Post by Kev Panther on Nov 5, 2014 19:36:12 GMT
EARLY TROPHY EXIT FOR SKELMERSDALE
SKELMERSDALE UNITED 0 NANTWICH TOWN 2
By Neil Leatherbarrow
Skelmersdale United will not be going to Wembley this season. Well they probably weren’t anyway, but their defeat on Saturday against the men from Cheshire was something of a surprise, especially as Tommy Lawson’s top of the table team are 23 points ahead of Nantwich in the Evo-Stik Premier Division table. So concentration on the league for Skem is not necessarily a bad thing for them.
The game started pretty openly and it might have been a totally different story too. Connor McCarthy had a shot saved by Nantwich goalkeeper Dave Stevenson after just four minutes, then after a poor clearance Iain Howard saw Rob Bodie clear the ball off the Skelmersdale goal-line before after a Kenny Strickland free-kick the ball crashed against the Nantwich crossbar and was then frantically scrambled away.
The Nantwich goal after 20 minutes came from a left-wing corner, the ball was headed down across goal and Andy Pearson forced the ball home by the post.
From that point on Skelmersdale struggled to bounce back and much of their possession was smothered by Nantwich.
The only other threatening move of the half being an effort from Howard that went over the Skelmersdale crossbar.
When another set-piece move made it 2-0 to Nantwich in the 51st minute, it was always going to be difficult for Skelmersdale. The ball was lifted into the box from a free-kick on the left, it was headed down and Pearson was again on hand to fire home from about six yards out.
From the hour mark Skelmersdale started to pose more of a threat, but before then they could have been 3-0 down, but for a poor finish by Nantwich’s Harry Clayton.
In the last ten minutes, Nantwich were actually hanging on.
Alan Burton brought a terrific save out of Stevenson in the 82nd minute then Rob McIntosh headed wide from a free-kick into the Nantwich area, before Mark Byrne saw his shot finish up on the roof of the Nantwich net.
It was a frustrating day for Skelmersdale and it will be interesting to see the reaction from them when they entertain Nantwich again on Tuesday night, this time in a league game, kick-off 7-45pm.
SKELMERSDALE UNITED: Fearon, Fernandes, Wisdom, McIntosh ©, Bodie, Kirkbride, Thompson (Salamon, 67), Burton, Mitchley, McCarthy (Sumner, 24), Strickland (Byrne, 45) Subs (not used) Mooney, Wylie
NANTWICH TOWN: Stevenson, Harrop K., White, Blake, Jones A. © (Wilson, 51), Pearson, Kosylo, Sheehan (Pepper, 90), Winslade (Burns, 71), Clayton, Howard Subs (not used) Harrop M., Green
Referee: Mark Astley
Attendance: 187
SKELMERSDALE UNITED 0 NANTWICH TOWN 2
By Neil Leatherbarrow
Skelmersdale United will not be going to Wembley this season. Well they probably weren’t anyway, but their defeat on Saturday against the men from Cheshire was something of a surprise, especially as Tommy Lawson’s top of the table team are 23 points ahead of Nantwich in the Evo-Stik Premier Division table. So concentration on the league for Skem is not necessarily a bad thing for them.
The game started pretty openly and it might have been a totally different story too. Connor McCarthy had a shot saved by Nantwich goalkeeper Dave Stevenson after just four minutes, then after a poor clearance Iain Howard saw Rob Bodie clear the ball off the Skelmersdale goal-line before after a Kenny Strickland free-kick the ball crashed against the Nantwich crossbar and was then frantically scrambled away.
The Nantwich goal after 20 minutes came from a left-wing corner, the ball was headed down across goal and Andy Pearson forced the ball home by the post.
From that point on Skelmersdale struggled to bounce back and much of their possession was smothered by Nantwich.
The only other threatening move of the half being an effort from Howard that went over the Skelmersdale crossbar.
When another set-piece move made it 2-0 to Nantwich in the 51st minute, it was always going to be difficult for Skelmersdale. The ball was lifted into the box from a free-kick on the left, it was headed down and Pearson was again on hand to fire home from about six yards out.
From the hour mark Skelmersdale started to pose more of a threat, but before then they could have been 3-0 down, but for a poor finish by Nantwich’s Harry Clayton.
In the last ten minutes, Nantwich were actually hanging on.
Alan Burton brought a terrific save out of Stevenson in the 82nd minute then Rob McIntosh headed wide from a free-kick into the Nantwich area, before Mark Byrne saw his shot finish up on the roof of the Nantwich net.
It was a frustrating day for Skelmersdale and it will be interesting to see the reaction from them when they entertain Nantwich again on Tuesday night, this time in a league game, kick-off 7-45pm.
SKELMERSDALE UNITED: Fearon, Fernandes, Wisdom, McIntosh ©, Bodie, Kirkbride, Thompson (Salamon, 67), Burton, Mitchley, McCarthy (Sumner, 24), Strickland (Byrne, 45) Subs (not used) Mooney, Wylie
NANTWICH TOWN: Stevenson, Harrop K., White, Blake, Jones A. © (Wilson, 51), Pearson, Kosylo, Sheehan (Pepper, 90), Winslade (Burns, 71), Clayton, Howard Subs (not used) Harrop M., Green
Referee: Mark Astley
Attendance: 187