Shepshed Dynamo lead UCL
HLSPORT UNITED COUNTIES PREMIER DIVISION
HARBOROUGH TOWN 0 SHEPSHED DYNAMO 2
SHEPSHED Dynamo produced one of their best all round performances of the season defeating Harborough Town 2-0 to return to the top of the Uhlsport United Counties Premier Division.
On a cool Saturday afternoon Shepshed started the game well John King’s effort deflected wide for a corner on five minutes.
Harborough’s first chance came on 12 minutes with Finlay Gray off target.
Shepshed went straight up the other end with Daniel Farrell tipping Matt Melbourne’s header onto the crossbar and out for a corner.
From the resultant corner taken by Liam Hurst the ball sailed past Farrell for captain Jake Betts to power his header home to give Dynamo the lead on 13 minutes.
Shepshed nearly made it two a minute later King finding Reece Morris but his effort was deflected wide. Harborough came their closest to equalising two minutes later Josh Egginton doing well to clear the ball off the line.
Dynamo thought they had doubled their lead on 23 minutes, King feeding Melbourne who slotted past Farrell but he was given offside by the smallest of margins by the assistant referee.
Town’s Barnes Gladman then broke down the left on 26 minutes and found Daniel Forbes in the box but Betts was quick to avert the danger.
Melbourne then connected with a Morris cross but Harborough were able to deflate the effort eventually deflected into Farrell.
Shepshed continued to look to increase their lead King’s shot blocked on 30 minutes and two minutes later he fired wide of the Town goal.
A minute later Tommy Wright’s effort was blocked out by the Dynamo defence.
Shepshed always looked the more threatening of the sides and continued to attack the Town goal. Morris found Hurst in the 37th minute his shot was saved by Farrell and Morris was unable to convert the rebound.
Morris was continually causing the Harborough defence trouble. Harborough managed to scramble his chance clear on 39 minutes and a minute later Farrell was called into action to save from him.
The final chance of the half fell to Melbourne but again Farrell was on hand to deny Shepshed. Despite numerous chances Dynamo took a solitary goal lead into the half time break.
Shepshed carried on in the ascendancy second half. Matt Melbourne unlucky twice on 47 and 50 minutes as he broke free only to be given offside on both occasions.
Dynamo doubled their lead on 52 minutes Morris set free and coolly slotted past Farrell.
After this it was the turn of Dynamo’s defence to be resolute as Harborough pushed to get back into the game.
Sam Preston fired over on 65 minutes and Matty White saved from Callum Milne on 71 minutes.
Niall Prenderville then had his shot saved by Farrell on 77 minutes and substitute Josh Mundell was causing trouble down the right hand side only to be offside on a number of occasions.
Harborough pushed towards the end of the game but Matty White was determined to keep a clean sheet saving from Joel Konteh four times at the end of the match.
Dynamo held out to claim all three points. This was one of their most impressive all round performances of the season and with results elsewhere going in their favour they returned to the top of the Uhlsport United Counties Premier Division with a two point lead and playing five games less than second placed Rugby Town.
With no midweek action Shepshed travel to manager Damien Beckford Quailey’s former club Leicester Nirvana on Saturday and then the following Tuesday they entertain Cogenhoe United at The Dovecote Stadium.