Another Well Deserved Point

Congleton Town made a solid start to 2018 after earning a point against second-placed Runcorn Town on Tuesday night, and it was the Bears who were unlucky not to get all three points.

A tough game was expected with Runcorn arriving at the Richborough Estates Stadium five points behind league leaders Runcorn Linnets, and it was the visitors who looked the most threatening in the opening 10 minutes.

Most of the opening passages of play were in Congleton’s half, but the Bears defended resolutely, with only Craig Cairns’ shot from outside the area calling Daniel Eccles into action.

Congleton’s first chance came when the Bears earned a corner in the 10th minute. The initial cross was cleared at the front post, before Luke Edwards put the ball back into the danger zone. Tom Stevens was waiting, but he was unable to get a shot away before Runcorn cleared.
Edwards was involved again five minutes later when space opened up for the Bears midfielder in the centre of the pitch. The midfielder drove forward, before his curling shot from 25 yards hit the outside of the post.

Runcorn maintained a threat and Tom Stevens was in the right place to clear Daniel Jarrett’s goal bound header from a Runcorn corner. Congleton started to put more pressure on the Runcorn defence, but Steve Foster was unable to get a shot away from the edge of the area, before Emini Adegbenro shot high and wide.

There was a nervous moment for the Bears 10 minutes before half-time when the league’s top goalscorer Craig Cairns beat Congleton’s offside trap, but Mark Groom recovered well with a perfectly timed tackle to deny the Runcorn striker his 25th goal of the season.

Half-time 0-0

Congleton started the second-half strongly and came close to breaking the deadlock three minutes after the restart. Billy Hasler-Cregg found Liam Moran inside the area, but Moran’s volley hit the crossbar.

Moran went close again six minutes later, but his dipping shot went just over the bar. Foster nearly pounced onto a loose ball, but Runcorn goalkeeper Terry McCormick recovered well after spilling Luke Edwards’ initial shot.

At the other end, Tom Morris made a last-ditch clearance after Jarrett burst through the Congleton defence to keep the score goalless.
The introduction of Oli Ford added to Congleton’s impetus going forward and his first shot was deflected wide. Foster tried the spectacular from the following corner, but his overhead kick cleared both the crossbar and the netting behind the goal.

With 15 minutes left, Ford saw his corner tipped onto the crossbar and behind for another corner. Congleton thought they had scored from the resulting set-piece when Ryan Hibbert bundled the ball into the back of the net, but the Bears goal was ruled out for a foul. Ford went close again for the Bears, but his shot went narrowly wide.

Both teams continued to press in search of a winning goal. Bears’ goalkeeper Daniel Eccles was forced to make a sublime double stop from close-range, before Ford got back to clear the ball off the line to keep the score goalless.

Foster went agonisingly close for the Bears in the final minute of normal time, when he pounced onto a ball over the top from Ford, but his shot went inches wide of the post, meaning the Bears had to settle for a point.

The Bears will no doubt be a little disappointed they were unable to secure all three points having hit the woodwork twice, had a goal disallowed and saw two shots go narrowly wide, but it was a positive way to start 2018 against a team flying high in the table.

Congleton Town: Eccles, Stevens, Peters, Groom, Morris, Edwards (Hibbert 72’), Hasler-Cregg (Ford 64’), Griffith, Moran (Fletcher 64’), Foster, Adegbenro.
Substitutes not used: O’Reilly, Farnworth
Attendance: 120

Report by Adam Bailey

The games don’t come any easier as the Bears travel to League Leaders Runcorn Linnets on Saturday.