LAST GASP GOAL DENIES SKELMERSDALE OPENING DAY VICTORY

LAST GASP GOAL DENIES SKELMERSDALE OPENING DAY VICTORY

SKELMERSDALE UNITED 1 HALESOWEN TOWN 1

By Neil Leatherbarrow

After holding the upper hand for a large majority of the ninety minutes Skelmersdale United were denied victory at Stormy Corner on the opening day of the season by a goal that literally arrived seconds from the final whistle, after Tommy Lawson’s men had taken a deserved 74th minute lead.

It is no exaggeration to say Skelmersdale swarmed all over the visitors for the opening twenty or so minutes, winning four corners in the first five minutes and leaving their goalkeeper Martin Fearon a spectator.

Halesowen are stubborn outfit though and to their credit they hung on well under pressure. The nearest to a Skelmersdale goal during this period was a shot from Josh Sumner that fizzed over the crossbar and a very sharp intervention by goalkeeper Matthew Sergeant that kept Dan Mitchley out.

Skelmersdale still had the majority of the possession and chances, but Halesowen still made Skelmersdale hearts flutter once in the half, when Curtis Tilt headed over the bar from a well worked set-piece free-kick move in the 27th minute.

It could be said it was advantage Skelmersdale at the break, but there were no goals to back-up the statement.
In the fiftieth minute teenage forward Connor McCarthy saw yellow for an overenthusiastic tackle, it was to prove significant later in the game.

Mitchley put an opportunity just wide of the target, then Sargeant made a pair of tremendous saves, both from Alan Burton, the first a full length dive, the second an acrobatic tip-over the crossbar.
Halesowen were hanging on by the skin of their teeth and a Skelmersdale goal looked imminent.

In the 74th minute it arrived. McCarthy won a challenge in the penalty area “D” and the ball ran to Mitchley, his shot was frantically booted off the line by Tilt, and the ball hit Sargeant and bounced into the net.

The game did change after the goal. Halesowen could no longer hang on for a point, they had to come out and attack and they put two substitutes on.

The visitors though they had scored in the 84th minute, but according to the assistant referee, the ball didn’t cross the line, if it had in a way justice was done, after a foul on Skelmersdale left-back Tom Ince in the build-up that amazingly went ignored by referee Matthew Parry. The head high grappling hold would certainly have been a foul in Rugby League.

Four minutes into added time came the real matter of controversy. The ball dropped in the Halesowen half; McCarthy set off in pursuit while goalkeeper Sargeant left the 18 yard box and clashed with McCarthy. McCarthy was shown a second yellow, Sargeant only a yellow. The only being the point of controversy when McCarthy lifted his shirt as he left the pitch and showed the crowd four big stud marks across his chest.

The free-lick was lofted into the Skelmersdale area, Fearon under pressure punched and the ball dropped 25 yards from goal to Danny Bragoli, he calmly lobbed it back in, over the Skelmersdale defence and into the net.

Skelmersdale would be justified in feeling hard done to by the result, but they did enough to more than suggest that it could be another good season for Skelmersdale supporters.

SKELMERSDALE UNITED: Fearon, Wylie, Ince, McIntosh ©, Bodie, Kirkbride, Sumner, Burton, Mitchley, McCarthy, Strickland (Simpson, 45) Subs (not used) O’Reilly, Lloyd, Griffiths, Monaghan

HALESOWEN TOWN: Sargeant, Green, Charlton, Forde (Tonks, 81), Hull ©, Tilt, Bragoli, Turner (Thompson-Brown, 81), Christie, Haseley, Till Subs (not used) MacKenzie, Kettle, Pearson

Referee: Matthew Parry (Merseyside)