Post by Kev Panther on Jan 5, 2016 18:44:36 GMT
INJURIES HIT SKELMERSDALE HOPES
SUTTON COLDFIELD TOWN 3 SKELMERSDALE UNITED 1
By Neil Leatherbarrow
Things started to go against Skelmersdale United manager Tommy Lawson from the off, eight minutes into the match to be precise. Left-Back Shaun Holden twisting on the artificial pitch surface and going down clutching his left knee , ominously with no one within five yards of him. Then just so Holden wasn’t lonely on the bench, centre-forward Yaw Gyimah joined him in the twentieth minute with a twisted ankle. By the end all three Sutton goals came from or were created by the home right-winger Ryan Edmunds who had an inspired game. Holden would have been marking Edmunds.
Skelmersdale did have some luck in the tenth minute as Danny O’Callaghan ran onto a through ball, rounded goalkeeper Martin Fearon and unselfishly squared the ball to a central point eight yards out, where it was met by Tom Turton, who in the style of former Liverpool striker Ronny Rosenthal proceeded to hit the crossbar when it would have much easier to score. Well at least Villa Park the scene of Rosenthal’s clanger is only a handful of miles from Sutton’s Coles Lane ground.
Just to balance things up with the other side of the Stanley Park football rivalry a player who is infamous with Everton supporters opened the scoring for Sutton on 24 minutes. Edmunds gathered a Crossfield ball wide on the right and turned back inside before sliding the ball low into the path of the former Shrewsbury Town striker Luke Rodgers, who finished clinically.
Skelmersdale bounced back well. Ged Kinsella held off two challenges before seeing home goalkeeper James Wren save his shot just under the bar, in the 36th minute Skem equalised. Louis Corrigan played the ball back to Fearon, who found Tom Ince’s head with a well-judged ball to the left, Kinsella then pushed it through the Sutton defence and Chris Almond fired into the corner of the net. It was a well worked and incisive goal.
Isaac Kusaloka was thwarted by home defender Joel Kettle on 37 minutes, but a swift counterattack saw Skelmersdale behind at the interval. Man of the match Edmunds lifting a ball from the right to far post where O’Callaghan used the pace of his run into the box to elevate himself into a position to head home.
The second-half saw Skelmersdale pressing and pressing to find a gap in the Sutton defence, who after receiving a roasting from their manager during the break that was audible over half the ground where now a much tighter unit.
Kinsella was the most dangerous for Skem, having a shot saved by Wren then having another deflected wide, before from the corner, a huge scramble ended in a shot that went wide.
In the latter stages the game became more and more stretched as Skelmersdale were forced to take risks at the back by committing men into attack. Kinsella brought another save from Wren then Kusaloka brought a magnificent diving save from the home keeper, but Sutton held firm.
Bang on the ninetieth minute the risk Skelmersdale were taking bit them back. A punt out of defence put Edmunds one on one with an isolated Valtar Fernandes, Edmunds was too strong and played the ball to Rodgers, who returned to ball to Edmunds as he entered the penalty area to direct his shot past the advancing Fearon.
You could come out with any number of reasons why Skelmersdale lost, but the injuries certainly played a big part, they left Skelmersdale completely unbalanced at a crucial time in the game. Breaking open an entrenched defence hasn’t been their strength all season but that was what they had to do and Sutton defended well in the second-half, no doubt much to Tommy Lawson’s frustration.
