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Cheadle Town 1-0 Oswestry Town
A solitary Joe Neild penalty was enough to claim Cheadle Town’s first league win in six matches.
On the back of last week’s stupendous shellacking of Premier Division Bootle the million-dollar question was could we keep things going and prove that last weekend wasn’t a one-off?
In short, yes we could.
This was a performance as solid as the scoreline doesn’t actually suggest; we had plenty of chances - particularly in the first half - to have the match out-of-reach.
The penalty nine minutes in was the first notable incident of the afternoon.
Ben Brooks’ jet-heels took him clear on the left and the result of him being unceremoniously upended was swept home by Joe Neild for his eighth goal of the season.
Joe Neild’s penalty sends the keeper the wrong way to put us 1-0 up
Danny Whiting was then called upon to make a smart stop down to his left before the tireless Matthew German - captain for the day - narrowly fired over after a great run by Nathan Ntalu.
Just short of the half-hour mark we had two golden opportunities to stretch the lead.
Ben Christopher put Ryan Rogers in down the right for a clear shot on goal but he sliced his shot horribly wide with Ryan on the end of another chance just four minutes later, lashing wide after Ntalu’s shot had been blocked by the keeper.
Matthew German: captain for the day and Man of the Match
The visitors recorded one more decent chance just before half-time but thankfully when the ball was cut back from the byline it was mis-hit.
They almost got an equaliser seven minutes into the restart but were thwarted by an excellent piece of defending by James Dunn who spotted the danger and nipped in at the last minute when Danny Whiting had been rounded.
Ryan Rogers had another effort saved before substitute Rhys Clooney was found by Ben Brooks in acres of space in the box, only for him to plant it wide.
All eyes on the ball
We were given a let-off on 76 minutes when Oswestry shot wide from a left-wing cross (when the player was totally unmarked) before Matt German sent a looping header inches over the bar from a corner.
The final act of the day was Ben Christopher latching onto a through ball by Chris Sherrington down the left but his chance to really seal the deal ended up in the side-netting.
A big five weeks lays ahead. If the performances of the past two weeks can be maintained then it may be a happy new year after all….
Next up is the visit of St Martins this Saturday.
TEAM: Whiting, Neild, Wallis, German, Dunn, Hatfield-Banton, Rogers (Clooney), Naughton, Ntalu (Sherrington), Christopher, Brooks. SUBS: Huynh, Sherrington, Russell, Clooney, Lilley (gk)
Cheadle Town 1-2 Oswestry Town
Cheadle Town's disappointing home form continued with this home defeat to Oswestry Town
Match report courtesy of David Figg from Oswestry Town FC.
Cheadle Town's hopes of moving up into the play-off places were dashed after they lost 1-2 at home to FC Oswestry Town in their Hallmark Security League Division 1 fixture at Park Road on Saturday.
Town had gone into the game in 8th place in the table with a record of 4 wins, 2 draws and 3 defeats from their 9 league games so far.
With results elsewhere being what they were, a win for Town would have seen them move up to 6th place level on points with 5th placed Whitchurch Alport but with an inferior goal difference.
Meanwhile, FC Oswestry had gone into the game in bottom place in the table without a point after losing their first 8 league games plus suffering an early exit from the FA Vase at the first hurdle.
The visitors were dealt a blow even before kick off when new keeper Louis Mackin injured a calf during the pre-match warm-up and sub keeper Gary Tinsley drafted in from the bench.
With numerous planes coming in to land at the nearby Manchester Airport during the afternoon, it was visitors Oswestry who got off to a flying start when Jamie Hands' long ball over the top on the left found Brendon Price who ran on before pulling it back low from the left edge of the box for Sam Thomas to send his left foot shot from 25 yards into Town keeper Daniel Whiting's top left hand corner for a stunning strike with just 39 seconds on the watch.
It was the first time Oswestry had scored first in a competitive game all season and the joy shown by the players and bench was there for all to see.
The Shropshire side went close to doubling their lead in the 11th minute when Thomas won a challenge with Liam Delaney on the right with the ball running to Joe Newton, whose cross from the right was half cleared by Luke Hincks to Hands who fired his low left foot shot from 18 yards not far wide of Whiting's left hand post.
Then at the other end in the 18th minute, Town went close to equalising when Mike Sherrington picked up a loose ball in midfield and made a driving run towards the edge of the box before having his right foot shot from 20 yards turned just past his right hand post by Tinsley.
The hosts went close again in the 21st minute when Rob Brocklehurst's corner from the right found Richard Whyatt who sent his right foot shot wide of Tinsley's left hand post.
Another chance came Town's way in the 29th minute when George Clarey sent his shot from some 25 yards not far wide of Tinsley's left hand post.
Then with exactly 30 completed minutes played, it was 2-0 when Jack Harris played a one-two with Brendon Price on the left before sending his right foot shot from 25 yards over Whiting's head into the keeper's top left hand corner.
Town went close in the 32nd minute when Whyatt's cross from the right found Mike Sherrington who sent his glancing header from 9 yards past Tinsley's right hand post.
