Monday, 6 July 2009

Rhyl FC 4 - 1 Denbigh Town



Date: Saturday 4th July 2009
Competition: Preseason Friendly
Venue: Belle Vue, Rhyl, Wales
Attendance: ???
Ticket In: £5.00
------------------
Total: £5.00

Football is back, and its preseason friendly time. Having had only the Confederations Cup on the tele to keep me going over the offseason break (serious commiserations to the United States of America there), it’s going to be fantastic to actually get back into the grounds and see the action close up. The first match of the season for myself then is the preseason friendly match between Rhyl FC and Denbigh Town, a workout for everyone on the pitch to get back into the swing of things and a chance for me to shake out some of the journalistic cobwebs that might be lying within. Rhyl FC are the current Welsh Premier League champions and will be using this game as a warm up to their more serious Champions League encounter against Partizan Belgrade in 10 days time. Local rivals and Cymru Alliance side Denbigh Town provide the opposition. Results in these sorts of matches are not the most important thing, but with a local rivalry to play for both teams will probably be keen for a win, but it’s hard to look past Rhyl FC this afternoon if you are having a flutter on the result. Arriving at the ground and seeing the freshly cut grass in the muggy summers air was a refreshing sight and sensation after the time away from the game. Muggy heat, overcast, light rain, football is back, and the Michael Jackson songs that come blaring out of the grounds PA system further adds to my theory that there is seemingly nobody untouched by his death a few weeks ago. Time to drink in a bit of atmosphere before the kickoff in half an hour’s time.

So after the seemingly long break, two teams emerged from a football ground dressing room and onto the field, Rhyl in their home colours of black and white and Denbigh in their red and white. Captains and match officials complete the pre match formalities and the match gets underway. The first five minutes of the contest was contested in steadily increasing rain and muggy heat, which aren’t easy conditions for football and both teams spent this period keeping the ball on the floor sizing each other up. In a forward venture in the 7th minute, Rhyl thought they should have had a penalty when a bouncing ball was flicked on by one of their forwards and he was brought down by the Denbigh defender who was attempting to clear it. The appeals were waved away much to the relief of Denbigh Town as in my view they were lucky not to have the spot kick awarded against them. As expected, Rhyl were the faster team to settle and they created another attack when a ball out wide to the wing was crossed into the penalty area and was flicked on to the unmarked Matthew Williams, but the striker could only send his header over the crossbar and didn’t trouble the goalkeeper. But Rhyl were settling into their stride well and were causing Denbigh Town plenty of problems with their play, keeping the ball on the ground and looking to prise open passages to goal. In the 10th minute Denbigh hurriedly defended a ball which eventually broke to a waiting Rhyl forward on the edge of the box but his shot was blasted over the crossbar. Rhyl’s dominance of play saw them almost take the lead in the 13th minute when they worked the ball to the corner of the box form an attacking throw in. The ball was then crossed into the area and an unmarked glancing header from the edge of the 6 yard box had the keeper beaten but couldn’t find the target as it sailed agonisingly wide. But Rhyl’s persistence would eventually pay off in the 15th minute when they would deservedly take the lead. A ball over the top of the defence saw Neil Roberts rush onto it and catch the advancing Denbigh keeper in no man’s land. The keeper continued to advance and Roberts skipped around him and slotted the ball into the net from an acute angle to give the hosts the deserved lead. Five minutes later and Rhyl doubled their advantage from a well taken goal when a cross from the wing was flicked on to the back post and Neil Roberts scored his 2nd goal of the game as he blasted the ball over the keeper and into the roof of the net. Rhyl were now completely dominant and almost furthered their lead 2 minutes later when a looping header from the edge of the box was dipping underneath the crossbar until a great tip over the crossbar from the Denbigh keeper prevented another goal, although he was denied a good save by the linesman on the far side who ruled that the ball had gone over the bar untouched for a Denbigh goal kick. Rhyl increased their lead to three goals in the 27th minute when some neat and patient build-up play saw a perfect lofted ball over the Denbigh back line and Matthew Williams latched onto it and beat the keeper at his far post to put Rhyl firmly in control of proceedings. Rhyl kept up the relentless pressure when they won themselves a corner in the 33rd minute, the delivery of which forced another corner when the Denbigh keeper came to collect the cross and missed it completely, resulting in a defender having to put the ball over his own bar. The result form this corner was yet another corner as the same defender put the ball over his own bar yet again with the keeper coming to gather, before the pressure came to an end when the resultant corner was played short and crossed into the penalty area, a Rhyl forward being penalised for an infringement and Denbigh could breathe a sigh of relief after weathering the storm. The 38th minute saw Denbigh Town awarded a free kick in the penalty area after Rhyl goalkeeper Lee Kendal picked up a back pass, although he was adamant he had done nothing wrong in his eyes. This didn’t move the referee though and Denbigh took full advantage to get themselves on the scoresheet. A short roll of the ball to Lee Craven saw the striker beat the wall and hit the underside of the crossbar before seeing the ball nestle in the corner of the net, Denbigh Town on the scoresheet and the back pass mistake thoroughly punished. But before the half was out Rhyl would restore their three goal advantage by getting a fourth goal with the last kick of the half. A challenge between forward and defender on the edge of the penalty area saw the ball scoot forward to the waiting Luke Holden who fought off the attentions of two defenders before slotting the ball past the diving keeper and into the corner of the net in a neat finish. Straight from the kickoff the referee blew the half time whistle and the players headed into the dressing rooms for their team talks. As pretty much expected then, it’s been a thoroughly convincing half of football from the reigning champions, passing the ball about and playing neat ground football in attempts to work ways through the Denbigh Town defence. All four of the goals have been very well taken and Denbigh have been pretty much outclassed. Rhyl keeper Kendal hasn’t had a great deal to do in the half, apart from pick the ball out of the back of his own net after he picked up the back pass. Rhyl are comfortable though and more goals are expected in the 2nd half.

