New faces bring new lease of life for Skem
SKELMERSDALE United have signed five new players in the last ten days and the difference it has made to the team is tangible.
United went to Ilkeston last month and were well beaten.
A few weeks later Ilkeston came to Skem and went home well beaten themselves, but for some missed opportunities and a little bad luck in front of goal, Skelmersdale could well have been crowned comfortable winners well before Max Hazeldine sealed things with a typical poacher’s goal in the 77th minute.
Skelmersdale had pushed the Derbyshire based side from the off and in the opening 14 minutes went close three times.
Visiting goalkeeper Ross Durrant saved low down to his right from Hazeldine, Luke Wall hit the post with a looping ball into the goalmouth before new signing Chad Whyte saw his shot just go the wrong side of the far post after another new signing Mike Grogan set him up.
However, the Skelmersdale supporters didn’t have to wait very long for a goal. On 24 minutes Skelmersdale won a right-wing corner, Wall swung the ball into the six yard box; Grogan hoisted himself above everyone else and directed a header over keeper Durrant and into the net.
Ilkeston now had to go on the offensive but until just before the interval the nearest they came was a threatening looking free-kick that Chris Almond directed over his own crossbar just before Matt Baker could get on the end of it.
It was just before the interval, the 42nd minute to be exact, when Ilkeston got their first chance and it drew them level. Rory Coleman drove the ball head height into the box, it was headed down and Malachi Lavelle-Moore stabbed the ball into the net.
Skem pushed to restore their lead immediately and Wall put in a pair of dangerous crosses, from one Whyte flicked a header just wide the other was scrambled clear.
The first ten minutes or so after the restart were pretty close until Ilkeston’s Anton Brown headed wide and it seemed to spark Skelmersdale up, Whyte going close twice in the next five minutes.
There had been a spell midway through the first-half when referee Aaron Bannister flashed four rather unnecessary yellow cards, two to each team and it came back to haunt him on 63 minutes.
Shelton ran at the Skem defence and appeared to go down very easily, as Mr Bannister had earlier booked Wall for a similar offence and booked Shelton for a foul in the first-half when words might have been more appropriate, he had no choice other than to show Shelton a second yellow and a red one.
Skelmersdale started to dominate. Wall found Hazeldine but his shot went wide, then after a free-kick fell to him, Wall fired wide, things haven’t been going Skelmersdale’s way in front of goal all season but this was going to be the most frustrating of all, such was the pressure from Skem.
On 77 minutes the goal came. Whyte ran onto a long ball from Dylan Smith, his shot went under Durrant but just as it looked odds on to be cleared off the line Hazeldine stuck his foot in and it was a goal.
For the next ten minutes Skelmersdale went in search of a killer third goal, it never came.
Twice Paul Foy had shots saved, but gradually Skem drew more anxious, Ilkeston started to press as Skem fell back deeper, but the new resolve Skelmersdale have came good and they held on fairly comfortably in the end.
The win was not all that surprising to those that had seen Skelmersdale’s games at Rushall and Stourbridge, they still lack confidence, but the commitment level was excellent.