Post by Kev Panther on Sept 7, 2014 19:05:19 GMT
SKELMERSDALE THIRD AFTER SECOND AWAY WIN
WHITBY TOWN 0 SKELMERSDALE UNITED 2
By Neil Leatherbarrow
Skelmersdale United’s unbeaten start to the season continued in North Yorkshire on Saturday, as a second consecutive away win put them into third position in the Evo-Stik Premier Division. A goal in each half, enough to secure Tommy Lawson’s all three points, with a performance that will send them into Monday afternoon’s home clash with Workington in a confident mood.
It might not have been quite as comfortable though, as United were caught out in the 4th minute, but the crossbar rescued them as Ross Gardener was allowed the space to fire in vicious drive.
Skelmersdale started to get going and in the sixth minute Alan Burton was kept out by home keeper Shane Bland.
Skelmersdale struck in the 14th minute and it was a tremendous team effort. Starting at the back the build-up contained around fifteen passes with Burton being involved in at least two 1-2’s, Connor McCarthy supplied the defence opening ball, setting up Dan Mitchley who drove the ball low into the net from just inside the penalty area.
In the 20th minute it could easily have been 2-0. Whitby Player-Manager Darren Williams scrambling the ball off his own goal-line after Rob Bodie got above everyone to put in a goalbound header.
Skelmersdale really did play some great football in the first-half and on the half-hour came close again. Tom Ince played the ball to Mitchley, Mitchley gave it him back again and Bland pulled off a cracking save to keep Whitby in contact.
Whitby were still not out of things and Skelmersdale goalkeeper Martin Fearon made one of two superb saves on the day after swift footed home forward Sam Calvert got in behind the defence, but Fearon came out to meet him and stood firm.
Just before the interval Mitchley tried the spectacular, but his bicycle kick just went over the bar.
Fearon made his second quality save three minutes after the restart. A corner from the right found Craig Farrell’s head, but Fearon palmed the ball for another corner.
Skelmersdale regained the position of hegemony and a clever move from Mitchley in the 59th minute almost doubled the advantage. He chested the ball down beat 2 men and then saw his shot saved by Bland.
Two minutes later Bland had no such luxury. Ince ran into the heart of the home defence and was rather cynically tripped in the “D” by Ibrahim Hassan. After a yellow card was quite rightly administered by referee Rebecca Welsh, Ince took the free-kick himself, sending the ball skimming into the far corner, for his third goal in his last three games against Whitby.
Whitby were now committed to all-out attack. Rob McIntosh made a fine intervention after a cross from Mark Robinson in the 74th minute, then Calvert shot wide from a good position, but you always felt Skelmersdale could step it up if they had to. A theory given strength by an 87th minute shot from Burton that brought a top-drawer diving save from Bland.
As the game entered added time a misunderstanding in the Skelmersdale defence presented Calvert with a chance he should have finished, but he rolled the ball wide. If it had gone in it would have set up a grandstand finish, but such was Skelmersdale’s dominance by this stage, the thought was, it would have merely ruffled their feathers rather caused wholesale panic.
WHITBY TOWN: Bland, Williams (Callaghan, 63), Robinson ©, Burgess, Hassan, Hopson (Waters, 75), Mason, Gardener (Snaith, 54), Farrell, Calvert, Shepard Subs (not used) Brown, Pool
SKELMERSDALE UNITED: Fearon, Strickland (Wylie, 83), Wisdom, McIntosh ©, Bodie, Kirkbride, Thompson, Burton (Simpson, 90), Mitchley, McCarthy (Sumner, 69), Ince Subs (not used) O’Reilly, Monaghan
Referee: Rebecca Welsh Attendance: 216
WHITBY TOWN 0 SKELMERSDALE UNITED 2
By Neil Leatherbarrow
Skelmersdale United’s unbeaten start to the season continued in North Yorkshire on Saturday, as a second consecutive away win put them into third position in the Evo-Stik Premier Division. A goal in each half, enough to secure Tommy Lawson’s all three points, with a performance that will send them into Monday afternoon’s home clash with Workington in a confident mood.
It might not have been quite as comfortable though, as United were caught out in the 4th minute, but the crossbar rescued them as Ross Gardener was allowed the space to fire in vicious drive.
Skelmersdale started to get going and in the sixth minute Alan Burton was kept out by home keeper Shane Bland.
Skelmersdale struck in the 14th minute and it was a tremendous team effort. Starting at the back the build-up contained around fifteen passes with Burton being involved in at least two 1-2’s, Connor McCarthy supplied the defence opening ball, setting up Dan Mitchley who drove the ball low into the net from just inside the penalty area.
In the 20th minute it could easily have been 2-0. Whitby Player-Manager Darren Williams scrambling the ball off his own goal-line after Rob Bodie got above everyone to put in a goalbound header.
Skelmersdale really did play some great football in the first-half and on the half-hour came close again. Tom Ince played the ball to Mitchley, Mitchley gave it him back again and Bland pulled off a cracking save to keep Whitby in contact.
Whitby were still not out of things and Skelmersdale goalkeeper Martin Fearon made one of two superb saves on the day after swift footed home forward Sam Calvert got in behind the defence, but Fearon came out to meet him and stood firm.
Just before the interval Mitchley tried the spectacular, but his bicycle kick just went over the bar.
Fearon made his second quality save three minutes after the restart. A corner from the right found Craig Farrell’s head, but Fearon palmed the ball for another corner.
Skelmersdale regained the position of hegemony and a clever move from Mitchley in the 59th minute almost doubled the advantage. He chested the ball down beat 2 men and then saw his shot saved by Bland.
Two minutes later Bland had no such luxury. Ince ran into the heart of the home defence and was rather cynically tripped in the “D” by Ibrahim Hassan. After a yellow card was quite rightly administered by referee Rebecca Welsh, Ince took the free-kick himself, sending the ball skimming into the far corner, for his third goal in his last three games against Whitby.
Whitby were now committed to all-out attack. Rob McIntosh made a fine intervention after a cross from Mark Robinson in the 74th minute, then Calvert shot wide from a good position, but you always felt Skelmersdale could step it up if they had to. A theory given strength by an 87th minute shot from Burton that brought a top-drawer diving save from Bland.
As the game entered added time a misunderstanding in the Skelmersdale defence presented Calvert with a chance he should have finished, but he rolled the ball wide. If it had gone in it would have set up a grandstand finish, but such was Skelmersdale’s dominance by this stage, the thought was, it would have merely ruffled their feathers rather caused wholesale panic.
WHITBY TOWN: Bland, Williams (Callaghan, 63), Robinson ©, Burgess, Hassan, Hopson (Waters, 75), Mason, Gardener (Snaith, 54), Farrell, Calvert, Shepard Subs (not used) Brown, Pool
SKELMERSDALE UNITED: Fearon, Strickland (Wylie, 83), Wisdom, McIntosh ©, Bodie, Kirkbride, Thompson, Burton (Simpson, 90), Mitchley, McCarthy (Sumner, 69), Ince Subs (not used) O’Reilly, Monaghan
Referee: Rebecca Welsh Attendance: 216