Cheadle Town 4-0 Daisy Hill
For the record, and before we go any further, this may have been 4-0 but Daisy Hill certainly played their part in this match and must be wondering how they left Park Road having not at least got themselves on the scoresheet.
But perhaps they shouldn't be too surprised as they must be sick of the sight of SK8 2AN. We have made a lot of our 'bogey grounds' in the past but Daisy Hill's rotten record at Park Road now stretches to just 1 win in their last 12 visits in all competitions.
They clattered our crossbar after just 20 seconds of the match and kept Dane Smith relatively busy, forcing him into making a decent stop midway through the first half and then hitting the post yet again on the half-hour with us hastily hacking the ball off the line.
We didn't help ourselves at time, though, inviting pressure back on ourselves with some rash clearances from our defensive third of the pitch but I'm glad to say that everything else we executed on the day was near perfection.
It took just 7 minutes for the first of our four goals to be registered. With seemingly nothing 'on', Luke Hincks curled an inch-perfect shot in off the post from around 20 yards out.
Five minutes later and we should have been 2-0 up. Reece Webb had robbed the ball from a 'Daisy defender and charged down on goal. With the keeper storming off his line an unfortunate bobble of the ball made him miscue and his effort bounced harmlessly wide.
Reece had another effort on the 25th minute, smartly fashioning himself some space on the right of the penalty area before skidding one just wide of the post.
Just as Daisy Hill were threatening to make a real nuisance of themselves and perhaps draw level, we knocked them off their stride with two goals shortly before half-time.
On the 39th minute Matt German had spotted the run of right-back Jack Lever into the area with a delightful pass which Jack didn't waste by advancing on goal and slotting home from the angle.
With the break looming we then extended our lead even further after a mistake in the 'Daisy defence allowed Reece Webb a free shot on goal; with no bobble to thwart him this time he netted with a deft side-footed effort.
Just as they did in the first half, Daisy Hill rattled our crossbar within the first 30 seconds of play before we wrapped the three points up with our fourth goal on the 56th minute.
Luke Hincks sent over a raking diagonal ball from the left to Justin Pickering who advanced on goal, waited for the keeper to commit himself into a crumpled heap on the floor before jinking the other way and rolling home into an empty net.
Reece Webb then forced a good stop from the keeper on the 69th minute before Justin Pickering was in again on the right just moments later, seeing his effort tipped around the post.
It was almost goal number five on the 80th minute as substitute Mike Sherrington cut in from the left before unleashing a fierce drive that the keeper was equal to, with the second phase of that move then seeing Justin Pickering thump a shot off the foot of the post.
And all of this played out on a pitch whose going would be declared as "soft to heavy" by the racing fraternity. On a surface where every pass has to be sure and measured, both teams dealt with it admirably and contributed to a wonderful match.
The fact that the match took place at all is also worth a mention. Groundsmen sometimes don't get the credit they deserve but our Phil did a sterling job in making sure we all had 90 minutes of football to watch over the weekend in the face of unfavourable weather overnight.
It faces another 90 minutes of trampling this coming Saturday as Holker Old Boys make the long trip down the M6.
TEAM: Smith, Lever, Banda, Hincks (Wood), Tongue, Pearson, Whyatt (Crosthwaite), German, Webb (M Sherrington), Pickering, Blackwell. SUBS: Piggott (gk), C Sherrington, M Sherrington, Wood, Crosthwaite.