Half Time:
Rhyl FC 4 – 1 Denbigh Town


After Rhyl had made a cautious start to the 2nd half and they didn’t really need to make a start that was anything other after obtaining themselves a comfortable lead, Denbigh Town had half a chance to get a goal back for themselves when they went on a break downfield in the 52nd minute. A neat pass inside found a Denbigh forward with the target a t his mercy, but his shot on goal bought out a good save from Kendal in the Rhyl goal, turning the ball away for a corner kick. The resultant corner was cleared away from any danger by the Rhyl defence though and the threat passed. The next chance fell to the hosts a minute later when they got the ball down the other end and a forward managed to hold the ball up, evading the challenges of the Denbigh defenders. Creating some space for himself, his shot was wide of the target from an angle in an unlucky effort. The 56th minute saw Rhyl coming forward again and after working the ball out to the wing, a low cross was turned behind his own goal by a Denbigh defender, the outswinging delivery of the corner saw the Denbigh keeper just get enough of a hand to it to divert it from the waiting Rhyl forwards and send it behind for yet another Rhyl corner. This corner’s delivery was to the back post and headed wide. Rhyl were looking the more comfortable and competent of the two sides at this stage, 68 minutes into the match and resorting to long range pot-shots that were not causing any problems to the target or the Denbigh keeper. The last 20 minutes of the match were played under sunlight as the clouds obliged the supporters and parted as Rhyl were still pushing on for another goal. They came close in the 77th minute when a deflected shot saw the Denbigh keeper do brilliantly well to re-adjust his body and make the low save, but that left the goal open for the fast approaching Rhyl forward, his shot from 6 yards out hit the crossbar and bounced away from the goal as a Steve Stone like miss was the rather embarrassing outcome from the attack. The game became a little more even at this point with both sides enjoying a similar number of chances, but they were not taken and the referee brought the game to a close.

So there were no more goals to follow in the 2nd half, which was slightly disappointing considering how freely they came in the first half. Not that Rhyl didn’t come close to scoring more and really should have done when that sitter was missed, but the woodwork and some sensational saves from the Denbigh keeper denied them an even bigger victory. But the expected outcome was the eventual outcome and Rhyl won by a 3 goal margin. Quite an entertaining game as they go, but after a month and a half away from the grounds it was just nice to get back pitchside and see the best game in the world in action. Rhyl will face tougher opposition before long and all the best to them for their upcoming Champions League qualifier. Congratulations to Rhyl.

Full Time:
Rhyl FC 4 – 1 Denbigh Town

View more photos at:
http://s375.photobucket.com/albums/oo198/YellowCardPhotos/Rhyl%20FC%20Vs%20Denbigh%20Town/