SUTTON COLDFIELD TOWN: Wren, Gonzales, Jackson © (Bryant, 42), Forde, Kettle, Lycett, Edmunds, Goddard (Christie, 63), Rodgers, O’Callaghan, Turton (Palmer, 72) Subs (not used) Beresford, Harrison
SKELMERSDALE UNITED: Fearon, Fernandes, Holden (Corrigan, 8), McIntosh ©, Donaldson, Staunton-Turner (Marie, 61), Almond, Strickland, Gyimah (Kusaloka, 20), Kinsella, Ince Subs (not used) Rendell, Gaskell
Referee: Guy Stretton (Enderby, Leicestershire)
Attendance: 234
SUTTON COLDFIELD TOWN 3 SKELMERSDALE UNITED 1
By Neil Leatherbarrow
Things started to go against Skelmersdale United manager Tommy Lawson from the off, eight minutes into the match to be precise. Left-Back Shaun Holden twisting on the artificial pitch surface and going down clutching his left knee , ominously with no one within five yards of him. Then just so Holden wasn’t lonely on the bench, centre-forward Yaw Gyimah joined him in the twentieth minute with a twisted ankle. By the end all three Sutton goals came from or were created by the home right-winger Ryan Edmunds who had an inspired game. Holden would have been marking Edmunds.
Skelmersdale did have some luck in the tenth minute as Danny O’Callaghan ran onto a through ball, rounded goalkeeper Martin Fearon and unselfishly squared the ball to a central point eight yards out, where it was met by Tom Turton, who in the style of former Liverpool striker Ronny Rosenthal proceeded to hit the crossbar when it would have much easier to score. Well at least Villa Park the scene of Rosenthal’s clanger is only a handful of miles from Sutton’s Coles Lane ground.
Just to balance things up with the other side of the Stanley Park football rivalry a player who is infamous with Everton supporters opened the scoring for Sutton on 24 minutes. Edmunds gathered a Crossfield ball wide on the right and turned back inside before sliding the ball low into the path of the former Shrewsbury Town striker Luke Rodgers, who finished clinically.
Skelmersdale bounced back well. Ged Kinsella held off two challenges before seeing home goalkeeper James Wren save his shot just under the bar, in the 36th minute Skem equalised. Louis Corrigan played the ball back to Fearon, who found Tom Ince’s head with a well-judged ball to the left, Kinsella then pushed it through the Sutton defence and Chris Almond fired into the corner of the net. It was a well worked and incisive goal.
Isaac Kusaloka was thwarted by home defender Joel Kettle on 37 minutes, but a swift counterattack saw Skelmersdale behind at the interval. Man of the match Edmunds lifting a ball from the right to far post where O’Callaghan used the pace of his run into the box to elevate himself into a position to head home.
The second-half saw Skelmersdale pressing and pressing to find a gap in the Sutton defence, who after receiving a roasting from their manager during the break that was audible over half the ground where now a much tighter unit.
Kinsella was the most dangerous for Skem, having a shot saved by Wren then having another deflected wide, before from the corner, a huge scramble ended in a shot that went wide.
In the latter stages the game became more and more stretched as Skelmersdale were forced to take risks at the back by committing men into attack. Kinsella brought another save from Wren then Kusaloka brought a magnificent diving save from the home keeper, but Sutton held firm.
Bang on the ninetieth minute the risk Skelmersdale were taking bit them back. A punt out of defence put Edmunds one on one with an isolated Valtar Fernandes, Edmunds was too strong and played the ball to Rodgers, who returned to ball to Edmunds as he entered the penalty area to direct his shot past the advancing Fearon.
You could come out with any number of reasons why Skelmersdale lost, but the injuries certainly played a big part, they left Skelmersdale completely unbalanced at a crucial time in the game. Breaking open an entrenched defence hasn’t been their strength all season but that was what they had to do and Sutton defended well in the second-half, no doubt much to Tommy Lawson’s frustration.
SUTTON COLDFIELD TOWN: Wren, Gonzales, Jackson © (Bryant, 42), Forde, Kettle, Lycett, Edmunds, Goddard (Christie, 63), Rodgers, O’Callaghan, Turton (Palmer, 72) Subs (not used) Beresford, Harrison
SKELMERSDALE UNITED: Fearon, Fernandes, Holden (Corrigan, 8), McIntosh ©, Donaldson, Staunton-Turner (Marie, 61), Almond, Strickland, Gyimah (Kusaloka, 20), Kinsella, Ince Subs (not used) Rendell, Gaskell
Referee: Guy Stretton (Enderby, Leicestershire)
Attendance: 234