Post by Kev Panther on Dec 17, 2013 19:31:52 GMT
LATE LATE GOAL BAGS A POINT
NANTWICH TOWN 2 SKELMERSDALE UNITED 2
By Neil Leatherbarrow
It is often said that a good team find a way of getting something out of a match; Skelmersdale did just that on Saturday. On a horrible windy wet day in Cheshire, after going in front they had given the home team a goal and conceded another, then in reality never really looked like saving the game until five minutes into added time, when striker Jack Laird equalised with thunderous free-kick from twenty yards out. The point putting Skem two points clear at the top of the Evo-Stik Premier Division.
The match had started well for Skelmersdale who were facing a strengthening wind, Shaun Tuck had a smart effort saved by Town goalkeeper Jack Cudworth, and then in the 14th minute they took the lead. Tuck ran onto a finely placed ball down the left and crossed deep to the far post, Dean Astbury was too quick for his marker and put a diving header into Cudworth’s net.
Sadly, though it took only for four minutes to give the advantage away. An innocuous back-pass to goalkeeper Ryan McMahon facing the wind hesitated and his kick went straight to Steve Foster, he squared the ball across goal leaving Ben Deegan with the simplest of tap-ins.
However, the goal gave Nantwich confidence and they won a free-kick on the left just after the half-hour. The ball was floated high into the box; Adam Jones got up above everyone and aimed a dropping header into the far corner of the net.
It was now Skelmersdale’s job to chase the game and it wasn’t going to be easy in weather quickly worsening to storm conditions as a serious squall passed over Cheshire.
Chances were becoming a rare commodity, Cudworth saved at Tuck’s feet and after a great overlapping run Gareth Peet was only thwarted late on.
The talk at the interval was that Skelmersdale would surely sort things out with the weather at their backs.
Full credit to Nantwich, who after the restart pressed Skelmersdale, forcing them to either struggle in the conditions with their usual passing game or over hit long balls down the field, that were taken control of by the now gale force wind.
Home full-back Andy White soon put a shot over the Skelmersdale crossbar, then with the chance of the match Osebi Abadaki contrived to hit the post.
All this time Skelmersdale just couldn’t get their passing game going at all and were making little impact, let alone creating an opportunity to equalise.
Nantwich had one more chance, McMahon saving a point blank header from Deegan and gradually the game was petering out.
In the last fifteen minutes Skelmersdale started to make some inroads, mostly because of a tactical change by Tommy Lawson that reduced his defence to three men.
Matty Hughes tried an audacious chip that almost brought about a goal and Adam Morning was starting to stretch Nantwich with his runs down the left.
Five minutes added time was signalled, but even then a miracle was required. It happened bang on four and a half minutes into the extra-time. Morning cut in from the left desperately looking for an opening to shoot and carried the ball across the edge of the penalty area and he was tripped on the edge of the “D”. Tommy Lawson was screaming for Laird to take the free-kick, the message got through, Laird hammered the ball around Nantwich’s six man defensive wall and it billowed into the net behind Cudworth.
Skelmersdale’s football is just not suited to weather conditions like those at Nantwich and it puts them at a huge disadvantage, however, one other thing that Skelmersdale have in bundles is fighting spirit and in the end it won them a point. To say it was hard earned would be the understatement of the season.
NANTWICH TOWN: Cudworth, Frost ©, White, Jones M., Courtney, Jones A. (Davis, 83), Clayton, Devenney, Deegan, Foster, Abadaki (Gardner, 90) Subs (not used) Burns, Wain, Hood
SKELMERSDALE UNITED: McMahon, Wylie, Peet, Hardwick ©, Burton, Strickland, Hughes, Flood (Morning, 45), Astbury (Laird, 74), Tuck (O’Reilly, 81), Ince
Referee: Helen Byrne Attendance: 303
NANTWICH TOWN 2 SKELMERSDALE UNITED 2
By Neil Leatherbarrow
It is often said that a good team find a way of getting something out of a match; Skelmersdale did just that on Saturday. On a horrible windy wet day in Cheshire, after going in front they had given the home team a goal and conceded another, then in reality never really looked like saving the game until five minutes into added time, when striker Jack Laird equalised with thunderous free-kick from twenty yards out. The point putting Skem two points clear at the top of the Evo-Stik Premier Division.
The match had started well for Skelmersdale who were facing a strengthening wind, Shaun Tuck had a smart effort saved by Town goalkeeper Jack Cudworth, and then in the 14th minute they took the lead. Tuck ran onto a finely placed ball down the left and crossed deep to the far post, Dean Astbury was too quick for his marker and put a diving header into Cudworth’s net.
Sadly, though it took only for four minutes to give the advantage away. An innocuous back-pass to goalkeeper Ryan McMahon facing the wind hesitated and his kick went straight to Steve Foster, he squared the ball across goal leaving Ben Deegan with the simplest of tap-ins.
However, the goal gave Nantwich confidence and they won a free-kick on the left just after the half-hour. The ball was floated high into the box; Adam Jones got up above everyone and aimed a dropping header into the far corner of the net.
It was now Skelmersdale’s job to chase the game and it wasn’t going to be easy in weather quickly worsening to storm conditions as a serious squall passed over Cheshire.
Chances were becoming a rare commodity, Cudworth saved at Tuck’s feet and after a great overlapping run Gareth Peet was only thwarted late on.
The talk at the interval was that Skelmersdale would surely sort things out with the weather at their backs.
Full credit to Nantwich, who after the restart pressed Skelmersdale, forcing them to either struggle in the conditions with their usual passing game or over hit long balls down the field, that were taken control of by the now gale force wind.
Home full-back Andy White soon put a shot over the Skelmersdale crossbar, then with the chance of the match Osebi Abadaki contrived to hit the post.
All this time Skelmersdale just couldn’t get their passing game going at all and were making little impact, let alone creating an opportunity to equalise.
Nantwich had one more chance, McMahon saving a point blank header from Deegan and gradually the game was petering out.
In the last fifteen minutes Skelmersdale started to make some inroads, mostly because of a tactical change by Tommy Lawson that reduced his defence to three men.
Matty Hughes tried an audacious chip that almost brought about a goal and Adam Morning was starting to stretch Nantwich with his runs down the left.
Five minutes added time was signalled, but even then a miracle was required. It happened bang on four and a half minutes into the extra-time. Morning cut in from the left desperately looking for an opening to shoot and carried the ball across the edge of the penalty area and he was tripped on the edge of the “D”. Tommy Lawson was screaming for Laird to take the free-kick, the message got through, Laird hammered the ball around Nantwich’s six man defensive wall and it billowed into the net behind Cudworth.
Skelmersdale’s football is just not suited to weather conditions like those at Nantwich and it puts them at a huge disadvantage, however, one other thing that Skelmersdale have in bundles is fighting spirit and in the end it won them a point. To say it was hard earned would be the understatement of the season.
NANTWICH TOWN: Cudworth, Frost ©, White, Jones M., Courtney, Jones A. (Davis, 83), Clayton, Devenney, Deegan, Foster, Abadaki (Gardner, 90) Subs (not used) Burns, Wain, Hood
SKELMERSDALE UNITED: McMahon, Wylie, Peet, Hardwick ©, Burton, Strickland, Hughes, Flood (Morning, 45), Astbury (Laird, 74), Tuck (O’Reilly, 81), Ince
Referee: Helen Byrne Attendance: 303