Skem’s heads are held high despite defeat
SKELMERSDALE United went up to Tyneside on Saturday and returned with plaudits ringing in their ears after taking the game to Evo-Stik Division One North leaders South Shields.
After going behind in the sixth minute to a massively deflected goal, Dave Powell’s young team levelled with a penalty and given luck might even have grabbed the lead before Shields re-established their advantage just after the interval.
The hosts got a third killer goal via a highly debateable penalty on the hour, but still Skem pushed on and by the end they had won some friends for their spirited performance.
Skelmersdale came close to taking the lead inside two minutes.
Tom Hulme intercepted a loose pass and played the ball into the path of Jordan Darr who was making a diagonal run from the right, after dodging a lunging tackle Darr saw his right-footed shot from an angle deflected past home goalkeeper Liam Connell’s right-hand post.
South Shields’ sixth minute goal came off their first really viable attack of the game.
Craig Baxter crossed from the right and Skelmersdale cleared poorly, even then when midfielder Robert Briggs ran onto the ball and shot from 20 yards it was likely that Skem goalkeeper Lee Callum Roberts would have saved it, but the ball took a massive deflection spinning high into the air then dropping into the net behind Roberts.
Skelmersdale were not deterred though and Tom Molyneux brought a couple of saves out of Connell before Shields number 11 Jamie Holmes cut in from the right and shot, Roberts doing particularly well to push the attempt for a corner.
It isn’t always young inexperienced players who give away silly penalties. When Skelmersdale equalised on 25 minutes it was from the penalty spot.
The move that made that possible was a run by Darr that had home defender Dillon Morse on the back foot, Julio Arca came across to help him out and clumsily tripped Darr, it was a clear penalty.
Argentinean, Arca made over 300 league appearances for Sunderland and Middlesbrough on the famous fields of Old Trafford, White Hart Lane and Goodison so should have known better.
Mike Roddy struck the Skem goal, sending home keeper Connell the wrong way.
As you would expect South Shields were having more of the possession but not by a lot and Skem were continuing to pose a threat.
Briggs put a free-kick for Shields just past the angle of post and crossbar, while down the other end James Galloway put a left-foot drive just wide after a poor headed clearance.
Skem’s first-half show had given the league leaders plenty to think about.
From the restart Shields went onto the attack and soon Graeme Armstrong was only thwarted by a tremendous tackle by Josh Wardle. In the 48th minute Shields struck. Briggs came in from the left and after an exchange of passes with half-time substitute Jack Devlin had a shot blocked, however, the ball came straight back to him, this time Briggs lifted a precise chip over Roberts into the net behind him to make it 2-1. Alex Nicholson fired over the Skem bar from a good position for Shields then Molyneux had another shot saved for Skem. Then came the debateable penalty. Matty Pattison had the ball at his feet on the right of the 18 yard box when Liam Hollett closed him down Pattison put his shoulder into Hollett and fell to the ground, referee Mr Ryan pointed to the penalty spot. If it was a penalty it was a manufactured one, Pattison had made the move to connect with Hollett, not the other way around. There lies the debate. The result was Briggs driving the spot kick low into the net just inside Roberts’s lefthand post. At 3-1 down Skelmersdale had a mountain to climb, they couldn’t but it was not for lack of trying.
Shields could have had more but wasted their opportunities and perhaps significantly Roberts didn’t have to make a serious save before the end.
Skem did attack and George Withe made home keeper Connell pull off decent save in the latter stages.
But Shields closed the game down like the experienced outfit they are.
Skelmersdale deserve the utmost credit for a valiant attempt.
They have played three difficult away games over eight days and only gathered a point and are now only six points off the bottom.
But those bare statistics are not a fair reflection.
In all three games they have defended well and in attack they have looked more threatening than at any time since Andy Owens left at Christmas.
Skem face another difficult game at Scarborough on Saturday but either side they play the two teams below them at Volair Park Prescot, they are very capable of winning both games. That would surely go a long way seeing them safe for the season.