Saturday 30th March, County Senior League Premier Division
Houghton Main kept pressure on title rival Shaw Lane Aqua
Force, with a 2-1 victory over Swallownest Miners Welfare in a match not short
on controversy.
It was Swallownest who took the lead after just seven
minutes. Michael Briggs dribbled down the right flank, before producing a low
cross to Jason Short inside the penalty area who- unmarked- placed a
side-footed shot into the bottom right corner.
But Houghton were soon level. As Luke Sykes attempted to
control a high ball when inside the penalty area, his standing foot was taken
from beneath him by a combination of desperate defenders. Captain, Adam Stead
dispatched the resulting spot kick into the top right hand corner, sending
goalkeeper, Andrew Naylor, the wrong way.
With fifteen minutes to go the turnaround was complete.
Stead sent through a delicate ball to Sykes, for the striker to slot in the
winner from a tight angle.
Naylor was to be beaten for a third time- again by Sykes-
although it was to be ruled out for offside. The referee, Neil Walker, deemed
this to be kicking the ball away, and provided Sykes with a second yellow card;
Sykes had been booked for time wasting five minutes before receiving his
marching orders.
In the first half’s exciting opening stages it was Houghton
who had the first opportunity. Scott James’ cross was headed away only as far
as Carlton Dickinson, whose half-volleyed effort flew over the bar. However,
within two minutes Swallownest were in front, with Short taking the visitor’s
first chance with his low finish.
At this point Swallownest appeared to take more control, but
couldn’t add to their tally of one. With ten minutes on the clock, Briggs sent
a through ball to Short who returned the ball back to Briggs with a perfectly
weighted cross, but his header was
superbly parried by Houghton’s Sam Leigh before Richard Williams could only
send the rebound over the crossbar from a difficult, tight angle.
Main continued to withstand Welfare’s heavy pressure
throughout this period. Leigh was again forced into a fine save when Ashley
Atkins had an attempt at goal from the edge of the area; and on the
quarter-hour when Naylor’s pump up field found Short one-on-one, the striker
was unable to control the ball in the air and could only send a tame short
straight at the Houghton ‘keeper.
In hindsight the match’s turning point was the award of a
penalty for Houghton by the referee, as Sykes was sent tumbling to the ground.
Stead calmly levelled things up with the resulting spot-kick and suddenly Main
were back on level terms.
Houghton’s confidence grew and the hosts came close to
taking the lead when Jake Simon’s low cross was forced to be cleared off the
line by Steven Bates.
At the other end Swallownest’s chances were restricted, with
Michael Wade blasting over from long-range and Alex Nightingale sending a tame
shot straight at the goalkeeper. This was before another dangerous low cross
from Briggs had to be gathered by Leigh with Welfare’s strikers lurking at the
far post.
Houghton too were in search for a second goal, Aaron Tate
had a low shot wide of the left-hand post and moments later Adam Stead’s
dangerous ball across the six-yard box couldn’t be met by any of Main’s attacking
option, and drifted out for a goal-kick. This was prior to Jake Simon’s low
shot being parried by Naylor.
The second half began as enthralling as the first. Swallownest
had appeals for a penalty of their own turned down when Daniel Monfredi tackled
Short in the box. And it was the visitors who had the most creative effort of
the game when Richard Williams attempted an overhead kick from Atkins’ cross,
but it whistled wide of goal.
Just after the hour-mark Sykes, throughout the match a
nuisance to the Swallownest defence, hit a powerful shot inside the area which
was blocked well by the goalkeeper.
But with fifteen minutes to go, Welfare’s resistance gave
in. Sykes, who beat the offside trap perfectly from Stead’s through ball, was
able to finish from the left-hand-side of the penalty area, giving the hosts
the lead for the first time.
However Sykes was soon to go from hero to villain. After
being ruled offside with five minutes of play remaining and receiving a booking
for kicking the ball away in frustration, he was sent through again by Shann
Mitchell. However, the offside flag was again raised and, as the ball was sent
past Naylor, the goal was ruled out. With a precedent set five minutes earlier,
referee Walker again judged this to be time-wasting and produced a second
yellow card for the highly-regarded marksmen.
Despite recording the victory, it leaves Main without their
key centre forward at the business end of the league season.
Houghton Main Team: Sam Leigh, Aaron Tate, Jack Waldron,
Carlton Dickinson, Craig Pickerill, Daniel Monfredi, Scott James, Adam Stead,
Luke Sykes, Shann Mitchell, Jake Simon. Subs: Steve Clayton, Luke Bamford,
Ashley Emmett, Ashley Vickers, Daryl Smith.
Swallownest Miners Welfare Team: Andrew Naylor, Daniel
Archbold, Ross Edwards, Michael Wade, Kieran Hemming, Steven Bates, Michael
Briggs, Ashley Atkins, Jason Short, Alex Nightingale, Richard Williams. Subs:
Nathan Morrits, Josh Batham.
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