Swinton Athletic 0-4 Stocksbridge Park Steels Reserves

Saturday 28^th September 2013, County Senior League Premier Division

Stocksbridge Park Steels Reserves efficiently saw off the challenge of Swinton Athletic, 4-0, condemning the hosts to a sixth defeat in seven matches this season.

Swinton started brightly with some slick passing football; however Stocksbridge defended resolutely before taking the lead on 29 minutes. Cole Payne’s bullet header from Kevin Davies’ corner flew into the bottom right-corner, beyond Swinton’s Daniel Morton.

Payne scored his second five minutes later in what was a clinical forward performance by the visitors. First he turned around Lee Woodhall before cooling sending the ball across the goal and into the bottom corner.

And soon Stocksbridge had a third. Luke Townsend was unmarked in the box, and headed into the bottom-right of goal.

The scoring was completed ten minutes into the second half. Ryan MacDonald dispossessed Woodhall before rounding the keeper and passing the ball into an empty net.

The hosts were the better side in the opening period, but were limited to half chances. Curtis Wilkinson’s cross was knocked down by Justin Greenwood only for Joel Bennett to send a half-volley over the crossbar.

Likewise, another half-chance was rued when Lucas Briggs’s shot was caught by the keeper, Danny Salem, from long-range moments later. Then, Josh Moore’s cross almost sneaked in after Salem appeared to misjudge the ball but it went inches wide.

It took until midway into the first half when Stocksbridge mustered a chance of their own when Cole Payne dragged a long range effort wide. However he made up for it with two goals from the next two attacks.

For the first he was able to weave his run away from the host’s defenders, before getting power behind an unstoppable header which flew into the corner. His second demonstrated on-the-ball trickery to leave the Athletic defender behind him and sending the following shot into the same corner of the goal.

The visitors sealed victory just before half-time when Luke Townsend picked up a position within the penalty which no defender noticed before it was too late, and his header from a deep cross floated beyond Morton once more. Townsend still had chance to almost grab a second too, but sent a low shot into the side-netting.

As the half-time whistle blew a brief altercation between both sets of players began. The referee halted the protests and swiftly booked a player from each side before it got out of hand. The interval allowed both camps to cool down.

Swinton appeared reinvigorated by the break and began the second half with the same attacking impetus they had demonstrated in the opening stages of the first. Substitute Mark Clare sprinted beyond the defence but his one-on-one was parried behind by Salem. From the resulting corner Josh Moore’s far-post blast was secularly denied by the keeper’s legs.

But Swinton’s hard work to try and get back into the game was undone by a lapse at the back. Ryan MacDonald stole the ball from Lee Woodhall, opted to go round the keeper before tapping into the unmanned goal.

Swinton still tried to find a consolation goal when Hayden Barnett’s volley bounced off the bar and over. Moore later found himself in the box too, but his low shot was claimed by the Stocksbridge goalkeeper. Stocksbridge therefore held on for their first league win since the 4^th September, with Swinton suffering their third defeat in a row.

Swinton Team: Daniel Morton, Curtis Wilkinson, Alex Wilkinson, Lucas Briggs, Lee Woodhall, Jon Billups, Liam Favell, Josh Moore, Hayden Barnett, Justin Greenwood, Joel Bennett. Subs: Josh Dacre, Mark Clare, Daniel Wilson, Andy Billups.

Stocksbridge Team: Danny Salem, James Hoyle, Kevin Davies, Ryan MacDonald, Tom Cadzow, Aidan Ward, Cole Payne, John Beggs, Iftikhar Afzar, Luke Townsend, Charlie Stewart. Subs: Thomas Nurney, Louis Shaw, Tyrone Okane.