittens
Attendance: 1,000