Town pulled a goal back in the 42nd minute when Hincks's through ball on the left found Jake Ambrose who cut in before laying it back to Chris Sherrington, whose cross to the far post evaded everyone before running to Whyatt who fired his right foot shot from 6 yards into Tinsley's left hand corner to give his side a lifeline.
The first chance of the second half came Oswestry's way just into the 48th minute when Harris's through ball on the left found Brendon Price who cut in past his man before seeing his left foot shot deflect off a Town defender on its way to hitting the near post before the ball was cleared.
Then at the other end, Town went close in the 54th minute when Brocklehurst ran forward before having his right foot shot from 25 yards superbly tipped away to his left by Tinsley.
A flurry of substitutions took place with Town bringing on Luke Pearson for Clarey in the 65th minute and Oswestry bringing on Jacob Farleigh for Thomas in the 67th minute before Town made a double change in the 71st minute with Daniel Jones replacing Mike Sherrington and Daniel Wood replacing Delaney as the hosts looked to get back into the game.
The next chance came Town's way seconds later (still in the 71st minute) when Brocklehurst's corner from the left found Joe Shaw, who sent his header from 12 yards close to the penalty spot wide of Tinsley's left hand post.
Then at the other end a minute later, Oswestry went close when Newton's cross from the left found Farleigh at the far post who pulled the ball back into the middle for Brendon Price, whose left foot shot from 6 yards was cleared off the line by Wood.
Oswestry made their second change in the 75th minute when Oliver Jones came on for Josh Sumner.
Town went close in the 80th minute when Hincks picked up a loose ball and ran forward before firing his low right foot shot from almost 40 yards wide of Tinsley's right hand post.
Oswestry made their final change a couple of seconds into added time at the end when Tse Yue came on to replace Newton.
The visitors went close to adding to their lead just over 90 seconds into added time when Yue ran down the right before having his cross cleared with the ball running out to the in-running Jones, whose right foot shot from 25 yards took a deflection off Hincks before being held at head height by Whiting.
Then 3 seconds into the 4th minute of added time, Town had a great chance to equalise when Jones's long throw in from the left into the box was flicked on with his head by Hincks to Shaw, whose right foot volley from inside the 6 yard box produced a brilliant reflex save by Tinsley before the ball was cleared by Jamie Price.
The final blast of Abid Hussain's whistle a couple of seconds before the end of the 5th minute of added time confirmed Town's 4th league defeat of the season and saw Oswestry finally achieve their first league points at the 10th attempt.
Town: Daniel Whiting, James Dunn, Chris Sherrington, Liam Delaney, Joe Shaw, Rob Brocklehurst, Jake Ambrose, Luke Hincks, Mike Sherrington, Richard Whyatt, George Clarey. Subs: Daniel Jones (for Mike Sherrington 71), Daniel Wood (for Delaney 71), Luke Pearson (for Clarey 65), Stephen Piggot (not used).
FC Oswestry: Gary Tinsley, Sam Pickering, Brendon Price, Rob Shone, Alun Morris, Jamie Price, Josh Sumner, Sam Thomas, Jack Harris, Jamie Hands, Joe Newton. Subs: Oliver Jones (for Sumner 75), Tse Yue (for Newton 90+1), Jacob Farleigh (for Thomas 67), Daniel Tinsley (not used), Louis Mackin (GK) (not used).
Oswestry Town 2-3 Cheadle Town
Cheadle Town survived a late comeback by Oswestry Town to maintain a 100% record away from home thus far
Phew.
Three points, yes, but fingernails well-and-truly chewed down to the quick as we willfully allowed our hosts a foothold.
For 65 minutes we were well in control and good value for our 3-0 lead, but as soon as Rick Whyatt had scored that third we had stopped doing the stuff that had served us so well and got us into this position in the first place.
A bright opening by us saw Chris Sherrington test the keeper early on and put a free-kick just over.
On the 12th minute we should have opened our account. Great running by Mike Sherrington down the right saw him slot Rick Whyatt in on goal but to no avail.
Two minutes later Rick made amends, albeit with some fortune; picking the ball up on the edge of the area he went for power, with the shot taking a wicked deflection off an Oswestry defender, wrong-footing the keeper and spinning into the opposite corner of the net.
On 21 minutes Danny Whiting was called into action as he did well to palm away a well-struck long-range effort before we went straight down the other end and extended our lead.
It was the Mike Sherrington/Rick Whyatt combination working again, with Rick feeding Mike in down the right this time for a cool finish into the far corner.
Oswestry had evidently received the proverbial rocket up their rear ends at half-time as they came out with purpose in the second half and were arguably the better side for the final 45 minutes.
Their first chance came six minutes in when a cross in from the left found their player in space in the area, only for him to lash it over the bar.
Danny Whiting was forced into another good stop just after the hour mark before sending the ball down the other end where we would extend our lead even further.
On the edge of the box once more, Rick Whyatt turned inside and out before unleashing a left-footer that didn't need any deflection to help it on its way this time.
And that should have been that. Feet up. Game won.
But no. Two minutes later a poor header out of our defence fell straight to Oswestry's Farleigh who belted home from the edge of the area.