Thursday, 25 June 2009

Unibond League Responds to Newcastle Blue Star Resignation


The UniBond League is disappointed with the timing of Newcastle Blue Star's withdrawal just three days after the formal constitution of the League at its AGM on 20th June 2009.
The decision will leave the Premier Division one club short and prevents a club being moved to bring the top tier up to its full complement of 22 clubs, a situation the UniBond League believes could easily have been avoided had the club not failed to communicate either with league officers or the Football Association.
In light of the well-documented rumours surrounding the possible demise of Newcastle Blue Star the League has been seeking clarification of the club's future intentions since the end of the 2008/9 season. This was not forthcoming so, on 21st May the League wrote to Newcastle Blue Star explaining the impact of delaying any decision or announcement on Newcastle Blue Star's fellow member clubs and the League itself.
The UniBond League also notes the content of the official statement on Newcastle Blue Star's website, and wishes to correct a number of inaccuracies.
1. The figure of £61,713 referred to in the Newcastle Blue Star statement as the full amount given to the club in grant funding by the Football Stadia Improvement Fund (FSIF) is incorrect. The League holds correspondence confirming that the full amount totalled almost £150,000.
2. At a meeting between Newcastle Blue Star, the FSIF and the FA on 27th May 2009, the FSIF indicated they would be prepared to consider staged repayments in order to help the club, and the Football Association personnel present at the meeting supported this position.
3. Following the meeting on 27th May, the League was informed by Secretary Jim Anderson that an announcement on the club's intentions would be made on Sunday 31st May. The club subsequently refused to provide any such clarification to the UniBond League.
4. On 16th June, Jim Anderson notified the League a statement would be issued prior to the AGM. All further efforts to communicate with the club proved abortive and the club failed to send a representative to the AGM.
Following the AGM the League was again unable to communicate with Mr Anderson until he forwarded a copy of the club's statement withdrawing from all football on 23rd June.
The UniBond League would like to express its regret that a member club should withdraw from the competition, and wishes the supporters of the now defunct Newcastle Blue Star a brighter future.

Wednesday, 24 June 2009

Newcastle Blue Star Widthdraw


The following is a press release from Newcastle Blue Star, released to the media on 23/06/2009:

"Following on from a meeting in Soho square London where Bob Morton met up with representatives from the Football Association, the FSIF (grants) and a member from the financial regulations department of the FA, Bob submitted mitigation as to why the club should be shown compassion with regards to the claims for full repayment of £61,000 which the club received towards development of the Wheatsheaf Sports Ground, Bob Morton pleaded with the members to forego their claim of the full amount of this money and allow the club to continue with their progression and keep the club in existence, however it was to be fruitless as the FSIF were demanding full payment prior to the 2009-10 season commencing..
Club Secretary Jim Anderson states that although all parties confirm and endorse that the grants which were awarded and have been correctly utilised over the period 1999-2004 in which they had been claimed, it is the fact the senior club no longer play their games at the Wheatsheaf ground that has instigated this claim even though their relocation to Kingston Park was urged and commissioned by the same authorities.
Taking this into account, Newcastle Blue Star would like to confirm that they are officially withdrawing from all competitive football, having announced at the end of the 2008-09 season their concerns over their future, both Bob Morton and Jim Anderson have worked vigorously in an attempt to prevent the closure of such a great club attempting to attract investors in what is an unstable economic climate.
Finally Jim Anderson would like to thank all of the support received from all since the club was founded back in 1930, there have been many folk associated with this club and I am sure they will have fond memories that they will cherish."

Thursday, 7 May 2009

Atherton Collieries Reserves 0-1 Atherton LR Reserves


Date: Monday 4th May 2009
Competition: VodkaT NWCFL Reserves Div
Venue: Alder House, Atherton, Lancashire
Attendance: ???

Ticket In: Free
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Total: Free

May Day football, it certainly wasn’t supposed to be this way, the football season was supposed to be long over by this point. But with the snow and rain in the winter months causing a rather large backlog of fixtures that need to be played, it gives the more hardy football supporters a chance to extend their season. Today is the “mini derby” between the reserve sides of Atherton Collieries and Atherton LR, two teams separated by roughly 1km. Local rivalries don’t come much stronger than this, well, except for when the first teams play each other of course.

A scanning of the league tables throws up something interesting (well something I thought was interesting anyway), whilst Atherton Collieries first team have had a woeful season and have been relegated to Division One of the North West Counties League after finishing right at the bottom, their reserves have had a far better time of things in mid table. Atherton LR’s reserves currently lie at the bottom of the league whilst their first team haven enjoyed a comfortable season in mid table, which makes you wonder if Atherton Collieries might have had a better time of things if they’d fielded their reserve side in the top division a little more often. It’s overcast and rainy as most British Bank Holidays are, but being at a football ground somehow takes away the misery. Apologies for the lack of player names in this report, but possibly due to my somewhat poor observational skills I haven’t seen a teamsheet anywhere.

