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Cheadle Town 3-0 Bacup Borough
Cheadle Town kept their place at the top of the table with this comfortable 3-0 win over Bacup Borough
Another weekend, another Cheadle win.
Those of a more malicious mind will point to two goalkeeping errors for our first two goals but the simple fact remains that we were imperious, should have won by a larger scoreline and thoroughly deserved the three points, limiting Bacup to very little, if nothing; goalkeeper Tom Elford had his quietest 90 minutes in between the sticks for Cheadle.
We started very brightly, so brightly that I registered an attempt on the Bacup goal for each minute of the opening five.
A corner in from the left that nobody could connect with, Chris Sherrington's outrageous attempt from distance that clipped the crossbar, Anthony Trucca going just wide with a header, Liam Tongue testing the keeper from distance and then seeing an effort ruled out for offisde all happened in the first passages of play.
The Bacup doors caved in on the 10th minute.
Liam Tongue again instrumental, blasting goalwards and forcing the keeper into a save that he could only direct into the path of Luke Hincks who buried the loose ball from close range.
Another four minutes later Luke was to profit from another goalkeeping error, unexpectedly finding the ball kindly dropped at his feet for him to roll home from the edge of the box with nobody else in sight.
The pressure continued. Luke Pearson struck the foot of the post with a corner on the 19th minute before the third went in shortly after: James Horan converting easily after connecting with a square pass from Darryhl Mason.
James Horan should have had his second just before half-time but just mis-timed his run by the smallest of margins as he went to head Chris Sherrington's left-wing cross.
The first half ended with Darryhl Mason cracking the post with a shot from the tightest of angles and Liam Tongue seeing a rasping drive deflected wide.
The second half was a different beast. A downpour made the conditions that little bit more difficult and obviously Bacup had received the proverbial rocket up their behinds and had tightened things up in defence, but that said we were never in any danger as we managed the game well and saw things out comfortably.
The Bacup keeper did better in holding a fierce drive from Chris Sherrington on the hour mark and perhaps should have been picking the ball out of the net two more times but Darryhl Mason spared him the trouble, driving over from a good position on 81 minutes and then somehow making a complete pig's ear of converting a Magida cross from a yard out on 87.
In what was labelled by yours truly as a "potentially difficult month" hasn't turned out too bad thus far: maximum points. Hopefully we can make it a 100% haul on Boxing Day when we travel to Irlam.
Still top. Guaranteed top spot for Xmas Day. And for the turn of the year and all. Merry Christmas.
TEAM: Elford, McLaughlin, Pearson, Trucca (Magida), Sacks, Dunn, Hincks, Tongue, Mason, Horan (Whyatt), Sherrington (Vincent). SUBS: Piggott (gk), Magida, Whyatt, Kennedy, Vincent.
Barnton 1-2 Cheadle Town
Cheadle Town extended their lead at the top of the table to four points with this impressive victory at Barnton
Terrible conditions; not-so-terrible result.
One that puts us four points clear at the top at the start of a testing month. The cynics will be quick to point out that the teams below us have games in-hand and we can be easily caught but that's slightly missing the point. A statement was made at Townfield on Saturday: catch us you may, but we're not going to go away that easily.
Two-nil is a horrible scoreline: you're just one mad moment away from home-and-dry to nail-biting and potentially something worse, almost ably demonstrated in this match during the final minutes.
With 89 minutes gone Colin Quirk rifled in a free-kick from distance to reduce arrears with Barnton then cracking the crossbar just moments later. Had the howling wind that had inconvenienced everybody - both watching and playing - all day decided to get hold of that long range effort and somehow divert it past Tom Elford then it would have undone all of the good work that we had put in beforehand.
The opening half-hour of the match saw a bright start from us but only one real decent effort to speak of when Anthony Trucca's effort was tipped over the bar after just four minutes. Both sides were adjusting to the conditions, not least the keepers who were seeing their clearances and goal-kicks barely make the halfway line thanks to the gusts.
As the half-hour mark passed, we started to turn the screw.
Darryhl Mason almost got himself on to the end of a raking pass from Chris Sherrington with the Barnton keeper managing to block a flurry of goalbound shots moments later: Mason with the initial effort when through on goal with all subsequent rebounds and whathaveyou expertly beaten away.
Liam Tongue then fizzed a shot inches wide of the post shortly afterwards with both sides rescued from the wind for half-time with the game goalless.
The status quo only lasted three minutes after the restart.
Barnton saw an effort deflected over the bar before we then went up the other end and broke the deadlock thanks to Darryhl Mason ploughing through on the right of the area before shifting the ball square for Liam Tongue to collect and stab home.
More industry from the right of the area saw us extend the lead five minutes later, James Horan the beneficiary this time, keeping his head to slot home from inside the area.
We then had plenty of chances later on to wrap the game up.
On 71 minutes Darryhl Mason seized on a moment of poor control and bore down on goal, only to see his effort blocked by the keeper.
Three minutes later James Horan seemed to be set to put Chris Sherrington in on the left when in a good position but he opted to go it alone thus allowing the Barnton defence to clear the danger.
Luke Hincks was then in on the right of the area but dragged his shot just wide on 78 minutes with Liam Tongue firing in from the edge of the box but seeing the keeper make a save just a minute later.
Thankfully the footballing Gods decided not to punish our profligacy on this occasion, allowing for wild celebrations from all the playing and coaching staff at the final whistle.
Onwards we go...to Staffordshire next weekend and an opportunity to make another statement at Hanley Town.
TEAM: Elford, McLaughlin, Pearson, Trucca, Young, Dunn, Hincks, Tongue, Mason (Whyatt), Horan (Magida), Sherrington. SUBS: Whyatt, Magida, Kennedy, Nolan.
Cheadle Town 2-0 Maine Road
Cheadle Town got their 2015-16 pre-season under way with a decent win over Premier Division opposition.
It may have taken 78 minutes to break the deadlock but there was very little sign of any ring-rustiness in what was an entertaining affair.
And what two well-taken goals they were and all.
The first was thanks to Richard Whyatt latching on to a well-measured through-ball before popping his effort over the goalkeeper's head and into the far corner. The victory was then sealed with seconds of the match remaining, with newcomer Liam Tongue receiving a short corner in acres of space before unleashing an absolute thunderbolt from a tight angle.
For large periods of the match it looked as though it would be one of those tales of "how did it not go in?"
Just after the half-hour mark both Trucca and Whyatt somehow failed to get onto a low skidding cross with the goal gaping with pure comedy cuts occurring some five minutes later, as a goal-bound header was expertly cleared off the line by Trucca with the resulting mayhem coming to nothing.
In and around that incident a powerful Michael Sachs header forced an excellent tip over the bar from the 'Road keeper and Tony kelly had a couple of half-decent chances, kneeing wide after some excellent work down the right from Chris Rathburn and heading inches wide following a Pearson cross from the left.
'Road's second half was much better than their first. They forced an excellent save from substitute keeper Arran Dixon with only four minutes of the half gone and then were denied by a last-ditch tackle as one of their substitutes was through on goal.
In between our two goals they had two chances to make it 1-1. A cross from the right was flashed over the bar from close range with a header then clipping the top of our crossbar.
So, we're up-and-running. It may "only" be a pre-season friendly but a winning habit is a good habit to get into....
STARTING XI: Piggott, McLaughlin, Pearson, Trucca, Sachs, Rodriges, Rathburn, Tongue, Kelly, Whyatt, Sherrington. SUBS: Dixon (gk), Magida, Birch, Tolley, Nsimbe.
