Cheadle Town 4-1 Abbey Hulton United

Three points at the foot of this particular rainbow

As results in the “first win for new management team” canon go, this wasn’t too bad at all.

An imperious display with a scoreline that was a fair reflection; Abbey Hulton would have had no complaints whatsoever if it would have been more emphatic.

It was a case of one chance after another, with the first coming on the 10th minute mark when Paul Sunderland beat the advancing keeper and managed to stab the ball beyond him; alas it didn’t have enough gas to go over the line and was cleared.

Paul Sunderland

No matter. Just one minute later we took the lead.

In the Abbey Hulton half Paul Sunderland turned and planted a lovely though ball into the path of Patrick Davin who shook off the attentions of a defender and stroked home from the edge of the area.

The returning Justin Pickering then got in on the action twice within the space of as many minutes.

He curled a shot inches wide and then he, like Paul Sunderland before him, managed to poke the ball beyond an advancing keeper; yet again this effort was to bear no fruit as Ben Brooks just couldn’t get to the ball in time to guide it home.

Abbey Hulton’s best period arguably came towards the end of that first half as Ollie Hatfield-Banton had to be on-hand to make two blocks when it looked as though the visitors were going to hurt us.

Within the opening ten minutes of the second half we had effectively put the match to bed.

In the opening minute Ben Brooks had managed to get his head to a low cross but the keeper somehow managed to flap it away with a Patrick Davin brace then giving us a three-goal advantage.

The first of those - and his second of the game - came on 53 minutes from a corner when he gathered the ball on the far side of the area; with his back to goal he managed to turn and strike home with it taking a deflection on its way in.

Hat-trick man Patrick Davin

His hat-trick came three minutes later.

Substitute Thomas Hendley broke out of defence, drove forward and placed a through ball for Patrick to advance on goal, draw the keeper and coolly round him before slotting home.

After an Abbey Hulton header had hit the post on the hour mark there was a glut of opportunities for us to stretch our lead even further.

Justin Pickering found himself clean through and took his shot (perhaps too) early with the keeper parrying; the loose ball fell kindly for Justin again but he put it wide.

Ben Brooks was then through on goal but put his effort high and wide with Patrick Davin then unmarked in the box and uncharacteristically misjudging his shot.

Ben Brooks had another close-range effort blocked by the keeper before Tokia Russell burst clear into the area only for a heavy touch to let him down.

With three minutes remaining we got the fourth goal we deserved. Substitute Jake Phelan travelled down the right before feeding the ball inside for Andrew Lunt to check, eye up a shot and drill home from the edge of the area.

The only shame of the day was that Danny Whiting didn’t go home with a clean sheet. He had made an excellent point-blank stop on 88 minutes only for a penalty to beat him in the third minute of stoppage time for Abbey Hulton’s consolation.

After a run of 1 win in 22 matches we’re now on one of 1 defeat in our last 6 in all competitions.

What a difference a month can make in football.

Onwards.

TEAM: Whiting, Machado Le Gal, Hamzat, Hatfield-Banton, Gaskin, Chappell (Hendley), Pickering (Phelan), Lunt, Davin, Sunderland (Russell), Brooks. SUBS: Phelan, Blain (gk), Russell, Hendley, Johnson.

Cheadle Town 3-1 Abbey Hulton United

Given our home form this season the quip of late has been "can we play away from home every week". There should now be the addendum "if we have to play at home, can we play Abbey Hulton?"

Only two wins at home all season and both against Abbey Hulton; they'll be sick of the sight of Park Road and will be mighty glad they won't have to visit again this season.

Four goals, yes, but not a classic as it was all a bit stop-start at times. Both sides engaging in a dolly mixture of very good and downright frustrating passages of play, resulting in what could be best described as a "functional" win for us.

If you had some of your hard-earned money on us scoring in the first and last 25 seconds of the first half then enjoy your winnings. What would have been the odds on that!?

Mssrs Chris Sherrington and Adam Gardiner were the ones that bookended the first half. The former bundling home after 25 seconds following a right-wing cross from Jake Ambrose and the latter with a wonderful header from a James Dunn cross just as the referee was about to blow for half-time.

In between lay a half where we arguably should have built up a more commanding lead.

Adam Gardiner almost made it 2-0 on the 11th minute when he was put through on the right but his clipped shot over the keeper was cleared off the line at the last.