So in front of a larger than usual crowd the two teams emerge from the portakabin dressing rooms at the top of the ground, Atherton Collieries in their home colours of black and white with Atherton LR in their home colours of yellow and blue. No dedicated linesmen for this afternoon, that job will be completed by two men in tracksuits at the side of the pitch that barely leave the technical areas near the dugouts, so the lone referee will have to be calling the offside decisions himself. The captains shake hands and switch ends so it will be LR that kick down the hill in the first half and the match gets underway. The start to the game couldn’t really be described as electrifying as both teams struggled to get going straight from the kickoff, the first action of note not coming until the 7th minute when LR won themselves a corner. The delivery was to the edge of the box and cleared by the Collieries defence. Collieries were having a problem or two getting behind the LR defence and in the 13th minute, when they ran out of ideas they conceded possession and a long ball over the top set an LR winger free down the wing, but some good covering defence by a Collieries defender saw the ball deflect for a corner. The delivery of the corner wasn’t properly dealt with by the defence and an LR forward was allowed a shot on goal, but the Collieries keeper made a good save with his feet and the rebound was blasted wide from outside the penalty area to relieve the danger. There had been a limited number of chances in the half to this point and none of them had really troubled the goalkeepers, another such chance like this one came in the 22nd minute when an LR forward picked up a clearance from the Collieries keeper and from all of 45 yards tried his luck on goal, his effort going a long way wide of the target and giving the Collieries defence no concerns. Collieries then had a chance in the 29th minute when they won themselves a free kick on the left wing. The delivery into the box caused the LR defence some issues but the ball eventually took a kind deflection off a player and was gathered by the goalkeeper. Collieries then had a shot deflected for a corner kick on the half hour mark and the delivery of the corner to the back post brought a good punch out of the LR keeper to get the ball clear and send LR down the other end of the pitch on the break, the Collieries defence however was alert to the danger and dealt with the threat. Collieries finished the half off well with a late rally when the referee awarded them a free kick in the 39th minute, however the delivery of the kick wasn’t going to trouble the goalkeeper being as far over the bar as it was. Another free kick 2 minutes later after a careless and casual challenge from an LR defender saw much the same result as the delivery was a long way over the crossbar. The last chance of the half also fell to Collieries when a cross into the box saw both forward and keeper collide in the air, the keeper winning the battle as his punch clear reached a Collieries player just outside the penalty area and his attempt on goal hit a defender and deflected to safety. Soon after this, the referee brought the half to a close with Collieries late rally the only really meaningful action in an otherwise dull half of football. An ice cream van passing the ground playing the Match of the Day theme tune in the style that only an ice cream van can produces some amusement amongst the larger than usual crowd, the action on the pitch having not provided much (at least from the neutral point of view). There had been few chances for either side so here’s hoping that the teams will compete a little more determinedly for the bragging rights in the 2nd half.

Half Time: Atherton Collieries Reserves 0 – 0 Atherton LR Reserves

Collieries made an encouraging start to the 2nd half when the won themselves a corner in the 50th minute. A free kick from on the wing on half way was delivered to the edge of the box and headed on into the penalty area before being put behind his own goal by an LR defender. The delivery of the corner was punched clear by the LR keeper but only as far as the wing where it was crossed back into the box and a headed effort was easily gathered by the LR keeper. The game was now finally starting to open up as in the 51st minute both sides had a shot on goal, LR having theirs well saved before Collieries broke down the other end and saw their effort on goal go wide. Just as the game was starting to open up, LR blew the game wide open by taking the lead against the flow of play. A 54th minute free kick for Collieries was headed clear and played through to Ryan Dunne who made a brilliant run up the field before firing the ball across goal from the edge of the penalty area, beating the Collieries keeper and finding the corner of the net to give the visitors the lead. This may only have been a reserves match, but the reactions on the player’s faces showed exactly what that goal meant. With a difference in scores, the game really came to life as Collieries had to push on to get themselves back into the contest. They won themselves a free kick in the 56th minute when a rash challenge from behind floored a Collieries forward, the delivery of the free kick skimmed through the penalty area but nobody could get the required touch on it and it went for a goal kick. Collieries were now applying great amounts of pressure to the LR defence but they were able to deal with the threats they were posed. LR managed to relieve some pressure when they won themselves a corner in the 71st minute, the delivery of which was punched clear by the keeper and Collieries won the ball back. As the game wore towards its conclusion, Collieries made one last gargantuan effort to get on the score sheet. A fabulous tip over the crossbar and a disallowed goal for offside in 2nd half injury time were all to conspire against Collieries though as time eventually ran out on them and despite the almost great completed comeback, they had been defeated 0-1 by their local rivals.

Well a fantastic end to a match that showed little promise in the 1st half. Though I would support LR over Collieries any day of the week, I actually found myself hoping that they could equalise because of the fightback they staged. A match that needed the goal to come alive and boy did it ever. It was a thoroughly enjoyable towards the end and congratulations to Atherton LR Reserves on winning the game.

