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Sat 15 Oct 2016 · Division 1
Stockport Town
First Team
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UNBEATEN LEAGUE RUN FINALLY COMES TO AN END
Ian Woodward16 Oct 2016 - 10:55
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Stockport Town 3 Alsager Town 2 Hallmark Security League First Division Saturday 15th October 2016
Alsager Town’s unbeaten league run finally came to an end when they lost at Stockport Town in the Hallmark Security League First Division on Saturday afternoon. The Bullets who had been undefeated in their first twelve games remain in fourth place in the league table but will be ruing the fact that they let a two goal interval lead slip away to concede three times in the final twenty five minutes.
Free-scoring Stockport Town, having put paid to Alsager’s hopes of advancement in the FA Vase with a comprehensive 3-0 victory at Wood Park just three weeks earlier, were expected to provide stern opposition for a Bullets side who hadn’t lost on their travels since mid-April and were looking to create a club record of twelve successive away games without defeat.
There was an enforced change between the sticks for the visitors with Callum Hill, on loan from Northwich Victoria replacing Chris Fletcher who is on holiday. Joe Minton replaced the suspended Troy Bourne at right back, whist Adam Dawson returned to the midfield as Josh Glover was unavailable.
The hosts made the early running, with their captain Warren Gaskin seeing his free header from a corner deflected wide, then keeper Hill was well positioned to comfortably hold Reuben Abreu’s free-kick from just outside the area. However, in the 7th minute Alsager took the lead, a Kyle Stubbs long throw from the left reached Michael Lennon, the ball broke loose to Mark Grice who fired home from six yards. The visitors came close to doubling their advantage in the 17th minute, after Stockport left back Jamie Kay was penalized for handball, Lennon’s free-kick from the right finding Grice completely unmarked, but his downward header from eight yards out fell narrowly wide of the left post.
Stockport should really have levelled matters minutes later, when Jake Pollard’s shot looked to be going well wide of the target but found striker Nathan Neequaye for what looked like a simple tap-in, but the in-form marksmen side-footed the ball into Hill’s gloves. George Blackwell saw his effort clip the top of Hill’s crossbar, before Alsager were awarded a penalty just after the half hour. Lennon was needlessly clipped inside the area as he was running away from goal and Grice stepped up to make no mistake from the spot. Lennon looked to increase the lead when he met a Grice knockdown but shot straight at keeper Daniel Whiting, whilst at the other end the home side were rightly aggrieved to see what appeared to be a legitimate headed goal from a corner ruled out for an infringement. Stockport continued to press with Hill holding a Lee O’Brien free-kick and Neeequaye heading just wide as an entertaining half drew to a close.
Unfortunately what followed was very much a case of yet another poor second half performance from the Bullets, as Stockport did most of the pressing with Alsager appearing content to sit back on their two goal lead. Kay’s twenty five yard free-kick was acrobatically turned over the crossbar by Hill, then Blackwell and Abreu both missed the target from promising positions. The influential Lennon was replaced by Tom Lowe after appearing to sustain a knock, and with Stockport perhaps thinking it wasn’t going to be their day, they were handed a 65th minute lifeline. They won a free-kick just outside the area and although Abreu’s shot lacked power, Hill, perhaps thinking it was going just wide, allowed it to strike his left post and Neequaye was perfectly placed to net the rebound. Gaskin shot narrowly wide as the home side pressed, whilst Grice, by now isolated, did well to run down the left and see his low shot saved by Whiting at the expense of a corner. With the game entering its closing stages, it was all Stockport and three minutes from time they were level. A corner from the left found Liam Bennion at the far post and his header back across goal was netted by Gaskin at close range. As the game entered the 90th minute, Abreu broke down the left and his cross found Neequaye with time and space to gleefully slot home the winner.
Next three fixtures:
Tuesday 18th October v Ashton Town (H). 7.45pm.
Saturday 22nd October v City of Liverpool (A). 3.00pm.
