COALVILLE TOWN 3 SKELMERSDALE UNITED 3

SKELMERSDALE FIGHTBACK, TWICE

SKELMERSDALE FIGHTBACK, TWICE

COALVILLE TOWN 3 SKELMERSDALE UNITED 3

By Neil Leatherbarrow

Skelmersdale United proved anyone who has any doubts about spirit wrong when they fought back from 2-0 down and 3-2 to earn a well deserved point in the Leicestershire sunshine. Skelmersdale United manager Alan Rogers said in his post match interview that he was unhappy with his sides first-half performance, but also gave his players credit for the way they struck back after the interval to quickly make it 2-2, then being caught on the counterattack and going 3-2 down, before finally justice prevailed and they grabbed an injury time equaliser.
If reports are true the game might not have taken place at all. Alan said in his interview that; “This morning we only had ten men, a player couldn’t play at the last minute and I had persuade a couple of players to miss work to play. It shows spirits are good that they did that.” As it was Skelmersdale only had one substitute on the day, so it was an especially good show the fight back and capture a point.
Skelmersdale were caught cold for the opening goal in the fifth minute. A fairly innocuous ball was played down the right-wing channel by home right-back Kyle Bryant, right-winger Marcus Marshall turned Max Allen then left him for pace, his low shot beat goalkeeper Joe Hilton and was going into the net, Josh Dobie desperately tried to intervene on the line and was rather harshly given by the announcer as the own goal scorer.
Alan Rogers has stated very clearly his thoughts on Skem’s first-half game and at the very least it was lacklustre. Coalville continued to press, Marshall put another effort high and wide, before Joe Hilton made a terrific reaction save to keep out Nat Watson after he ran at the heart of the Skem defence.
When Coalville made it 2-0 on 28 minutes it wasn’t shocking, but the Skem defending certainly was. The ball was rolled out by Hilton and instead of booting the ball long a series of short passes succeeded only in dangerously giving the ball away. Watson pounced and played the ball to Malachai Lavelle-Moore, he was allowed too much room and after switching the ball from right to left foot fired a storming shot past Hilton from 15 yards.
When Hilton beat away a Rory Coleman shot on 43 minutes, it was plain to see why Alan Rogers said he had given his side a broadside in the dressing-room during the interval, but it was also plain to see that it had had the desired effect too.
Within seconds of the restart Steve Irwin went close to an excellent cross from Jason Jefferies, then on 48 minutes Skelmersdale pulled one back. Coalville were a bit lacklustre in their response to Allen’s free-kick and after a poor headed clearance Bevan Burey drilled a shot low inside the post from around 15 yards out.
The goal massively lifted Skelmersdale. Two minutes later out on the right, Remy Howarth and Jefferies exchanged passes and the latter crossed deep into goalmouth, Irwin who is only about 5 foot eight, ran in between two defenders and launched a flying header powerfully into the net.
Barring a superb curling free-kick from Coleman that Hilton tipped onto the crossbar, Skem proceeded to have a good majority of the possession. Burey harassed a defender into giving the ball away but Seb Bradshaw shot wide, then Irwin poked a sliding attempt just past the post for Skem, however, another error cost them another goal.
A long ball from Bryant was missed by two defenders leaving Watson one on one with Hilton, he rounded the keeper and slotted home from an acute angle.
Skelmersdale pushed hard for an equaliser, but their old trouble came back to haunt them, they weren’t creating much in the way of chances as they struggled to break down the Coalville defence.
Three minutes into added time, Phil Mooney went on a surging run and played the ball wide to Howarth while he kept on running himself, Howarth’s cross to far post was headed down by Michael Vaughan-Muscat and home goalkeeper could only parry the ball away, Mooney’s run carried him into the six yard box and he beat Cotton from about four yards to tie the game up.
There is a vast improvement in the Skelmersdale side over the last three weeks and getting a point here was no surprise at all.

COALVILLE TOWN: Cotton, Bryant, Coleman, Torr, Walshe, Brown, Marshall, Towers ©, McDonald, Watson, Lavelle-Moore Subs Dean, Creaney, Antonio, Stokes, Bowles

SKELMERSDALE UNITED: Hilton, Jefferies, Allen, Dobie, Vaughan-Muscat, Grogan, Mooney ©, Irwin, Howarth, Gillespie (Bradshaw, 45), Burey (no unused subs)

Referee: Mark Howes

Attendance: 194