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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.