Saturday 29th October v Atherton LR (H). 3.00pm.
Alsager Town: Hill, Minton, Stubbs, Mountford, Taylor, Holmes, Dawson, Attrell, Grice, Lennon (Lowe), Skellern (Harrison-Verani). Subs (not used). Chadwick, Moorhead.
Attendance: 54. IW.
Free-scoring Stockport Town, having put paid to Alsager’s hopes of advancement in the FA Vase with a comprehensive 3-0 victory at Wood Park just three weeks earlier, were expected to provide stern opposition for a Bullets side who hadn’t lost on their travels since mid-April and were looking to create a club record of twelve successive away games without defeat.
There was an enforced change between the sticks for the visitors with Callum Hill, on loan from Northwich Victoria replacing Chris Fletcher who is on holiday. Joe Minton replaced the suspended Troy Bourne at right back, whist Adam Dawson returned to the midfield as Josh Glover was unavailable.
The hosts made the early running, with their captain Warren Gaskin seeing his free header from a corner deflected wide, then keeper Hill was well positioned to comfortably hold Reuben Abreu’s free-kick from just outside the area. However, in the 7th minute Alsager took the lead, a Kyle Stubbs long throw from the left reached Michael Lennon, the ball broke loose to Mark Grice who fired home from six yards. The visitors came close to doubling their advantage in the 17th minute, after Stockport left back Jamie Kay was penalized for handball, Lennon’s free-kick from the right finding Grice completely unmarked, but his downward header from eight yards out fell narrowly wide of the left post.
Stockport should really have levelled matters minutes later, when Jake Pollard’s shot looked to be going well wide of the target but found striker Nathan Neequaye for what looked like a simple tap-in, but the in-form marksmen side-footed the ball into Hill’s gloves. George Blackwell saw his effort clip the top of Hill’s crossbar, before Alsager were awarded a penalty just after the half hour. Lennon was needlessly clipped inside the area as he was running away from goal and Grice stepped up to make no mistake from the spot. Lennon looked to increase the lead when he met a Grice knockdown but shot straight at keeper Daniel Whiting, whilst at the other end the home side were rightly aggrieved to see what appeared to be a legitimate headed goal from a corner ruled out for an infringement. Stockport continued to press with Hill holding a Lee O’Brien free-kick and Neeequaye heading just wide as an entertaining half drew to a close.
Unfortunately what followed was very much a case of yet another poor second half performance from the Bullets, as Stockport did most of the pressing with Alsager appearing content to sit back on their two goal lead. Kay’s twenty five yard free-kick was acrobatically turned over the crossbar by Hill, then Blackwell and Abreu both missed the target from promising positions. The influential Lennon was replaced by Tom Lowe after appearing to sustain a knock, and with Stockport perhaps thinking it wasn’t going to be their day, they were handed a 65th minute lifeline. They won a free-kick just outside the area and although Abreu’s shot lacked power, Hill, perhaps thinking it was going just wide, allowed it to strike his left post and Neequaye was perfectly placed to net the rebound. Gaskin shot narrowly wide as the home side pressed, whilst Grice, by now isolated, did well to run down the left and see his low shot saved by Whiting at the expense of a corner. With the game entering its closing stages, it was all Stockport and three minutes from time they were level. A corner from the left found Liam Bennion at the far post and his header back across goal was netted by Gaskin at close range. As the game entered the 90th minute, Abreu broke down the left and his cross found Neequaye with time and space to gleefully slot home the winner.
Next three fixtures:
Tuesday 18th October v Ashton Town (H). 7.45pm.
Saturday 22nd October v City of Liverpool (A). 3.00pm.
Saturday 29th October v Atherton LR (H). 3.00pm.
Alsager Town: Hill, Minton, Stubbs, Mountford, Taylor, Holmes, Dawson, Attrell, Grice, Lennon (Lowe), Skellern (Harrison-Verani). Subs (not used). Chadwick, Moorhead.
Attendance: 54. IW.
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