Full Time:Atherton Collieries Reserves 0 – 1 Atherton LR Reserves

View more pics at:
http://s375.photobucket.com/albums/oo198/YellowCardPhotos/Atherton%20Collieries%20Reserves%20Vs%20Atherton%20LR%20Reserv/

Monday, 20 April 2009

Prescot Cables 0 - 5 Hednesford Town


Date: Saturday 18th April 2009
Competition: Unibond League Premier Division
Venue: Valarie Park, Prescot, Merseyside
Attendace: 274

Ticket In: £7.00
Programme: £1.50
Golden Goal: £1.00
Half Time Draw: £1.00
Monthly Lottery: £1.00
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Total: £11.50

For once this season the sun shines on Prescot, but it’s all too little too late as sadly the Cables are relegated. So for the last time this season, and for the last time for at least a season, Prescot Cables take to the pitch in the Unibond Premier Division. I hope for their sake there’s a party atmosphere in the ground this afternoon and their fans cheer them on after what has obviously been a difficult season for the squad. For the fans sake I hope the team wins, as Prescot Cables have yet to register a home victory on a Saturday afternoon all season, this afternoon obviously being their last chance to do so. With Cables having nothing to lose this afternoon, all the pressure will be on opponents Hednesford Town to collect the three points they badly need to keep their faint hopes of a playoff place alive. So on an early summers day it’s time to sit back and enjoy some football.

And after being stung for about every lottery Prescot Cables run when sitting in the clubhouse, I decide to head out into the ground before I need to remortgage my flat, reminder to self to never go into the Cables clubhouse prematch again. The two teams exit the dressing rooms and make their way out onto the pitch, Cables in their usual home colours of amber and black and Hednesford Town in their all sky blue away kit. The referee completes the coin toss with the captains and it would be Hednesford that got the match underway. The first chance of the game fell to the visitors in only the 2nd minute of play when an angled cross from the edge of the penalty area came close to being turned home by Sam Hall, but the midfielders outstretched leg couldn’t quite make the required contact and the ball went harmlessly for a goal kick. Hednesford would take the lead in the 7th minute when a powerful shot was hit at Prescot keeper Phil Hunt which he could only parry, the rebound falling to the feet of Hednesford’s Tyrone Barnett who made no mistake from close range with the keeper stranded. Things got doubly worse for Cables in the 12th minute when Hendesford extended their lead, Ross Dyer managing to skip around the advancing keeper and slotting the ball into the net from the angle he had worked. Prescot had really failed to get going in the match and now found their already difficult task somewhat monumental. They did manage to get an effort on goal in the 16th minute when a free kick had been half cleared by the Hednesford defence and a long range effort was hit comfortably wide of the target. Hednesford got back on the offensive in the 20th minute though when a cross from the wing resulted in a corner kick as Prescot defender Sean Bowden-Davies headed the ball behind his own goal. The resultant corner eventually fell to the feet of Hednesford forward Tom Marshall who blasted his effort over the crossbar, the first real thing the Prescot fans had to cheer about. Hednesford has another really good opportunity go begging in the 27th minute when Captain Danny Harvey’s long ball towards the box was headed over his own defence by Prescot’s Karl Bell, which left Tyrone Barnett with just the goalkeeper to beat but his volleyed effort went wide of the target when he was well placed. The half failed to produce much else of excitement until right at the very end when Hednesford would deliver a sucker punch goal right before the halftime whistle. A long ball over the defence by Sam Hall found the Prescot defence napping and Tyrone Barnett found himself with only the keeper to beat. Showing a great deal more composure than he did with his last effort he brought the ball under control, drew the keeper and slotted the ball past him to give Hednesford a third goal in what had been a dominating first half display for the visitors. The half had just enough time left for both sides to have a penalty appeal turned down by the referee, Prescot’s coming when Darren Byers hit the deck after some faint contact by Hednesford defender Cedric Abraham and from this, Hednesford would break down the other end of the pitch and Ross Dyer would be brought down in the penalty area by Prescot keeper Phil Hunt. Both penalties in my view correctly turned down as there was only minimal contact on Byers and Hunt won the ball in his challenge. So the half time whistle was a chance for all to catch their breath and the home fans made their opinions of the match official loudly known. Hednesford have looked very comfortable whilst Prescot have looked all at sea in this first half. It would seem amongst a section of the home support that they cannot wait to get this season over with and behind them, however there are another 45 minutes for Cables to get this match turned around, though at this present time I can’t honestly see it happening.

Half Time:
Prescot Cables 0 – 3 Hednesford Town


Any hopes that Prescot might have had of putting the first half behind them and starting afresh in the 2nd were quickly stopped in their tracks as Hednesford extended their lead in the 48th minute through some calamitous Cables defending. An attempted clearance seemed to deflect of a Hednesford player that was on the floor after an earlier challenge and enter the net somewhat embarrassingly for the home side, Elliot Durrell the man credited with the goal. Prescot worked themselves an opportunity on the hour mark when a good ball through to the wing was crossed into the penalty area and the keeper spilled it into the penalty area, the Prescot forwards effort at it however looped over the bar and Hednesford got away with a nervous moment. To their credit Cables didn’t give up on the match and they created themselves another half decent chance three minutes later when some good work from Darren Byers allowed the ball to be fed through to Jamie Croxton in the penalty area, but his first time shot was well saved by Stuart Brock in the Hednesford goal. Prescot keeper Phil Hunt had to be alert in the 65th minute when a Hednesford corner was headed towards goal and started dipping under his crossbar, the stopper doing well to palm the ball away to the relative safety of another Hednesford corner. Hednesford rounded off a perfect day from their point of view in the 86th minute as yet another chipped ball over the top off the defence allowed substitute Matthew West to cross the ball low into the penalty area and Elliot Durrell was on hand to tap the ball into the net to score his 2nd of the match.


