Selby Town 5-1 Cheadle Town

The advent of half-time can sometimes be a good thing, sometimes it can be a bad thing.

Neil Chappell playing to the camera in the pre-match warmup

This time it looked as though it was a bad thing.

With the momentum swinging slightly in our favour and level at 1-1, the peep of the referee’s whistle for the break seemed to do us no favours at all as our second half simply unravelled.

We allowed Selby Town to suffocate us and reduce us to very little in the way of chances with them rolling in four goals to boot.

The match was arguably lost within the first ten minutes of the restart. A poor touch from us on the edge of our own area on 49 minutes allowed Selby’s Daniel Walker to make space for himself and slot home before the hosts’ Chris Jackson then won the race versus our Daniel Whiting to a ball that had been planted on the edge of the area, lifting it over him into an unguarded net.

Danny Whiting then had to make a decent stop at his near post and then make a double-save from a corner before Neil Chappell made an excellent block with his head to a shot that was heading goalbound.

On 68 minutes it was 4-1 as Walker latched onto a flick at the near post before beating Whiting from close range with the defeat made to look worse with two minutes remaining when Burton’s neat turn on the edge of the area bought him enough room to rifle home.

A penny for your thoughts, Mr Meadowcroft…..

And all of that was in such contrast to the first half where it looked like being an evenly-matched contest.

Selby had gone ahead as early as the second minute when a corner in from the right evaded the arms of Whiting and was headed home at the far post by Gothard.

Shortly after that we had two decent chances. On the 4th minute we whipped in a corner that found Warren Gaskin unattended at the far post only for him to misjudge his header and put it wide with Warren then side-footing wide five minutes later when he got onto the end of a free-kick.

Andrew Lunt looked to have a stonewall penalty denied on 26 minutes when he was felled just as he was about to pull the trigger with us then going level just after the half-hour mark.

Ben Brooks - the eyes have it

A foul right on the edge of the area gave us a free-kick square onto goal with Paul Sunderland doing the honours and drilling us level.

Just two minutes later Oliver Hatfield-Banton tossed in a free-kick for the head of Patrick Davin, only for the ball to loop onto the top of the crossbar.

Paul Sunderland had another similar free-kick opportunity in the second half that was beaten away by the keeper, but by then it would have only been a consolation as the tie had already run away from us.

Back to the league action we go this Wednesday as we face a tricky match at Stone Old Alleynians and a chance to put things right.

Good luck to Selby Town in the next round of the FA Vase.

TEAM: Whiting, Machado Le Gal, Hamzat, Hatfield-Banton (Johnson), Gaskin, Chappell, Clayton (Russell), Lunt, Davin, Sunderland, Brooks (Jenkinson). SUBS: Jenkinson, Piggott (gk), Naughton, Johnson, Russell, Brownhill, Meadowcroft.

Staveley Miners Welfare 1-0 Cheadle Town

Nearly 48 hours on, I'm still baffled as to how we have come away from Inkersall Road without a goal to our name.

The latter stages of the game was like the proverbial Alamo as we laid siege to the Staveley net.

Liam Tongue curled one of his specials onto the foot of the post; Rick Whyatt had a header cleared off the line; Mike Sherrington was put clean through only to be thwarted by the keeper...with the loose ball then being struck off the post by his brother Chris; Luke Hincks forces the keeper into a good save; a Chris Sherrington cross drops into the middle of the area but nobody can dig it out to score....

...all of this in the final twelve minutes of play. It was relentless. It was also relentless bad luck.

Enough of the wailing for the time being as we are in danger of doing the hosts a disservice.

They played their part in what must have been an excellent FA Vase match for the neutral. Staveley were arguably the better side in the first half and gave Ben Jupp in net plenty to do.

They were let in as early as the 8th minute after a wayward defensive header but fortunately the loose ball was lashed wide.

Their towering no4 then caused problems from set pieces, heading just over the bar twice from successive corners on the 15 minute mark.

Staveley should have been ahead just two minutes later. Ben Jupp made an excellent save to beat out a header from a corner with the loose ball falling at the feet of a Staveley forward merely a yard from goal; luckily he (somehow) chose to send it on its way to Chesterfield.

