Post by Kev Panther on Apr 4, 2016 18:16:32 GMT
SKELMERSDALE DENIED VICTORY IN LAST SECONDS
SKELMERSDALE UNITED 3 BARWELL 3
By Neil Leatherbarrow
Just as it looked like Skelmersdale United were on course for all three points, victory was agonisingly snatched away in the fifth minute of added time at Stormy Corner. The game itself was a bit of a thriller, Skelmersdale playing some outstanding football, the visitors a battling outfit who have done well since Christmas adding to the mixture with a contrasting of style which meant that the outcome was always likely to be in the balance until the very last kick.
Skelmersdale started well, but on their first really viable attack Barwell struck in the twelfth minute. A swirling ball to the far post went out for a corner, the kick from the right was driven low into the six yard box and Richard Lavery was allowed the room to score from close range.
Although Skem continued to press the game then went through a bad tempered period in which referee Ian Gittins got busy with his yellow card as both teams put in some “rather strong tackles.”
However, Skelmersdale levelled on 33 minutes. The ball was swept right to left wing and Ian Rowlands went to head it into the goalmouth, but Barwell defender Joe Ballinger stuck his hand behind it and a penalty was given. Up stepped Skelmersdale’s top scorer Chris Almond and he beat Barwell goalkeeper Liam Castle.
The game tightened up again until the five minutes immediately before half-time, when Skelmersdale twice went close to grabbing lead.
First Barwell’s Joe Elliott slipped and set Almond away, but just when he was expected to execute a finish he elected to pass the ball sideways to Max Hazeldine, giving away midfielder Nigel Julian the chance he needed to save his side. The second on 44 minutes saw Almond cut in from the left and fire in a shot from an angle that Castle was able to push away to safety.
After making the threat, Skelmersdale carried out the act five minutes into the second-half. Almond, who was Skelmersdale’s best man on the day, slipped the ball down the inside-left channel to Hazeldine, Castle parried his shot, but the ball went back to Hazeldine, just as he set himself to shoot again, Ballinger tripped him and a penalty was an inevitable follow-up. This time Almond sent Castle the opposite way from the spot, but it was still a goal.
Three minutes later Vince Bailey went close to making it three for Skem then Barwell started to press for an equaliser.
Generally the visitors were held, but Martin Fearon did make one top-class save on 62 minutes, diving full-length to his right to palm away a skimmer from Julian.
On 77 minutes Barwell did get their goal, Trey Braithwaite pushed the ball through the Skem defence; Nathan Edgington got on the end of it then directed a low shot into the Skelmersdale net.
Two minutes later Hazeldine received the ball just inside the Barwell half and set off on a run, after fending off one challenge he put a powerful effort just inside Castle’s near-post to restore the Skelmersdale lead with his 11th goal in Skem colours.
It was no surprise that Barwell pushed to salvage the game and their two best efforts were fended away first by Phil Mooney then by Bailey off the line. With the whistle expected any second Julian lobbed one last desperate effort into the Skelmersdale area, substitute Ryan Boothe judged the bounce well, turned and guided the ball into the net from six yards out.
It was a frustrating way to drop two points, but manager Tommy Lawson saw the positive in the Skem performance, saying afterwards: “We played some great football and looked a good team, we suffered a couple of knocks late in the game and maybe they cost us as they upset the rhythm a bit.”
SKELMERSDALE UNITED: Fearon, Mooney, Holden, McIntosh ©, Rowlands, Brewster (Woolcott, 71), Bakkor, Bailey, Hazeldine (Vassallo, 89), Strickland (Corrigan, 81), Almond Subs (not used) Rendell, Tuck
BARWELL: Castle, Elliott (Hollis, 45), Nisevic, Lavery ©, Ballinger, Hickey, Tomkinson, Julian, Edgington, Story (Braithwaite, 64), Carney (Boothe, 51) Subs (not used) Hadland, Ginnelly
Referee: Ian Gittins Attendance: 196
SKELMERSDALE UNITED 3 BARWELL 3
By Neil Leatherbarrow
Just as it looked like Skelmersdale United were on course for all three points, victory was agonisingly snatched away in the fifth minute of added time at Stormy Corner. The game itself was a bit of a thriller, Skelmersdale playing some outstanding football, the visitors a battling outfit who have done well since Christmas adding to the mixture with a contrasting of style which meant that the outcome was always likely to be in the balance until the very last kick.
Skelmersdale started well, but on their first really viable attack Barwell struck in the twelfth minute. A swirling ball to the far post went out for a corner, the kick from the right was driven low into the six yard box and Richard Lavery was allowed the room to score from close range.
Although Skem continued to press the game then went through a bad tempered period in which referee Ian Gittins got busy with his yellow card as both teams put in some “rather strong tackles.”
However, Skelmersdale levelled on 33 minutes. The ball was swept right to left wing and Ian Rowlands went to head it into the goalmouth, but Barwell defender Joe Ballinger stuck his hand behind it and a penalty was given. Up stepped Skelmersdale’s top scorer Chris Almond and he beat Barwell goalkeeper Liam Castle.
The game tightened up again until the five minutes immediately before half-time, when Skelmersdale twice went close to grabbing lead.
First Barwell’s Joe Elliott slipped and set Almond away, but just when he was expected to execute a finish he elected to pass the ball sideways to Max Hazeldine, giving away midfielder Nigel Julian the chance he needed to save his side. The second on 44 minutes saw Almond cut in from the left and fire in a shot from an angle that Castle was able to push away to safety.
After making the threat, Skelmersdale carried out the act five minutes into the second-half. Almond, who was Skelmersdale’s best man on the day, slipped the ball down the inside-left channel to Hazeldine, Castle parried his shot, but the ball went back to Hazeldine, just as he set himself to shoot again, Ballinger tripped him and a penalty was an inevitable follow-up. This time Almond sent Castle the opposite way from the spot, but it was still a goal.
Three minutes later Vince Bailey went close to making it three for Skem then Barwell started to press for an equaliser.
Generally the visitors were held, but Martin Fearon did make one top-class save on 62 minutes, diving full-length to his right to palm away a skimmer from Julian.
On 77 minutes Barwell did get their goal, Trey Braithwaite pushed the ball through the Skem defence; Nathan Edgington got on the end of it then directed a low shot into the Skelmersdale net.
Two minutes later Hazeldine received the ball just inside the Barwell half and set off on a run, after fending off one challenge he put a powerful effort just inside Castle’s near-post to restore the Skelmersdale lead with his 11th goal in Skem colours.
It was no surprise that Barwell pushed to salvage the game and their two best efforts were fended away first by Phil Mooney then by Bailey off the line. With the whistle expected any second Julian lobbed one last desperate effort into the Skelmersdale area, substitute Ryan Boothe judged the bounce well, turned and guided the ball into the net from six yards out.
It was a frustrating way to drop two points, but manager Tommy Lawson saw the positive in the Skem performance, saying afterwards: “We played some great football and looked a good team, we suffered a couple of knocks late in the game and maybe they cost us as they upset the rhythm a bit.”
SKELMERSDALE UNITED: Fearon, Mooney, Holden, McIntosh ©, Rowlands, Brewster (Woolcott, 71), Bakkor, Bailey, Hazeldine (Vassallo, 89), Strickland (Corrigan, 81), Almond Subs (not used) Rendell, Tuck
BARWELL: Castle, Elliott (Hollis, 45), Nisevic, Lavery ©, Ballinger, Hickey, Tomkinson, Julian, Edgington, Story (Braithwaite, 64), Carney (Boothe, 51) Subs (not used) Hadland, Ginnelly
Referee: Ian Gittins Attendance: 196