It had been a disastrous end to Cables home league campaign, one only hopes that when the entire season comes to a close at the end of next week that the Cables fans have something to cheer about at the end of a long and miserable season.

Full Time:
Prescot Cables 0 – 5 Hednesford United

Saturday, 11 April 2009

Chorley 2 - 2 Salford City

Date: Friday 10th April 2009
Competition: Unibond First Division North
Venue: Nissan Chorley Victory Park, Chorley, Lancashire
Attendance: 366

Ticket In: £7.00

Holiday time in the UK once again, hence the reason I’m able to work a full time job and watch some football on a Friday at 3pm, a rare thing indeed! It’s back to the heart of Lancashire this afternoon and the match between Chorley and Salford City, a local-ish match between two North West sides. The last time I visited Chorley they pulled out a last gasp winner against Rossendale United after twice being behind, I’m pretty sure their fans would accept a similar outcome this afternoon. Salford City’s current position leaves them in severe danger of being relegated, having occupied the bottom spot in the league for the majority of the season and now finding themselves 4 points adrift. A half decent recovery effort after being a lot further than that behind for most of the season. As it typical of a British Bank Holiday, the trains are delayed and the weather is downright unpleasant, “that fine rain that soaks you through” as the star of the fictional Chorley FM station might call it falls over the stadium as kickoff looms less than half an hour away.

The teams came out of the dressing room and onto the pitch at just before 3pm, Chorley in their home colours of black and white striped shirts and black shorts, Salford City in their changed strip of all sky blue. Referee and captains complete the pre-match necessary and the match gets underway.
The first 5 minutes of the match belonged to Salford City as they applied plenty of pressure onto the Chorley defence, who were struggling to cope. Salford won themselves a corner in the 15th minute when a great run by the winger resulted in the Chorley defender putting the ball behind. The delivery of the corner was met in the penalty area by the head of a Salford forward and it deflected off a Chorley defender for another corner, the Chorley defence was able to deal with the threat however. The Chorley defence was seriously beginning to struggle with the pace and trickery of the Salford winger, and he demonstrated this once again in the 17th minute as he left two Chorley defenders in his wake and played the ball to a more central teammate, whose shot was low along the ground and gathered by the Chorley keeper. The half hour mark saw Salford City still on top in the match and Chorley were now resorting to long and hopeful shots from range that were not troubling the goalkeeper. But one of these eventually paid off in the 33rd minute when after being under pressure for almost the entire half, Chorley took the lead when after some well thought through build up play on the wing, the ball came to the feet of Adam Farrell and he drilled the ball into the bottom left corner of the net from 25 yards to emphatically give Chorley the lead. Salford nearly levelled the match straight afterwards when an attempted Chorley clearance deflected off another defender and almost went into the net for a calamitous own goal. As half time rapidly approached, Chorley were awarded a free kick in a dangerous attacking position just outside the penalty area.
Goalscorer Adam Farrell stepped up to the challenge in an attempt to double his tally as he curled the ball over the top of the wall and with the goalkeeper stranded it hit the post and deflected to safety, Salford escape. The referee’s halftime whistle followed not long afterwards and a half that Salford had dominated came to an end with them somewhat inexplicably trailing. Chorley will be partly happy and partly very unhappy with that half of football as they produced nothing of major threat to their visitors. An opportunist strike is what separates the teams at the break and Chorley may be left to hang on if the 2nd half continues in a similar manner. At the moment the better side is losing.

