Post by Kev Panther on Mar 27, 2016 15:30:02 GMT
DEFENCES ON TOP AS SKEM ARE HELD TO A DRAW
SKELMERSDALE UNITED 0 WHITBY TOWN 0
By Neil Leatherbarrow
When Skelmersdale and Whitby meet there is usually plenty of goalmouth action and plenty of goals, this was somewhat different, maybe because of what was at stake, especially for the visitors.
Skelmersdale opened brightly and in the 8th minutes Chris Almond put a bouncing ball over the Whitby crossbar.
But soon it became clear that the visitors had a plan, one that they stuck to and one that worked; they would fall back and make it very difficult for Skem to get behind them, while relying on swift counterattacks for their own goal threat.
On one of those counters Whitby sent in their first attempt on goal on 25 minutes but Skelmersdale goalkeeper Martin Fearon comfortably dealt with a vicious Dave McTiernan shot.
At the other Dylan Vassallo put the ball into the Whitby net, but was denied by a raised assistant’s flag.
Chances at both ends were rather sporadic. Max Hazeldine controlled the ball well on 36 minutes but shot over the bar from 18 yards then on a foray forward Whitby left-back Andy McWilliams shot over the Skelmersdale bar from 20 yards.
A theme was beginning to be set, the shots at both ends were mostly from outside the penalty area and because of the distance accuracy was not the best.
Recent signing Scott Bakkor almost broke the mould on 42 minutes, Phil Mooney set him away down the right and he won a challenge against a defender, but by then he was on a tight angle to goal and his attempt went across the face of goal.
In the 48th minute Skelmersdale had a loud shout for a penalty ignored after Almond’s cross hit a defender’s arm, it was a debateable one from both perspectives, instead a corner was given. From the flag kick Kenny Strickland’s ball went straight across the face of goal untouched by man.
In 63 &64 minutes there was action at both ends. First Whitby number eleven Mike Roberts who was the visitors best man on the night put in a powerful drive from distance that Fearon did well to deal with, then at the clubhouse end Hazeldine was unable to steer a Strickland cross onto the target with his head.
The game became more stretched as the teams tired and from consecutive corners Rob McIntosh threatened to break the deadlock, then Roberts put a shot high and wide of the Skem goal.
There was still time though for both sides to give the other a heart flutter.
Eight minutes from time a well created Skem build-up involving Paul Woolcott put Almond in, but Whitby’s Shane Bland saved with his feet, then two minutes into added time, Fearon had to be at his best to steer a dipping skimming shot from Roberts wide of his right-hand post.
The draw as the right result on the night, neither team deserved to lose, but then perhaps neither team deserved to win either.
SKELMERSDALE UNITED: Fearon, Mooney, Corrigan, McIntosh ©, Rendell, Strickland, Vassallo (Bailey, 72), Woolcott, Hazeldine (Tuck, 74), Bakkor, Almond Subs (not used) Donaldson, Holden, Rowlands
WHITBY TOWN: Bland, Martin, McWilliams, Robinson ©, Poole, Weledji, Gell, McTiernan, Hopson, Hume, Roberts Subs (not used) Maughan, Gardner, Bullock, Scarth, Dixon
Referee: Nick Greenhalgh
Attendance: 193
SKELMERSDALE UNITED 0 WHITBY TOWN 0
By Neil Leatherbarrow
When Skelmersdale and Whitby meet there is usually plenty of goalmouth action and plenty of goals, this was somewhat different, maybe because of what was at stake, especially for the visitors.
Skelmersdale opened brightly and in the 8th minutes Chris Almond put a bouncing ball over the Whitby crossbar.
But soon it became clear that the visitors had a plan, one that they stuck to and one that worked; they would fall back and make it very difficult for Skem to get behind them, while relying on swift counterattacks for their own goal threat.
On one of those counters Whitby sent in their first attempt on goal on 25 minutes but Skelmersdale goalkeeper Martin Fearon comfortably dealt with a vicious Dave McTiernan shot.
At the other Dylan Vassallo put the ball into the Whitby net, but was denied by a raised assistant’s flag.
Chances at both ends were rather sporadic. Max Hazeldine controlled the ball well on 36 minutes but shot over the bar from 18 yards then on a foray forward Whitby left-back Andy McWilliams shot over the Skelmersdale bar from 20 yards.
A theme was beginning to be set, the shots at both ends were mostly from outside the penalty area and because of the distance accuracy was not the best.
Recent signing Scott Bakkor almost broke the mould on 42 minutes, Phil Mooney set him away down the right and he won a challenge against a defender, but by then he was on a tight angle to goal and his attempt went across the face of goal.
In the 48th minute Skelmersdale had a loud shout for a penalty ignored after Almond’s cross hit a defender’s arm, it was a debateable one from both perspectives, instead a corner was given. From the flag kick Kenny Strickland’s ball went straight across the face of goal untouched by man.
In 63 &64 minutes there was action at both ends. First Whitby number eleven Mike Roberts who was the visitors best man on the night put in a powerful drive from distance that Fearon did well to deal with, then at the clubhouse end Hazeldine was unable to steer a Strickland cross onto the target with his head.
The game became more stretched as the teams tired and from consecutive corners Rob McIntosh threatened to break the deadlock, then Roberts put a shot high and wide of the Skem goal.
There was still time though for both sides to give the other a heart flutter.
Eight minutes from time a well created Skem build-up involving Paul Woolcott put Almond in, but Whitby’s Shane Bland saved with his feet, then two minutes into added time, Fearon had to be at his best to steer a dipping skimming shot from Roberts wide of his right-hand post.
The draw as the right result on the night, neither team deserved to lose, but then perhaps neither team deserved to win either.
SKELMERSDALE UNITED: Fearon, Mooney, Corrigan, McIntosh ©, Rendell, Strickland, Vassallo (Bailey, 72), Woolcott, Hazeldine (Tuck, 74), Bakkor, Almond Subs (not used) Donaldson, Holden, Rowlands
WHITBY TOWN: Bland, Martin, McWilliams, Robinson ©, Poole, Weledji, Gell, McTiernan, Hopson, Hume, Roberts Subs (not used) Maughan, Gardner, Bullock, Scarth, Dixon
Referee: Nick Greenhalgh
Attendance: 193