Clee claimed a valuable 2-1 win at Glossop North End on Saturday afternoon to further cement 3rd place in the BetVictor Northern Premier League. All the goals came in the first 45 and were very well taken. Curtis Bateson & Oli Donald for the Owls, with a Braulio Maeico solo effort in reply for the Hillmen.

A couple of changes from Dave Smith, one of which was enforced. With Tim Lowe suspended, Josh Lacey came in at right-back. This resulted in a defensive reshuffle and Paul Walker slotted in at centre-half. The other alteration saw Lewis Collins earn a recall in place of Conor Marshall. Recent signing Caine Winfarrah was amongst the subs, alongside a welcome return for Liam Dickens.

The side lined-up as follows:

Goal: Theo Richardson
Defence: Josh Lacey, Paul Walker, Oli Donald, Sam Topliss
Holding midfield: Alex Flett (c), Harry Middleton
Attacking Midfield: Curis Bateson, Lewis Collins, Jon Oglesby
Attack: Scott Vernon

Subs: Caine Winfarrah, Conor Marshall, Brody Robertson, Liam Dickens

A cold & cloudy afternoon greeted the players at kick-off, high in the Derbyshire hills. The team was well-supported by a good following from the coast, who had journeyed the two hours to the scenic market town.

Almost the perfect start in the 3rd minute. Captain Flett floated in a teasing free-kick and top-scorer Vernon, who had found plenty of space, would have been slightly disappointed not to have added to his impressive statistics.

After this early chance, play became fairly even, as both sides tried to adapt to a sticky pitch. However, with the clock ticking on to the quarter-hour mark, it was to be Clee who got the boost of grabbing the lead. A long throw from the right from Lacey was helped on at the near-post and Curtis Bateson reacted quickly to plant the ball into the corner of the net from 8-yards.

The Owls were immediately back on the attack and Vernon was inches away from converting a cross from Oglesby. The travellers were playing some nice controlled football at this stage, but Glossop gradually began to come into the encounter and equalised in the 37th minute.

Braulio Maeico, who alongside his colleagues Burey and Mills were posing a threat with their pace, picked up the ball in centre-field and ran possibly 30 yards goalwards, before unleashing a drive that flew beyond stopper Richardson.

The entertaining encounter continued and a Flett shot went just the wrong side of the upright from a Clee perspective. Nevertheless, the battling Owls did re-take the lead in the shadow of the interval.

Defender Oli Donald, who as usual was getting into the opposing box when the opportunity allowed, showed the instincts of a striker to turn sweetly near the penalty spot and send a crisp low finish into the goal.

HT Glossop North End 1 (Maeico 37) Cleethorpes Town 2 (Bateson 15, Donald 45)

Clee were nearly caught cold within 45 seconds of the restart. Mills had a clear look at the target through the inside-left channel but sliced wide.

After Harry Middleton had received a yellow for a trip in midfield, the Hillmen forced 4 corners in quick succession. The defence though held firm to repel the pressure. Then keeper Richardson needed to be alert, springing to his left to beat away a powerful shot.

Glossop were certainly coming on strong but Clee also had their attacking moments. Latham dived at the feet of Oglesby to snuff out a moment of danger, as the Owls broke quickly.

The management elected to make all 3 changes in close order. On came Marshall, Winfarrah & Robertson to replace Collins, Oglesby & Bateson.

Walker and Topliss both made timely interventions as Glossop’s urgency increased. Richardson was also to hand to claim an important catch.

In fact, the defensive unit had put in a fine shift in the second-half and, after five plus nerve jangling added minutes, Clee had earned a vital result in the race for the top 5. A deserved ovation from the fans at the end, who would have appreciated the 100% commitment put in by the players.

FT Glossop North End 1 (Maeico 37) Cleethorpes Town 2 (Bateson 15, Donald 45) Attendance: 267

An important win in a typically competitive NPL fixture!

Glossop will definitely count themselves unlucky but that’s football sometimes. We have certainly played much better and not won, with Chasetown springing readily to mind. Maybe we were due a touch of good fortune. Anyway, with the business end of the season approaching, the table makes pretty good reading this morning. We can hopefully secure at least third and a home play-off semi-final.

No stand-out for man-of-the-match in my opinion – it was a solid display from everyone. I think a defender deserves it overall though and all 4 are well in the running. Oli Donald is developing a happy knack of scoring some important goals, it was a great finish. Just getting the nod though for me is Paul Walker, who easily adapted to his switch into the centre – well played!

Thanks to the travelling support, who were in fine banter form – excellent stuff!!

Finally, we have to finish on a very sad note.

News filtered through last night that Matlock Town’s Jordan Sinnott has passed away. The 25-year old died following an alleged assault in Retford town centre.

All at the Club will wish to pass on condolences to the family & friends of Jordan, as well as all staff at the Gladiators.

Details:
Saturday 1st February – 3pm
Stamford – BetVictor Northern Premier League
Linden, Clee Road, Grimsby, DN32 8QL

Admission:
Adults £8, Concessions £5, Under 16s £2

UP THE OWLS!