Half Time:
Chorley 1 – 0 Salford City

Chorley started the 2nd half in blistering form and in the opening seconds of the match came close to doubling their advantage. A long ball over the defence was picked up by a Chorley forward and his sidefooted effort beat the keeper but went an inch the wrong side of the post.
After Salford City had managed to waste a couple of good chances, Chorley won themselves a corner in the 54th minute and the delivery was taken to the back of the penalty area and subsequently crossed back in but over the heads of the waiting attackers and the chance passed by. The Salford keeper then had to be alert as a cross from the wing in the 64th minute was dipping under the crossbar, the keeper watched it all the way and palmed it over to safety and a Chorley corner. Chorley came close again in the 67th minute when a free kick was delivered into the penalty area and was half cleared by the Salford defence, before it fell to the feet of a Chorley striker some 25 yards out from goal and he rifled a shot just wide of the goal with the keeper beaten. Goals against the run of play seemed to be the theme of this match as Salford levelled the match in the 70th minute after facing a lot of pressure. An attempted clearance deflected off a Salford player and he embarked on a run into the penalty area. His square pass into the penalty area was cleverly left by one attacker and Steve Foster drilled the ball into the net to bring Salford level. But parity lasted all of seven minutes as the 77th minute saw a run into the penalty area by a Chorley forward cut short by the Salford City keeper and the referee was left with little option but to award a penalty kick. Michael Eckersley was the player tasked with scoring the penalty and he obliged his duty as he slotted the ball into the bottom right corner of the net to restore Chorley’s lead.
Last ditch Salford defending in the 86th minute prevented the game being wrapped up as a through ball split the Salford defence and a forward latched onto it. His shot was saved but palmed back into the penalty area where another shot was hit on goal and blocked on the line by a Salford defender before the rebound was put over the crossbar as Chorley couldn’t make the killer blow and kill the game off. And they were made to pay for this in the 2nd minute of added time when a ball down the wing was latched onto by Salford’s Steven Moore and his shot from the angle beat the keeper and sailed into the net to break the home fans hearts and bring Salford level in the dying moments. The game was to have an explosive end as two Salford teammates had a disagreement on the pitch and a head butt and karate kick to the face was the end result. The referee left with no alternative to issue a red card and Salford would end the match with 10 men in highly unnecessary fashion. “Typical Salford” comments one Chorley supporter. But that was the way the game was to end and the point were shared.

This match closely resembled a game of two halves. How Salford managed to enter the halftime break trailing I’ll never know, the dominated the half but couldn’t find the net whereas Chorley were presented with one half chance and they took it. The 2nd half was a far more even affair although Chorley made the far stronger start and could have had the game buried in the opening quarter. But it was to be a late sting in the tail from Salford, leaving Chorley to surely look upon this game as two points dropped. An explosive end to a good game of football, 2-2 the final score.

Full Time:
Chorley 2 – 2 Salford City

Veiw more pics at:
http://s375.photobucket.com/albums/oo198/YellowCardPhotos/Chorley%20Vs%20Salford%20City/

Wednesday, 8 April 2009

Holyhead Hotspur 3 - 1 Mold Alexandra


Date: Saturday 4th April 2009
Competition: Cymru Alliance
Venue: The New Oval, Holyhead, Anglesea, Wales
Attendance: 123

Ticket In: £3.00
Programme: £1.00
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Total: £4.00

My first competitive match from the Cymru Alliance league and after days of having my spelling corrected by online search engines, spelling Cymru is now 2nd nature to me. The Isle of Anglesea is the intended destination for the match between Holyhead Hotspur and Mold Alexandra at Holyhead’s The new Oval Ground. Although often thought of as part of Anglesea Holyhead actually lays on Holy Island, connected to Anglesea by “Four Mile Bridge”, a causeway that carries the railway line and road. The ferry port at Holyhead is one of the busiest in the country as it handles 2 million passengers a year on its routes between Wales and Ireland. Welsh international footballer Tony Roberts was born in Holyhead, as was comedienne and actress Dawn French. On the pitch, Holyhead are enjoying a successful season and they currently sit in 3rd place in the league having won 16 of their 24 games played. Their opponents this afternoon, Mold Alexandra, lie 9th in the league with 12 wins from 29 games in their first season in the Cymru Alliance after winning promotion last season, so you would expect the hosts to be favourites to win this afternoon but anything can happen on the day. It’s an absolutely gorgeous day on the west coast of Wales, bright sunshine and warm temperatures that vaguely resemble a summers day. So the first stop is the Hotspur clubhouse to try and escape the heat for a while. It’s a spacious affair with plenty of seating, two television sets and a well stocked bar with plenty of selection and reasonable prices, a very tidy facility indeed. Holyhead have recently moved grounds, covering a distance of about 100 yards as their old ground lies right behind the new, complete with nets on the goalposts. Something of a good memorial to the days it was played on. The new ground is a very nice setup with a large seating stand along one side of the pitch next-door to the clubhouse and the pitch looks in fine condition. One issue of note is the fallen floodlight at one corner of the pitch, apparently some contractors suffered a hydraulics failure and broke the thing clean away, Holyhead having to play their last midweek match at local rivals Llangefni Town’s ground.