We carved out our first effort on 18 minutes when a fiercely-driven Luke Hincks ball from the left cannoned off the back of Chris Sherrington and hung in the air for Mike Sherrington to try and nod home. Alas, his effort sailed wide of the upright.

And just as we were starting to get a foothold in the game, Staveley went ahead. Adam Lee's run starting on the edge of the area, avoiding challenges galore before resulting in him keeping his head and rounding Ben Jupp to slot home.

Chris Sherrington then volleyed over from the edge of the area before we should have been on level terms. Chris' free-kick was almost inch-perfect, cannoning off the underside of the bar and bouncing temptingly for Nathan Tosum to surely head home from close range....

Staveley made a brisk start to the second half, forcing Ben Jupp to make an excellent stop down low before Nathan Tosum had another chance to level matters, agonisingly getting the ball stuck under his feet after meeting a Chris Sherrington cross.

Nathan then returned the favour for Chris with a flicked header going just over this time before a surging Liam Tongue run saw the ball squared to Luke Hincks on the edge of the area forcing the keeper into making a decent stop.

Staveley then enjoyed a good spell just after the hour mark, heading over when well placed, causing havoc with their no8's long throws into the box and forcing Ben Jupp to scramble down and claw away on the 68 minute mark.

On 76 minutes they then cracked a header off the crossbar, and that was their last foray on goal before all manner of frustrating silliness down at the other end.

All the best to Staveley in the 2nd Qualifying Round where they get to be (excellent) hosts again versus Grimsby Borough.

For us, the focus now sharpens back onto the league as City of Liverpool come to Park Road this coming Wednesday before a trip to Chadderton this Saturday. Two tricky encounters but, if a performance akin to what was witnessed at Inkersall Road is repeated, there shouldn't be any concern.

TEAM: Jupp, McLaughlin, Magida, German, Todd (Whyatt), Dunn, Hincks, Tongue, Tosum (Russell), M Sherrington, C Sherrington. SUBS: Piggott (gk), Whyatt, Russell.

Handsworth Parramore 3-2 Cheadle Town

Cheadle Town's particpation in the F.A. Vase ended for another season in what was certainly a game of two halves against Worksop based side Handsworth Parramore.

Northern Counties East League side Parramore play at Step 5 of the Football Pyramid and are currently third with only one defeat all season. So it was always going a tough ask of Cheadle Town to overcome a strong side like Parramore.

Cheadle nearly caused an upset as early as the first minute of the start of the game when Thabiso Magida was played through on goal by Darrhyl Mason, but could only fire his shot at the Parramore keeper.

Then on 4 minutes it was the turn of debutant Cheadle keeper Joshua Samberg who made a good save following a downward header from Parramore's Steve Warne. Samberg was also called into action on 17 minutes as he attempted to clear a loose ball, only for it to fall to the feet of a Parramore player who could only shoot over an unguarded goal.

Cheadle then took the lead on 21 minutes when Mason collected the ball on the right wing and fired a low cross into the area that was met by Magida at the back post who scored from close range.

Soon after, Cheadle increased their lead on 27 minutes when Magida was the provider on this occassion as he played through Christopher Sherrington who fired a shot, that despite the best attempts by Parramore to clear the ball eventaully went over the line.

Cheadle continued to press for a third goal during the remainder of the first half, but were thwarted by a renewed Parramore defence who made tactical changes soon after our second goal was scored,

HT: Handsworth Parramore 0 Cheadle Town 2

During the early stages of the second half, Cheadle continued to search for that 'game-killing' goal and Magida had a half chance on 53 minutes when he shot from 20 yards which was well collected by the Parramore keeper. Then on 55 minutes, Cheadle had their best chance to seal the game as Mason was put through one-on-one with the keeper but he tried to lift the ball over the the advancing keeper and could only agonise as the ball went wide of the goal.

Maybe that was the turning point as Parramore pressed in search of clawing themselves back into the game. Parramore finally reduced the deficit on 58 minutes when Wells scored from close range from a corner.

