SKELMERSDALE UNITED 4 LINCOLN UNITED 2

SECOND-HALF SHOW SETS UP TRIP TO CHORLEY

SKELMERSDALE UNITED 4 LINCOLN UNITED 2

By Neil Leatherbarrow

After a goalless first-half Skelmersdale United finished up quite comfortable winners at home to Lincoln United in the FA Trophy on Saturday. The crucial period of the game was an eight minute spell between 54 & 62 minutes in which Tommy Lawson’s men found the net three times, thus setting up a derby game against the Chorley at Victory Park on 28th November in the next round.
Skelmersdale had started the game quickly but didn’t quite manage to generate a goal early on despite pushing hard. Louis Corrigan saw a shot cleared off the line, Ged Kinsella brought a save out of Lincoln goalkeeper Sam Vince and Kenny Strickland had a free-kick deflected wide all in the opening ten minutes. However, it was a statement of intent as by the 16th minute Skem had had six corners.
Lincoln didn’t stand back though and in the 14th minute Skelmersdale had to withstand a right old goalmouth scramble before Tony Rendell thwarted a dangerous move from Lincoln’s best man Jack McGovern on 20 minutes.
By the interval both sides had created more opportunities but the fact that it was level at the break was fair enough.
The second-half was different. In the 53rd minute Strickland saw a vicious free-kick turned over his crossbar by Vince before sixty seconds later Skelmersdale struck. Kinsella latched onto a loose ball in the Lincoln penalty area before drilling a shot low into the net.
Two minutes later Kinsella went from assassinator to creator. After slipping as he turned on the right-hand side he jumped back to his feet took the ball to the goal-line, pulled it back across goal and Chris Almond volleyed it into the Lincoln net from about eight yards to make it 2-0.
Lincoln looked stunned and by the 62nd minute that changed to beaten. Corrigan dropped a right-wing corner into the heart of the penalty area and Simply Local Skelmersdale Man of the Match Tony Rendell reacted first forcing the ball into the net as others floundered in the mud.
Lincoln went onto all-out attack; they had no choice other than that and McGovern brought a decent diving save out of Martin Fearon, but it was a save you would probably expect him to make.
Twelve minutes from time McGovern got his reward. Matt Cotton’s shot was blocked and the ball rebounded to McGovern, who gave Lincoln what was to be very short lived hope.
It was short-lived because Skelmersdale restored their three goal advantage within a minute. A corner was cleared and the ball went to Rob McIntosh, he chipped it back into the goalmouth where Rendell delicately nodded a header wide of Vince to make it 4-1.
Lincoln pulled a goal back two minutes into added time via Josh Parker, but by then it meant nothing to the outcome of the game.
It had been a contrast of styles, Lincoln’s long ball game being snubbed out in the main by Skelmersdale’s defence, while Skem also looked much sharper in front of goal. But perhaps most significantly they are now getting back into the old habit of finishing games strongly; it is a definite sign that confidence is on its way back to Tommy Lawson’s team. They’ll need it as they host league leaders Blyth Spartans next Saturday.

SKELMERSDALE UNITED: Fearon, Mooney, Holden, McIntosh ©, Rendell, Staunton-Turner (Donaldson, 71), Kinsella (Abadaki, 74), Strickland, Almond, Corrigan (Woolcott, 67), Ince Subs (not used) Hardwick, Kusaloka

LINCOLN UNITED: Vince, Wright S., Smith, Brooks (Broughton, 62), Jacklin ©, Ward, Lemon (Parker, 77), Toyne, Batchelor, McGovern, Cotton Subs (not used) McDaid, Wright K., Wilkinson