We simply couldn't keep hold of the ball from this point onwards and found ourselves having to fend off repeated waves of Oswestry attack, with Danny Whiting on-hand to rescue us again on 79 minutes with a good stop.
We crafted ourselves a chance to wrap it up once and for all with two minutes to go when George Clarey was through on goal but a moment of hesitancy meant the opportunity was gone.
In the blink of an eye the ball was sent up the other end where Tinsley's turn-and-shot from close range at the near post ensured a very nervous finish and one that would have been even more disastrous for us had Danny Whiting not come out bravely to clear a dangerous cross deep into stoppage time.
Onwards we go and thick-and-fast the fixtures come. A strong-looking Prestwich Heys are the next to visit Park Road this Wednesday evening....
TEAM: Whiting, Dunn, Fleming, Wood (Russell), Brocklehurst, Shaw, Ambrose (Clarey), Hincks, M Sherrington, Whyatt (Delaney), C Sherrington. SUBS: Piggott (gk), Clarey, Delaney, Russell.
Oswestry Town 2-1 Cheadle Town
Cheadle Town's decent run-of-form was tempered by this defeat at the hands of in-form Oswestry Town.
Cheadle Town failed to capitalise on their chances and possession as hosts FC Oswestry Town claimed all three points on a cold afternoon in Shropshire.
In similar fashion to the reverse fixture at Park Road Stadium back in August, it was Cheadle Town who had the majority the play throughout the first 45 minutes.
On 6 minutes, Michael Sherrington found space on the edge of the area but could only force his ling range effort wide of the post. Soon after on 9 minutes, a misfired shot from Liam Tongue found the feet of Rhys Webb who’s quick reaction could only guide the ball into the keepers arms.
Cheadle continued to press for the first goal and were denied on 16 minutes when Joseph Shaw received a corner at the back post and his powerful drive was well saved by the keeper.
FC Oswestry’s first real chance fell on 29 minutes when Dane Smith pulled off a good save with his legs and the subsequent shot was cleared off the line by Matthew Todd.
Webb then was presented with another opportunity on 37 minutes when he was played through on the left where his shot from an angle hit the side netting.
HT: FC Oswestry Town 0 Cheadle Town 0
FC Oswestry took an early second half lead on 49 minutes when Brendon Price found space between the Cheadle defence to fire a low shot from 10 yards.
Cheadle were soon back in the game with an equaliser on 52 minutes when Sherrington trapped the ball on his chest and fire a low volley past the keeper from the edge of the area.
No sooner has Cheadle equalised, FC Oswestry forced Smith to make great block to prevent a goal.
FC Oswestry took the lead on 61 minutes when substitute David Hartshorn tapped home following a cross that eluded the Cheadle defence.
Sherrington had a chance on 75 minutes, but could not find a gap to fire home from close range.
Late on in the game, a melee players were involved in an altercation which resulted in FC Oswestry’s Hartshorn receiving a red card.
FT: FC Oswestry Town 2 Cheadle Town 1
Cheadle Town 1-4 Oswestry Town
Cheadle Town were left to rue their early dominance of the game as FC Oswestry Town took full advantage of Cheadle’s below par performance and took all three points back to Shropshire.
In what was the first ever meeting between these two clubs, it was Cheadle who were to dominate the first 10 minutes of the game which saw an early goal on 5 minutes when Sam Noar converted from close range after a scramble in the box which saw an initial shot rebound off the post.
Cheadle continued to cause the Oswestry defence problems and Jon McLaughlin was unlucky not to find the back of the net with a 25-yard shot.
It took until 11 minutes for Oswestry to venture into the Cheadle half, but they could only watch as a header went wide of the post.
The woodwork was going to be Cheadle’s nemesis as Luke Hinck’s shot on 29 minutes rattled the bar and Cheadle failed to convert the rebound.
Oswestry took the lead on 38 minutes when a defensive clearance fell to Richard Litchfield who scored easily. Within minutes of the restart, Oswestry were awarded a penalty for a foul in the area. Luckily keeper Ben Jupp dived to his left and saved the penalty.
HT: Cheadle Town 1 FC Oswestry Town 1
Cheadle Town continued to attack from the start of the second half, but we seemed to leave gaps in the midfield to allow Oswestry to counter attack.
Oswestry took the lead on 55 minutes when a speculative shot from 20-yards by Callum Graybrook took a deflection and sent Jupp diving the wrong way. Oswestry then increased their lead further on 68 minutes as Liam Molloy headed home from close range.
Cheadle at this stage were getting frustrated as Hinck’s once again fire a shot against the woodwork on 69 minutes, which was then followed by a free-kick taken by Chris Sherrington which smashed against the crossbar.
Oswestry sealed the points on 89 minutes as they broke on the counter attack and Molloy grabbed his second goal of the day as he was found unmarked on the far post.
A disappointing day for Cheadle Town who had enough chances in the first 10 minutes to build up a healthy lead. It’s back to League action on Tuesday evening when they’ll be looking for an improved performance when they travel to Ashton Town.