Five minutes later Tom Russell sent Tom Ratican clear down the left but he shot straight at the keeper.

Abbey Hulton had caught us napping from a corner on 20 minutes from which Danny Whiting had to make a clever palm over the crossbar with the visitors then levelling a minute later; we lost possession in midfield and the ball was worked down the right and in-field, ending up at the feet of Dylan Bath who rifled home.

Straight down the other end Jake Ambrose almost uprooted the post when he got onto the end of a Chris Sherrington cross with Daniel Whiting to our rescue again, palming away a close-range effort.

A minute into the second half and Adam Gardiner had a great chance to make it 3-1, being put through the middle and managing to poke it past the keeper but being thwarted by an Abbey Hulton defender.

On the hour, he would get a better chance as we were awarded a penalty. He took it, stroking the spot kick home to give us a bit of breathing space.

Daniel Whiting was called into action again on the 75th minute, pushing a well-struck free-kick around the post before jake Ambrose was gifted a chance to put the tie out of sight, latching onto a poor kick-out from the keeper but only giving it him back with a poor shot.

Rick Whyatt then somehow managing to block a James Dunn shot off the line was the pinnacle of the frustrating moments of the match, but by then we were 3-1 up and any threat that Abbey Hulton was presenting seemed to have long gone.

So, down to the last eight we go and a trip to Eccleshall or Sandbach United awaits in the new year. 

TEAM: Whiting, Ratican, Dunn, Trucca, Shaw, Harrison, Ambrose, Russell (Delaney), Gardiner (Cotton), Whyatt, C Sherrington (Clarey). SUBS: Wood, Clarey, Delaney, Cotton, Piggott (gk)

Cheadle Town 1-0 Abbey Hulton United

Job done...

The players warm down after their victory

Not only a first win at home but, in the face of the rather erratic start we had made, the first consecutive victories.

Again it was a result that was earned in the second half, again we had Daniel Whiting to thank for some excellent stops and again it was Rick Whyatt popping up with the goods when it mattered.

His sixth goal of the season came with just two minutes of the match remaining. By then the game was well and truly into the "one goal will win it" stage and we're glad to say that it was us who bagged it.

As the ball was lofted into a crowded penalty area substitute Robbie Robertson did a splendid job in holding it up. Steaming in with intent was Rick Whyatt to blast home Robbie's pass from close range.

In a match that could have gone either way the chances had swung to-and-fro.

Hulton made the better start and forced us into clearing danger as early as the 3rd minute and had a decent chance headed wide just two minutes later.

Our first opportunities came soon after. Danny Jones latched onto a loose header across the face of our area only to plant his shot wide with him then getting on the end of a Whyatt cross from the right only for him to shovel his effort hopelessly wide.

Danny Whiting then came to the rescue on 14 minutes as we lost possession in midfield and Hulton's no3 charged down the right, sending a teasing cross to the far post for what looked like a certain goal only for Danny to pull off another great block.

A Danny Wood wayward effort and a Jake Ambrose header straight at the keeper took us to half-time with the deadlock yet to be broken.

It was us that made the better start to the second half.

George Clarey sent in a cross from the right straight to Whyatt's feet but his effort was straight at the keeper before George had a go himself, skidding a shot in from the angle on the right which the keeper had to scramble away.

Danny Whiting made another great block from close range just before the hour with George Clarey providing for Rick Whyatt again from the right, sliding in at the near post this time only for it to go over the bar.

An awkward long-range daisy cutter which Danny Whiting managed to claw away came inbetween two Rob Brocklehurst free-kicks, the latter of which was spilled with nobody nearby to capitalise.

In the wake of Rick Whyatt's ultimate winner there was still work to do as Hulton pushed for an equaliser but we managed to keep them at bay, even having time for Robbie Robertson to charge down the field and force the keeper into a save.

A decent three points - Abbey Hulton United are a decent outfit - which takes us up to the lofty heights of 5th place.

We can turn our attentions away from league matters this weekend as we travel to Rossington Main for the FA Vase.

TEAM: Whiting, Dunn, Harrison, Russell, Shaw (Delaney), Brocklehurst, Ambrose (Ratican), Wood, Jones (Robertson), Whyatt, Clarey. SUBS: Delaney, Ratican, Robertson, Piggott (gk), Marsden.