The teams emerge from the dressing rooms and onto the pitch, Holyhead in their home colours of blue and white shirts with blue shorts and Mold in their changed strip of red and black striped shirts with black shorts. Captains and match officials complete what needs to be done and Mold Alexandra get the match underway at just on 02:30pm. The first chance of the match fell to Hotspur in the 4th minute when a through ball beat the offside trap and saw the forward have only the keeper to beat, but Ryan Roberts in the Mold goal made a fine save to palm the ball away from danger and allow his defence to clear the ball. But the opening spell of pressure paid dividends for Holyhead as the deadlock was broken in only the 7th minute when they took the lead. Another silly free kick was conceded by Mold and the delivery into the penalty area saw Hotspur’s Mark Evans rise the highest to send a looping header towards goal that the Mold keeper misread completely and it dipped embarrassingly under his crossbar to put the hosts into a deserved lead. Things got quickly worse for Mold as in the 13th minute they found themselves two behind through the fault of their own defender Sam Roberts. A break down the wing from Holyhead saw a low cross fired into the box and turned into the net by Roberts who tried to turn it wide, Holyhead now in cruise control with Mold still floundering. Hotspur turned the screw again in the 20th minute when Mold were powerless to stop the forward from getting behind the defensive line with the ball, but the forward lost his composure and shot wide of the target when he was well placed. Mold managed to get themselves a couple of chances at the 25 minute mark, the first coming from a cross from the edge of the box where a Mold forward’s attempt at an overhead kick saw the ball just go wide of the target. This was followed by a great run down the wing which saw the Mold player enter the penalty area before his attempted chip over the keeper went over the crossbar and the score remained the same. Mold did get themselves back into the game in the 32nd minute when they scored. That’s all I can tell you about the goal as I missed it completely whilst writing, but the score was now 2-1. The rest of the half belonged to Holyhead as they blasted a ball over the crossbar, forced a good low save from the Mold keeper and had a corner in injury time cleared at the 2nd attempt by the Mold defence. It had been a half of football that wasn’t really allowed to flow. Referee Griffiths has been dishing out yellow cards with Graham Poll like regard, but to be fair to him he’s had little choice but to, due to the petulant nature of the Mold players and bench. If I was refereeing I wouldn’t have put up with it, so why should he?! Holyhead started far the stronger and deserved their two goal lead, but Mold have started to get back into it as the half was drawing to its conclusion, so one would surmise that this game is far from over.

Half Time:
Holyhead Hotspur 2 – 1 Mold Alexandra

Holyhead made the better start to the 2nd half and within the first minute had a good chance to further their lead when some encouraging and patient build up play saw a Holyhead forward send his shot wide of the target from the angle. The hour mark saw another good opportunity for Holyhead to further extend their lead when a well delivered corner to the back post was headed just over the bar, another good chance missed as Holyhead were becoming wasteful in front of goal. Holyhead had another corner in the 62nd minute which resulted in the ball being put over the bar from 3 yards out as yet another great chance to kill the game went begging with Mold failing to get themselves into the contest. Holyhead had another chance in the 64th minute when they won a throw in an attacking position, the ball was crossed to the far post but was once again headed wide. But the pressure finally told in the 66th minute when Holyhead finally scored the goal they’d been threatening. A cross from the wing to the back post was headed towards goal by Curt Williams and was palmed into the top of the net by the Mold keeper. Things then went from bad to worse for Mold Alexandra as they were reduced to 10 men as a deliberate handball brought a 2nd yellow card from referee Griffiths. Four minutes later and Mold should have been back in the contest when a Mold forward beat his defender on the edge of the penalty area and played a brilliant square ball which left an open net for the advancing Mold player, he missed in embarrassing fashion and it was at this point that you were convinced that Holyhead were going to hold on for the win. Holyhead thought they had added a fourth goal to their tally in the 85th minute when a neat through pass and low cross was turned into the net, but after initially awarding the goal the referee disallowed it after noticing the linesman’s raised flag on the touchline. The last two useful chances of the half came the way of Mold, the 87th minute saw the Holyhead defence sit off the striker and allow him to fire a shot that worried the goalkeeper but sailed wide, and a minute later a superb aerial ball brought offside appeals from the Holyhead defence that were not returned by the linesman and the forwards shot beat the keeper but went agonisingly wide of the post. The full time whistle followed not long after and with leaders Bala Town losing yesterday, Holyhead keep up the pressure at the top of the league.

Mold Alexandra never really looked in the match in the 2nd half as they failed to match the standard of play of their opponents. Holyhead’s 3rd goal was the killer as Mold never looked like getting back into the contest. Holyhead were also the far better disciplined of the two sides and on the balance of the match were very worthy winners. Congratulations to Holyhead.

Full Time:
Holyhead Hotspur 3 – 1 Mold Alexandra

View more pics at:
http://s375.photobucket.com/albums/oo198/YellowCardPhotos/Holyhead%20Hotspur%20Vs%20Mold%20Alexandra/