Bamber Bridge 1 – 4 New Mills
Saturday 20th October 2012
Evo-Stik First Division North League Game
Match report by Dan Rose

A Greg Johnstone strike couldn’t prevent managerless New Mills taking all three points away from Irongate as Bamber Bridge succumbed to a 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Millers.

The loss is Brigs third straight in the league in seven days, leaving them 17th in the Evo Stik North with seven points from ten games.

After a lacklustre opening from both sides, Neil Crowes men were made to pay when Millers striker Michael Fish fired a shot that deflected off Brig’s Neil Reynolds, wrong footing Lee Dovey in the Bamber Bridge goal, trickling into the net on 22 minutes, giving Fish two goals in two games for the visitors.

Reynolds also limped off with a groin injury before half time meaning a change of system with Johnstone coming on upfront for the home side giving support to striker Andy Bell upfront.

But the Briggers were again exploited just eight minutes later when they failed to clear a David Fitzpatrick corner, the ball falling to New Mills centre half Daryl Weston to thump the ball home from six yards out.

The impressive Luke Horricks finished off a well worked set piece move before the break to make it three, firing a left foot shot in off the post from the edge of the area.

Brig struggled to get a foothold in the game and became frustrated; Neil Crowes side conceded a penalty on 52 mins when Matt Lawlor brought down Steven Moore. Fitzpatrick stepped up to coolly add Millers fourth from the spot.

The whites did show some fight in the latter stages when first half substitute Johnstone shrugged off his man from a ball forward, turned and stroked the ball into the far corner to grab a consolation with twenty minutes left.

The Briggers will look to bounce back when they entertain thirteenth place Cammell Laird on Tuesday night.

Attendance: 134

Bamber Bridge Team: Dovey, Henry, Marlow, Atherton (c), Lawlor, Kay, Settle (Wilkins 45), Reynolds (Johnstone 37) Bell, M Mahoney, Waddecar
Unused Subs: D Mahoney, Reid

New Mills Team: Mills, Bowler, Fitzpatrick, Grimshaw (Innes 90), Chadwick, Weston, Meakin, Young (c), Fish (Cox 89), Moore, Horricks (Innes 89)
Unused Subs: Headley, Burgess

Check out photos taken by Stefan Willoughby, via the Bamber Bridge FC News & Game Photos facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/Bamber-Bridge-FC-News-Game-Photos