On 68 minutes Samberg made a fantastic double save to deny Parramore an equaliser, before they finally scored on 76 minutes when Wells headed home following a counter attack from Parramore.

As Parramore went in search for a victory, Cheadle were trying to hold on for at least a replay before victory was taken from us on 87 minutes when Warne curled the ball into the net from 15 yards.

Cheadle shouldn't be too down hearted by this performance as they certainly match their higher opposition throughout the majority of the game and they need to take this into the League now.

Here are the highlights recorded by GroundHopTV....

Staveley Miners Welfare 3-4 Cheadle Town

If anybody else would like to put themselves forward as stand-in website editor then please raise your hand now. After the antics in the 5-5 draw at Bacup and now this incredible fightback I'm not sure my cardiac system will last the season.

Just as in Bacup, the match looked lost and just as in Bacup, we didn't know when we were beaten, dug in, and came away with a result.

The win is made that little more remarkable considering how we were operating with a makeshift pairing in the centre of defence: Mssrs Dunn and Kennedy given the task of coping with whatever Staveley could throw at us.

For the first 15 minutes both sides prodded and poked at each other without threatening much with Cheadle growing steadily into the match thereafter. Darrhyl Mason looked to be through with a chance but the ball just wouldn't sit for him.

Ben Brooks - making his return in a green shirt - then had a valid penalty claim turned down as he was given a full-on body check in the box before we took the lead after 24 minutes, Luke Hincks finally finishing off a bit of pinball in the box following a corner.

Chris Sherrington almost gave us an instant extension to the lead but the keeper was equal to his drive with an excellent save around the post.

Staveley then almost got themselves onto a cross from the left that zipped across the goalmouth before we then went and had a few more chances of our own.

Ben Brooks was put through on the left on 34 minutes but rolled his shot wide, a Luke Pearson piledriver was excellently saved a few minutes later before the keeper was on hand to deny Ben Brooks yet again, palming away his shot after Ben had set himself up to score in the box.

We were left to rue the missed chances shortly before half-time. Staveley's Hastings managed to lose his markers and head home from very close range from a corner.

Despite starting the second half well a mad five minutes looked to be our undoing as the game appeared to run away from us.

The half was only a couple of minutes old when Anthony Trucca flicked a Pearson corner goalbound but saw his effort cleared off the line before Rick Whyatt's turn and volley in the box was tipped over the bar.

On 56 minutes the hosts took the lead when we lost possession in midfield and Hastings headed home the resulting cross for his second of the match before Jamie Brown latched onto a through ball in the box and crashed home just after the hour mark to give Staveley a 3-1 advantage.

Steve Piggott then went and made two consecutive saves in as many minutes to prevent the home side extending their lead any further, the second of which was the pick as he got down low to turn a volley around the post.

Perhaps that proved to be the turning point.

Luke Hincks then gave Staveley a reminder that we were still there by cracking a shot off the foot of the post on 65 minutes before the match started to turn on its head.

On 71 minutes Darryhl Mason went on a surging run down the right and was upended in the box - Luke Pearson slotting away the resulting spot kick - with matters rendered all-square just two minutes later when a well-worked move saw Rick Whyatt tuck home from close range after Ben Brooks had unselfishly squared the ball to him.

Ben then was through on goal yet again a few minutes later but was to be denied yet again by the keeper and Anthony Trucca clipped an effort inches wide with seven minutes of the game remaining.

The next goal, if there was to be one, would be the winner.

Steve Piggott scrambled an awkward header around the post with five minutes remaining with the winning goal coming from us, to complete a quite remarkable turnaround, just a minute later: Rick Whyatt's lob from the edge of the box seemingly taking a day and an age to drop into the net to spark scenes of wild celebration.

And so we'll have to do it all again, with the "it" being the crossing of Woodhead or Snake Pass, as we travel to Handsworth Parramore in the next round on Saturday 3rd October.

Our heartfelt thanks to Staveley Miners Welfare for their wonderful hospitality, not to mention their excellent ground, clubhouse, club shop, pies etc. and giving the warm welcome they promised us on Twitter.

For us next is the visit of Eccleshall this Wednesday evening, 7.45pm KO.